Savory, subtly sweet, and juicy, this braised daikon radish recipe is proof that vegetable alone makes a mouth-watering dish.
I love daikon radish. But mostly, I use it as a garnish or a side dish. I never thought that radish alone can make such a tasty recipe. Salads are great, but you will fall in love with this vegan recipe once you try it.
The key to making tender and savory radish is braising. Braising is a common cooking method in Asian kitchens. Similar to stewing, you cook with medium-low heat for a longer time.
While all ingredients should soak in water in stewing, braising requires less liquid. It tenderizes the ingredients without making the whole dish soupy. That’s why for vegetables that release water when heated, like daikon radish, braising is a better option.
I am so tempted to call this recipe a one-ingredient dish. Besides scallion, ginger, and the seasoning, daikon radish, or white radish, is the sole hero. So when I have nothing but a radish in my fridge, this recipe saves my day. If you are like me, who don’t want to spend a lot of time shopping for ingredients or cooking, this braised daikon recipe is for you.
How to make braised daikon radish?
Ingredients
- 1 Daikon radish
- 1 Scallion
- 50 grams of Fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons of Olive oil
Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon of Light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of Dark soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons of Soybean paste
- 0.5 tablespoon of cooking wine (preferably Shaoxing wine)
A step-by-step guide to braise daikon radish
Peel the daikon radish and roll cut into small pieces.
Roll cutting, by word, is to cut and roll. You make a cut, roll the radish to another side, and cut again. This way, each block will be irregular with multiple dimensions. And it will absorb the sauce better and less likely to be overcooked.
I use the same technique in almost all braising recipes, like braised beef brisket with daikon. And I find it helpful to maintain the form of the ingredient without extending the cooking time.
Rinse the scallion with water. Then remove the root, and separate the white part from the green. Cut the white part into approximately 2-inch pieces. And dice the green part finely.
Wash the fresh ginger and slice it thinly. Set aside for later.
On a pan, heat two teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Then add ginger slices and the white stems of scallion. Sauté and coat the pan with oil evenly.
When the scallion and ginger start to fragrant, add the daikon radish blocks to the pan. Stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes until the surface of the radish turns slightly brown.
Add half a cup of water or just enough to cover the ingredients. Pour light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, soybean paste, and cooking wine into the pan. Stir until the water boils.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the lid and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Check on the amount of sauce occasionally to avoid burning. Add water if needed.
Open the lid. If there’s too much liquid, turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce thickens. Sprinkle the green scallion. Transfer to a plate and serve with rice or noodle.
Chinese-style Braised Daikon Radish
Savory, subtly sweet, and juicy, this braised daikon radish recipe is proof that vegetable alone makes a mouth-watering dish.
Ingredients
- 1 Daikon radish
- 1 Scallion
- 50 grams of Fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons of Olive oil
- Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon of Light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of Dark soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons of Soybean paste
- 0.5 tablespoon of cooking wine (preferably Shaoxing wine)
Instructions
- Peel the daikon radish and roll cut into small pieces.
- Rinse the scallion with water. Then remove the root, and separate the white part from the green. Cut the white part into approximately 2-inch pieces. And dice the green part finely.
- Wash the fresh ginger and slice it thinly. Set aside for later.
- On a pan, heat two teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Then add ginger slices and the white stems of scallion. Sauté and coat the pan with oil evenly.
- When the scallion and ginger start to fragrant, add the daikon radish blocks to the pan. Stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes until the surface of the radish turns slightly brown.
- Add half a cup of water or just enough to cover the ingredients. Pour light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, soybean paste, and cooking wine into the pan. Stir until the water boils.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the lid and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Check on the amount of sauce occasionally to avoid burning. Add water if needed.
- Open the lid. If there's too much liquid, turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce thickens. Sprinkle the green scallion. Transfer to a plate and serve with rice or noodle.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 103Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 864mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g
Have you made the braised daikon radish recipe?
Feel free to leave your thoughts or questions in the comment.
If you love daikon radish, check out these tasty daikon radish recipes. Happy cooking!
Great recipe – loved the flavors!
Glad you like it:)
the soybean paste in the recipe – is it doenjjang or taucu?
It’s doubanjiang, but the non-spicy version.
Can I make do without doubanjiiang? Or how about the Korean soybean paste?
Doubanjiang will make this dish a little spicy, so yes if you love it hot. Korean soybean paste can be a bit sweeter than Chinese soybean paste, so the favor can come out a little different.
Hello. I have a jar of 磨豉醬, is it the same thing?
Yes. They are basically the same thing.
can i also use miso past instead of soyabean past?
Sure. The favor may be slightly different. But worth a try!
Just did it, turned out quite yummy with some substitutions i.e. miso paste, sesame seed oil and mirin. Nevertheless it was a little bitter so I added a teaspoon of sugar. Thank you for your recipe!
Sounds delicious!
I dont have Daikon at home, but I have Korean Mu…can I use it as a substitute?
I think so. Give it a try!
The daikons don’t smell nice during the cooking so I isolate the kitchen with closed doors and open windows. But this recipe is da bomb! I have added some cubes of chuck roast to make a savory meat-veg braise. This is a foundational recipe that leads to many wonderful dishes. My partner added a few jumbo carrot chunks in the last 20 mins of braise to add a note of sweetness and color and it was a vegetarian hit at the holiday potluck. Let the creativity flow.
Glad you like it! Makes me want to make it again and twist it.
Thanks so much. Nicely explained with helpful photos. Thanks for teaching me how to roll cut. This’ll take my cooking up a notch. And finally, I know what to do with all the daikon radishes that arrive in my veg delivery box this time of year.
Thanks so much and happy cooking! If you have any more questions or need further guidance, feel free to ask.
Yummy
Never tried Daikon before – delicious. Recipe easy to follow. Thank you.
Never tried Daikon before – delicious. Recipe easy to follow.
Sweetened slightly with apple jelly.
Hello Emma… we got a larger than usual daikon this time, to make something like your braised beef brisket with daikon, and I was looking for something else to make with the other half (about a pound, or half kilo) when I came across your recipe. The daikon that we get here vary in size, so I just wanted to confirm with you how much daikon to use… it looks to like about a half kilo… am I right? Thanks for letting me know. We’re really keen to try your recipe.
One other question: what I’ve read about miso vs soybean paste tells me that soybean paste is more flavourful, but do you think you could use miso in your recipe?
Thanks again for the great recipes, and for taking the trouble to answer my questions.
Hi Hasan, thanks for liking the recipe. I would keep the daikon less than twice the weight of the beef. Otherwise the dish may get too watery and the flavor of the daikon could cover that of the beef.
If the daikon you have is rather big, I would use the leftover to make pickled daikon.
As for the soybean paste, I am not really familiar with miso. But it is a bit saltier and less “meaty” than soybean paste. So the flavor could be slightly different.
This dish came out quite tasty. I didn’t have soybean paste so I used a veggie buillon paste. Also used Braggs liquid aminos instead of soy sauce. My pink egg shaped daikon radish was on the bitter and spicy side but it went great with rice noodles and even my 13-year-old daughter ate it up!
Glad your family love this dish!
Buy your daikon at Chinese American supermarkets, not Kroger (or here in NYC — Key Food). It’ll be .79 a pound instead of $2.49 a pound.
For a vegie dinner, serve the daikon atop steamed Chinese greens.