Daikon
Encyclopedia
Daikon Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli (from Hindi
/Urdu
Muulii), is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asia
n radish
. Despite being known most commonly by its Japanese name in the US, it did not originate in Japan, but rather in continental Asia. In the UK and continental Asia it is most commonly known as mooli.
Although there are many varieties of daikon, the most common in Japan, the aokubi-daikon, has the shape of a giant carrot
, approximately 20 to 35 cm (7.9 to 13.8 in) long and 5 to 10 cm (2 to 3.9 in) in diameter. Another variety, the "Korean radish", is shorter, stouter, and has a pale green colour extending from the top, to approximately half way down the tuber. One of the most unusually shaped varieties of daikon cultivated in Kagoshima Prefecture
is the turnip-shaped sakurajima daikon
, which often grows as large as 50 cm (20 in) in diameter and weighs as much as 45 kg (99.2 lb).
The flavour is generally rather mild compared to smaller radishes.
, producing roots resembling a parsnip by midsummer in good garden soil in an average year.
The Chinese radish or mooli tolerates higher temperatures than Japanese daikon, it grows well at lower elevations in East Africa. It is best if there is plenty of moisture and it can grow fast, otherwise it tastes too strong and its flesh is tough.
and chai tow kway
are made with daikon. The variety called mooli has a high water content, and should be salted and drained before it is cooked. Sometimes Mooli is used to carve elaborate garnishes.
In Korean cuisine, a varietal is used to make kkakdugi and nabak kimchi
use the vegetable, in addition to the soup muguk. This type of daikon is shorter, stouter, and has a pale green colour extending from the top, to approximately half way down the tuber.
In Japanese cuisine, many types of pickles are made with daikon including takuan
and bettarazuke
. Daikon is also frequently used shredded and mixed into ponzu
(a soy sauce and citrus juice condiment) as a dip. Simmered dishes are also popular such as oden
. Cut and dried daikon is called Kiriboshi-daikon(literally, cut-dried daikon) which is a common method of preserving food in Japan. Daikon radish sprouts (Kaiware-daikon) are used for salad
or garnishing of sashimi
.
Daikon leaf is frequently eaten as green vegetables. Pickles
and stir frying
are common. The Daikon leaf is one of a leaves of Festival of Seven Herbs, called suzushiro.
In Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisine, the young leaves of the daikon plant are boiled and flash fried with a mixture of heated oil, garlic, ginger, red chili and a variety of spices. The radish is eaten as a fresh salad often seasoned with either salt and pepper or Chaat masala
.
In South India, daikon is the principal ingredient in a variety of sambhar, in which roundels of the radish are boiled with onions, tamarind pulp, lentils and a special spice powder. When cooked, it can release a very strong odor. This soup called 'mullangi sambar' (முள்ளங்கி சாம்பார்-mullangi: முள்ளங்கி Tamil word for daikon) is very popular and mixed with cooked rice to make a good meal.
. A 100-gram serving contains only 90 kilojoules or 15 calories (6 Cal/oz), but provides 34 percent of the RDA
for vitamin C. Daikon also contains the active enzyme
myrosinase
.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
/Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
Muulii), is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
n radish
Radish
The radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe, in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time...
. Despite being known most commonly by its Japanese name in the US, it did not originate in Japan, but rather in continental Asia. In the UK and continental Asia it is most commonly known as mooli.
Although there are many varieties of daikon, the most common in Japan, the aokubi-daikon, has the shape of a giant carrot
Carrot
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
, approximately 20 to 35 cm (7.9 to 13.8 in) long and 5 to 10 cm (2 to 3.9 in) in diameter. Another variety, the "Korean radish", is shorter, stouter, and has a pale green colour extending from the top, to approximately half way down the tuber. One of the most unusually shaped varieties of daikon cultivated in Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
is the turnip-shaped sakurajima daikon
Sakurajima daikon
is one of the local products of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is the biggest daikon variety in the world and the Guinness Book of Records has confirmed that. Its regular weight is about 6 kilograms although big ones can be as much as . It grows as large as in diameter. It is grown on Sakurajima...
, which often grows as large as 50 cm (20 in) in diameter and weighs as much as 45 kg (99.2 lb).
The flavour is generally rather mild compared to smaller radishes.
Culture
The variety 'Long White Icicle' is available as seed in Britain, and will grow very successfully in Southern EnglandSouthern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
, producing roots resembling a parsnip by midsummer in good garden soil in an average year.
The Chinese radish or mooli tolerates higher temperatures than Japanese daikon, it grows well at lower elevations in East Africa. It is best if there is plenty of moisture and it can grow fast, otherwise it tastes too strong and its flesh is tough.
