I’ve grown to love Daikon radish and I’ve used it is various ways. I’ve used it roasted and in soups and sauerkraut and hidden it in stews and gravies. Here is a way to make an interesting texture that reminds me of rice.
I’ve added jicama to this recipe just for a bit more crunch! Jicama, (as well as radish) is full of fiber that feeds your microbiome.
Nutrition Profile for Daikon Radish
While it looks pale and simple, daikon packs a good nutrition punch. It is high in vitamin C – a powerful anti-oxidant – folate, and B6 and has lots of minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. There are plenty of trace minerals such as selenium and manganese as well.
Radish, like other cruciferous vegetables in the Brassica family, contains sulforaphane, an anti-oxidant compound. Studies suggest that sulforaphane protects against prostate, breast, colon and ovarian cancers by virtue of its ability to inhibit cancer cell growth as well as the cytotoxic effect it has on cancer cells.
Radishes also contain many phytochemicals like indoles which are detoxifying agents and zea-xanthin, lutein and beta carotene, which are flavonoid antioxidants that protect against free radical damage.
In Asia, radishes of all kinds are eaten on a daily basis and considered very nutritious. They can grow in all seasons and they come in many sizes, colors and shapes. Daikon is grown in the winter, thus the white color. I love the flavor daikon gives to this mock rice dish!
Ingredients
- 1 medium Daikon radish or 1/2 large
- 1/2 medium jicama
- 2 -3 white carrots (or colored is fine)
- 1 large onion
- 1 large shallot
- 2-3 clove garlic
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Avocado oil or bacon fat to saute
Instructions
- Preheat the fry pan to medium heat
- Using a mini processor, chop all the vegetables to the approximate size of a rice grain or a little larger
- Do this in batches in the mini processor or use any other chopping method taking care not to over chop
- Add oil or fat to the pan then add all the vegetables
- If you like the onions really cooked (like I do) you can cook them first for a few minutes and then add the rest of the vegetables
- Season with salt and pepper to your taste
- Saute until soft but still crunchy
- Serve immediately or cool and serve later - you can reheat in a fry pan for a few minutes or eat cold
Equipment
- Mini food processor (where to buy a mini food processor) or knife
- Large fry pan (where to buy)
Note: If you are sensitive to vegetables in the Brassica family (cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) be careful to try this dish in small amounts to make sure you can tolerate it.
Tip: For your friends and family who are rice eaters, this can be added to cooked rice to jazz it up a bit!
