# Daikon, what to do?



## wbusby1 (Aug 5, 2016)

What are some good ways to prepare daikon?

Ideally the less heat, work, and additional ingredients, the better!

I was thinking of trying it with just some butter and salt...?

I've been practicing katsuramuki a few days a week and end up with piles of mediocre sheets of daikon.


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## Mucho Bocho (Aug 5, 2016)

Pickles


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## daveb (Aug 5, 2016)

Ha! Been there, done that. Kimchee.


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## Asteger (Aug 5, 2016)

Daikon salad. Classic izakaya dish


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 5, 2016)

"mediocre sheets of daikon."

how thick? That will probably define the possible uses a lot...

If reasonably thin... Mooli Paratha maybe?

If thicker... can't decide if it would work, cut down further, as a thoran... maybe make a korean banchan?

BTW, I find that doing consistent thick sheets (suitable for pickles, zoodles etc. ) doesn't seem exactly easier than thin...


....


if practicing on cukes too: Found that thick, julienned cuke sheets tend to add moisture to a salad without drowning it in juices...


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## laxdad (Aug 5, 2016)

If you have the larger diameter ones, slice really thin and use as vegetarian taco wraps.

Violates your less heat, work, and ingredients criteria, but you can use daikon instead of potatoes when braising beef or pork. This is a very common Asian application.


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## _PixelNinja (Aug 5, 2016)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Pickles


This. I like to make namasu (pickled daikon and carrots).


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## foody518 (Aug 5, 2016)

Soups and stews. It sucks up the savory hearty flavors of things very well. Cut into chunks. 

One of my favorite foods growing up was my mom's pork sparerib and daikon soup...scoop some rice into there for the starches and it was an exceedingly satisfying meal


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## brainsausage (Aug 5, 2016)

Peel them, remove and quick pickle the thinner bits. Take a bunch of julienned onions, some star anise, some thick bacon lardons, whole white pepper corn, soy sauce, rice wine vin, and wakame. Toss it all in a suitable braising pan. Cover the mixture halfway with a rich pork or beef broth, and braise them at 275 (spoon the stock over the exposed bits every half hour or so) until a paring knive slides in with the smallest amount of resistance. Make some black garlic aioli while the daikon is resting. Remove em from the braising liquid, strain and reserve the jus, add a little more rice wine to the jus, and reduce till its damn thick. Cut the daikon lengthwise. Sear really hard on the flats. Spread some of that black garlic aioli on a plate, place your braised daikon flat side down, and top with pickled daikon sticks, a couple spoons of your jus, and a chiffonade of fresh shiso leaf.

That's just what popped into my head. I could probably pm you some measurements if you want. 

Edit:I just realized you wanted less ingredients and less heat. Oops. That's what I get for speed reading/posting while multi-tasking.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 5, 2016)

@brainsausage I think he has already cut it into sheets of yet unknown thickness, or is going to do so...


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## Mucho Bocho (Aug 5, 2016)

brainsausage said:


> Peel them, remove and quick pickle the thinner bits. Take a bunch of julienned onions, some star anise, some thick bacon lardons, whole white pepper corn, soy sauce, rice wine vin, and wakame. Toss it all in a suitable braising pan. Cover the mixture halfway with a rich pork or beef broth, and braise them at 275 (spoon the stock over the exposed bits every half hour or so) until a paring knive slides in with the smallest amount of resistance. Make some black garlic aioli while the daikon is resting. Remove em from the braising liquid, strain and reserve the jus, add a little more rice wine to the jus, and reduce till its damn thick. Cut the daikon lengthwise. Sear really hard on the flats. Spread some of that black garlic aioli on a plate, place your braised daikon flat side down, and top with pickled daikon sticks, a couple spoons of your jus, and a chiffonade of fresh shiso leaf.
> 
> That's just what popped into my head. I could probably pm you some measurements if you want.



