The Mighty Daikon
For those of you who are here shopping around for an air conditioner now is the time to hit the back button. Today we are looking at the Giant White radish (daikon) not the giant electrical manufacturer (daikin). Some would confuse the two, but I can assure you that the two tastes are very distinct.
Daikon (Dai means big and kon means root) is perhaps on of the most popular and particularly Japanese of vegetables. I am told that it tastes and looks a bit like an Icicle Radish, but I don’t know what that is like or if it is just one of those fairy story vegetables that you read about. These guys grow up to about half a metre long (but most are around 30-40cm) and look just like great big white carrots. Their texture is also carrotish but a lot juicier and they grow in a very similar way. The flavour of daikon can be one of its finest or most disgusting aspects. If it is cooked badly, it can really taste old. Its smell can be delicious or just plain old pungent, and a lot of this comes down to freshness. Basically it all depends on how it is treated. Look after your daikon and it will look after you.
Daikon can be eaten raw (often finely grated before excess juice is squeezed out) or cooked in a million different recipes. It makes great pickles and is said to aid the digestion of fatty foods. My favourite way to use it is to grate it, squeeze out the juice, fluff it up again and then serve it under some saucy cooked meat or fish. The daikon serves as a bed and a sponge to soak up all the flavours, leaving nothing to waste.
I once met a dog who would dance on his hind legs for prizes of cubed raw daikon. I wouldn’t go so far as that myself but I would say that daikon is one of those vegetables that I love to have in the fridge. If I had to choose between a can of tomatoes and a daikon, I would have to choose the daikon for versatility, at least while I am living in Japan. Note: The best time to buy daikon is on the same day that you buy other long things because you look like a bit of an amateur walking down the street with just a daikon in your hand.
Tags: Ingredient Spotlight, Japanese, UncategorizedRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Ingredient Spotlight, Japanese
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