Quick Carrot Daikon Stir-Fry

This quick and easy carrot daikon stir-fry is one of my go-to side dishes. It’s healthy, tasty, and goes with any Chinese meal! 

What Is Daikon Radish?

Daikon radish, (萝卜 – luóbo in Mandarin or lo bak in Cantonese) is a large, white root vegetable with green leaves. Eaten across Asia, daikon radishes can be added to soups, used in stir-fries, pickled, or consumed raw in salads. Like other types of radish, daikon has a slightly spicy flavor when raw, but is mild when cooked. 

Daikon is also an incredibly healthy vegetable! It is high in Vitamin C, phosphorus, and potassium. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, it may also help aid digestion and detoxify the liver!

Look for firm, bright white daikon radishes around 10 inches long at your local Asian grocery store. Avoid radishes with bruising or brown spots, or radishes that feel soft when pressed. 

Why This Recipe

Bill actually asked me to post this simple and unassuming recipe. I cook it for us every other week during the winter months, and he loves it. It’s quick, easy, tasty, and healthy. 

The natural sweetness of the carrots are the perfect counterpoint to the daikon. For our readers who can’t consume sugar, know that adding carrots, onions, or corn to a dish can play a similar role in balancing flavor. 

Another element that “makes” the dish is the oyster sauce. Daikon and oyster sauce are the perfect pair––why else would we always serve radish cakes (lo bak go) with oyster sauce? 

If you’d like to make this dish vegan, simply use a mushroom-based vegetarian oyster sauce! 

For other simple daikon recipes, check out our Boiled Daikon and Braised Daikon with Salted Pork & Glass Noodles.

Carrot Daikon Stir-fry Recipe Instructions

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for for 20 seconds. 

Add the carrot, and stir-fry for 30 seconds––the oil should turn an orange color.

Add in the daikon, turn up the heat to high, and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. 

 

Add the Shaoxing wine (if using), oyster sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, salt, water, and the white parts of the scallions. Stir to combine, cover, and turn down the heat to medium. Simmer for 5-8 minutes until tender. 

Uncover, add in the rest of the chopped scallion, and mix everything well. When the daikon is translucent and tender, the dish is done. 

NOTE: If you’d like sauce in the dish, increase the water to ½ cup. Then mix 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water until combined. Add the slurry at the end, and simmer until the sauce has thickened.