Use
In Chinese cuisine, turnip cakeTurnip cake
Turnip cake is a Chinese dim sum dish made of shredded radish and plain rice flour. The less commonly-used daikon cake is a more accurate name, in that Western-style turnips are not used in the dish; it is sometimes also referred to as radish cake...
and chai tow kway
Chai tow kway
Chai tao kway is a common dish or dim sum of Teochew cuisine in Chaoshan , Singapore and Malaysia, consisting of stir-fried cubes of radish cake.-Names:...
are made with daikon. The variety called mooli has a high water content, and should be salted and drained before it is cooked. Sometimes Mooli is used to carve elaborate garnishes.
In Korean cuisine, a varietal is used to make kkakdugi and nabak kimchi
Nabak kimchi
Nabak kimchi is a watery kimchi, similar to dongchimi, in Korean cuisine. It is made of thinly sliced Korean white radish and Napa cabbage into a rectangular shape as main ingredients and salted them with mixed vegetables and spices such as cucumber, spring onions, water dropwort , garlic, ginger,...
use the vegetable, in addition to the soup muguk. This type of daikon is shorter, stouter, and has a pale green colour extending from the top, to approximately half way down the tuber.
In Japanese cuisine, many types of pickles are made with daikon including takuan
Takuan
, also known as takuwan or takuan-zuke, is a popular traditional Japanese pickle. It is made from daikon radish. In addition to being served alongside other types of tsukemono in traditional Japanese cuisine, takuan is also enjoyed at the end of meals as it is thought to aid digestion.Takuan is...
and bettarazuke
Bettarazuke
is a type of pickled daikon popular in Tokyo, a sort of tsukemono. It is made by pickling daikon with sugar, salt, and sake without filtering koji. The name bettarazuke is taken from the stickiness of koji leftover from the pickling process...
. Daikon is also frequently used shredded and mixed into ponzu
Ponzu
is a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is tart, with a thin, watery consistency and a light yellow color. Ponzu shōyu or ponzu jōyu is ponzu sauce with soy sauce added, and the mixed product is widely referred to as simply ponzu.The element pon arrived in the Japanese...
(a soy sauce and citrus juice condiment) as a dip. Simmered dishes are also popular such as oden
Oden
Oden is a Japanese winter dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konnyaku, and processed fish cakes stewed in a light, soy-flavoured dashi broth. Ingredients vary according to region and between each household...
. Cut and dried daikon is called Kiriboshi-daikon(literally, cut-dried daikon) which is a common method of preserving food in Japan. Daikon radish sprouts (Kaiware-daikon) are used for salad
Salad
Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes, including vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, eggs, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They may include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables or fruits.Green salads include leaf...
or garnishing of sashimi
Sashimi
Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy. It consists of very fresh raw meat, most commonly fish, sliced into thin pieces.-Origin:The word sashimi means "pierced body", i.e...
.
Daikon leaf is frequently eaten as green vegetables. Pickles
Pickles
Pickles may refer to:* A pickled cucumber, the food most commonly referred to as a pickle in the U.S. and Canada* A pickled onion, the food most commonly referred to as a pickle in the UK* Other vegetables that have been pickled...
and stir frying
Stir frying
Stir frying is an umbrella term used to describe two Chinese cooking techniques for preparing food in a wok: chǎo and bào . The term stir-fry was introduced into the English language by Buwei Yang Chao, in her book How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, to describe the chǎo technique...
are common. The Daikon leaf is one of a leaves of Festival of Seven Herbs, called suzushiro.
In Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisine, the young leaves of the daikon plant are boiled and flash fried with a mixture of heated oil, garlic, ginger, red chili and a variety of spices. The radish is eaten as a fresh salad often seasoned with either salt and pepper or Chaat masala
Chaat masala
Chaat masala is a masala, or spice mix, used in Indian and Pakistani Cuisine. It typically consists of amchoor , cumin, Kala Namak, coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper, asafoetida and chili powder...
.
In South India, daikon is the principal ingredient in a variety of sambhar, in which roundels of the radish are boiled with onions, tamarind pulp, lentils and a special spice powder. When cooked, it can release a very strong odor. This soup called 'mullangi sambar' (முள்ளங்கி சாம்பார்-mullangi: முள்ளங்கி Tamil word for daikon) is very popular and mixed with cooked rice to make a good meal.
Storage
The roots can be stored for some weeks without the leaves if lifted and kept in a cool dry place. If left in the ground, the texture tends to become woody, but the storage life of untreated whole roots is not long.Nutritional information
Daikon is very low in food energyFood energy
Food energy is the amount of energy obtained from food that is available through cellular respiration.Food energy is expressed in food calories or kilojoules...
. A 100-gram serving contains only 90 kilojoules or 15 calories (6 Cal/oz), but provides 34 percent of the RDA
Reference Daily Intake
The Reference Daily Intake or Recommended Daily Intake is the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97–98% of healthy individuals in every demographic in the United States .The RDI is used to determine the Daily Value of foods,...
for vitamin C. Daikon also contains the active enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
myrosinase
Myrosinase
Myrosinase is a family of enzymes involved in plant defense against herbivores. Their structure has been elucidated and is available.-Myrosinase activity:...
.