WOW Josh. That sounds like an Iron Chef dish. Iron Chef Josh Sausage. It's got a ring to it ;-)


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## foody518 (Aug 5, 2016)

Oops. I also missed that the thrust of this was usages for the daikon sheets. But man, Brainsausage, that sounds so freaking good...


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## spoiledbroth (Aug 6, 2016)

can we all just take a moment to think about the smell of daikon that was cut a few days ago... and pray to god he's not saving sheets in his fridge XD


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 6, 2016)

@spoiledbroth "thought I had run out of rubber bands... strange...."


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## spoiledbroth (Aug 6, 2016)

oh I remembered after posting, if you have stinky daikon and want to cook and eat it anyway, simmer it in water with a little raw rice, this is a trick I learned at work and I can say.... it definitely works. I dunno what causes daikon to smell strongly but I'm told it doesn't mean it's unsafe to eat. So there.


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## Keith Sinclair (Aug 7, 2016)

Takuan (pickled daikon radish) you do not want to leave in your frig. without a good sealed container. It can really put out some smells.

:thumbsup: to kim chee & soups. Brainsausage sounds like cook :knife:


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## preizzo (Aug 7, 2016)

Thin slices of daikon. 
You pickled them and you stuffed with braised short ribs. (you need to roll them) 
After you place them in a plate and you served them with a home made chicken broth!! 
Decorated with some sakura herbs


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## Mucho Bocho (Aug 7, 2016)

preizzo said:


> Thin slices of daikon.
> You pickled them and you stuffed with braised short ribs. (you need to roll them)
> After you place them in a plate and you served them with a home made chicken broth!!
> Decorated with some sakura herbs



Interesting. Love to see a visual of this dish.


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## boomchakabowwow (Aug 9, 2016)

cut them into french fry shape and sizes. stir fry it them briefly with some onions, and pour in just a little hot water and let them steam/braise under a lid. once soft, toss in a small fist full of those tiny dry shrimp you've been soaking in hot water. then some dry shitake you also softened in water. then some of those bean thread noodles. season with fish sauce, white pepper. 

garnish with green onion and chilantro.

i dont know what the hell it's called but it is a cantonese dish my parents made and something my step dad showed me before he passed.


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## boomchakabowwow (Aug 9, 2016)

i like the korean daikon better. they seem firmer and the shape makes my chopping skills less sucky.

i always pop a few raw chunks aside for crunching on.


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## Keith Sinclair (Aug 9, 2016)

A lot of places sell salmon scraps like belly, bone, head after they clean whole fish. 

Salmon Soup: In a large pot put couple pieces of smashed ginger, onions, lemongrass,& water. Season with Hawaiian rock salt & chili pepper flakes. Take salmon belly strip off outer skin & cut into pieces. You can throw whole head in if you like. The belly meat is rich in fats & makes great soup. Add tomato's (wedges) & slices of daikon. At near end of cooking add watercress you just want it blanched not over cooked. The tomato's & salmon make a clear red broth. Take a bowl with rice in it & ladle soup over it. It is simple soup to make but tastes so ono:hungry:


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## b2kk258 (Aug 9, 2016)

foody518 said:


> Soups and stews. It sucks up the savory hearty flavors of things very well. Cut into chunks.
> 
> One of my favorite foods growing up was my mom's pork sparerib and daikon soup...scoop some rice into there for the starches and it was an exceedingly satisfying meal



+1


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## ynot1985 (Aug 9, 2016)

we make Cantonese radish cake out of them


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## boomchakabowwow (Aug 9, 2016)

ynot1985 said:


> we make Cantonese radish cake out of them



well there is that..yum.

very similar flavor profile to my dish.


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## kizam (Aug 12, 2016)

If you are able to get your sheets thin enough you could use them as almost a kind of spring roll wrapper. Also, simply roasted with sweet potato, parsnip, maybe celeriac.


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## boomchakabowwow (Aug 25, 2016)

ynot1985 said:


> we make Cantonese radish cake out of them



thanks for the inspiration. my mom is in town, so she showed me how to make this. kinda easy!! and my wife is blown away. hahahha.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 25, 2016)

Thicker sheets of zucchini, cucumber or actual unripe papaya make an outstanding som tam when ribboned (if papaya, pound a bit as usual, if softer veg, pound the dressing only).


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## cheflife15 (Aug 25, 2016)

pickles, kimchi, even searing it in butter is nice.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Sep 4, 2016)

Cut to fine ribbons, season with some salt, pepper, sumac (or anything sour that doesn't waterlog it), sprinkle some toasted sesame oil and maybe mild mustard oil...


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## XKFC (Sep 5, 2016)

You can make soup with some lamb, really tasty


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## boomchakabowwow (Sep 7, 2016)

Daikon Radish cake is well..cake to make.!! turned out great, (altho slightly under-salted)

i'm having visions of grandeur. i'm gonna make the taro version.


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## daveb (Sep 7, 2016)

Gotta be better than it sounds. You have a recipe for Poi pie?


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## laxdad (Sep 8, 2016)

Radish and taro cakes are savory cakes and staples at dim sum restaurants. European equivalents might be latkes, potato pancakes, or perhaps bread pudding.


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## daveb (Sep 8, 2016)

Ah, the savory part slipped my mind. Getting old sucks.


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## boomchakabowwow (Sep 8, 2016)

daveb said:


> Ah, the savory part slipped my mind. Getting old sucks.





on a side note, i kinda love POI. at least when it is super fresh.


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## jklip13 (Sep 8, 2016)

Chestnut season is coming up, you can use the juice to peel away the inner membrane


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## spoiledbroth (Sep 8, 2016)

Fukujinzuke made some earlier this week with a small daikon kohlrabi and celeriac deeeeelicious pick up a little gekkikan on your way home from work you ought to have everything else needed in pantry (shoyu, rice vinegar, mirin, salt)


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## Fedusa (Sep 12, 2016)

Not sure if this was mentioned but the Japanese like to grate it for soups, in dipping sauces to help it cling or add soy sauce to eat with rice.
You can also use it in place of carrots for stock, they're a lot sweeter imo.

I just recently simmered them in some flavored stock to top my meals with.


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## Mucho Bocho (Sep 13, 2016)

Fedusa said:


> Not sure if this was mentioned but the Japanese like to grate it for soups, in dipping sauces to help it cling or add soy sauce to eat with rice.
> You can also use it in place of carrots for stock, they're a lot sweeter imo.
> 
> I just recently simmered them in some flavored stock to top my meals with.



Great suggestions Fed


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## cheflife15 (Oct 12, 2016)

daikon kimchi, fermented daikon


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## panda (Oct 12, 2016)

spoiledbroth, that sounds fantastic, got a photo of it composed?


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## spoiledbroth (Oct 14, 2016)

Sadly not but there are about a hundred vids on YouTube of Japanese guys making them at home  I cut them a little too thick. I forgot I put some fresh mushrooms in too but I'm not really sure how to process mush for pickling

It was really good though the choice of veg worked well. I have never had a sweet pickle like that before.


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## Unstoppabo (Oct 16, 2016)

Korean pickled daikon for sure!

You can go little cubes like this recipe http://www.itsmydish.com/korean-pickled-radish/ 
for a side like the ones served at korean fried chicken joints. Most places add a dash of sweet & low and a squeeze of lemon helps too.

For sheets of daikon, cut into ~3in squares/rectangles and use the recipe above for some killer wraps for grilled meat. Goes particularly well with pork belly dipped in sweetened soy sauce and toasted grain flour (misugaru).


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## foody518 (Oct 16, 2016)

I was just at a Bonchon eating wings and daikon cubes the other week, thanks for the recipe link!


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