How To Cook Japanese Daikon Radish (5 Easy Recipes)

Daikon is a Japanese root vegetable, and one of our family's favorite vegetables.

The crunchy texture and tenderness make it a perfect side dish or complement to many dishes!

Do you know that Daikon is a whole food? It's not just the roots we should be eating, but also all that skin and leaves. There isn't anything in there to throw away!

If you are new to daikon, don't worry, I have all the information you need on how to prepare and 5 easy and delicious recipes!

This recipe is for you if:
• You love Japanese daikon.
• You don't know how to cook daikon.
• You want to get to know more about daikon
• You are looking for various daikon recipes

Let's get started!

Jump to:

• What is Daikon?
• How do you cook with it?
• 5 recipes to get the most out of your daikon!
• Watch How To Cook Daikon
• Thanks For Stopping By
• 💬 Comments

What is Daikon?

Daikon is a root vegetable also known as white radish, winter radish, Japanese radish, which is used in many dishes in Japanese cooking.

It has an earthy flavor and can be cooked or eaten raw.

Daikon means "big root" in Japanese, so it's long, thick, and heavy. They can weigh anywhere from 1-2 kilos each depending on their size.

Here in Japan, an average one would cost about 100-200yen (about $1 to 2) when it’s a season.

It is available all year round, but the main season is summer and winter. The Summer daikon tends to be more peppery in taste, whereas Winter Daikon tends to have a sweeter flavor with a juicier texture.

Type of daikon radish

You can find many varieties of daikon in the link below, and they are grown in many different regions across Japan.

https://foodslink.jp/syokuzaihyakka/syun/vegitable/daikon4.htm

There is the one with bright green on the top, round daikon, short daikon, small root daikon, and so on.

But the most typical daikon radish is the first picture (the one under the title "what is daikon?"), and I use it in these recipes in the following section.

What does it taste like?

Daikon has two distinct flavors, depending on which part you use.

The sweet flavor of daikon is near the leaves, while it has a pepper flavor towards its bottom.

• Upper: Sweet, juicy and crunchy texture
• Middle: Sweet and slightly peppery
• Lower: Peppery

Why not try out how different it tastes by eating raw? The upper part is so juicy and delicious without seasoning if you're lucky enough to get a seasonal fresh one!

I'll tell you what recipes are best for each part in the following section "How do you cook with it?".

What is it good for? 

Let me tell you about the health benefits of daikon in this section.

Daikon, with its high water content of 95%, provides potassium, and is rich in vitamin C, which helps keep your immune system up and fight strong!

It's also rich in digestive enzymes which help break down food and rid your body of waste. Therefore grated daikon is often served with greasy dishes like a grilled mackerel in Japanese cooking because they help digestion.

Daikon leaves or daikon greens are also nutritious! The dark green color of the vegetable comes from a high level of vitamin C and calcium. In addition, it contains dietary fiber which can help with digestive issues or even prevent them altogether!

How do you choose good Daikon?

When you pick up the daikon at the grocery store, let's check these points.

• Straight, heavy, and thick
• Firm and smooth surface
• beautiful white color with fewer bumps
• Bright green leaves (if they are yellow, the daikon is not fresh)

How to store

If you buy the whole daikon, separate the leaves and the root which prevents the root from drying out.

• A whole root: Wrap up with newspaper and keep in a cold and dark place or the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• Partially used root: Wrap it up with cling film and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can also cut it into small pieces or grated and keep them in the freezer for up to 1 month.
• The leaves: Only last 2 to 3 days in the fridge, so recommend cooking it right away or cutting it into small pieces and keeping it in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Where to Buy

Fresh daikon is usually found at most supermarkets, but if you can't find it at your nearest grocery store try local Asian grocery stores and farmer's markets.

How do you cook with it?

We usually peel the skin and eat raw or cooked with Japanese seasonings like soy sauce, mirin, and miso.

Daikon has a variety of flavors, depending on which part you use like upper root, middle root, and lower root.

The greatest thing about this veggie is that you can cook it in so many different ways! Let's explore the best dishes for each part.

Upper Root

It is sweet and juicy like fruits so it is best eaten raw. You can also enjoy the crispy texture as it is harder than the other part.

Sample Recipes: Daikon Salad, Vegetable sticks, Grated daikon (daikon oroshi), Pickled daikon

Middle Root

It’s tender and well balanced with sweetness and pepperiness. It's great for any cooking, like simmered dishes and stirs fry. Especially cut it thick and simmer in a pot for a long time. It gets tender and tasty.

Sample Recipes: Nimono (Japanese simmered dish), Curry, Oden (Japanese winter simmered dish), Furofuki daikon

Lower Root

It’s the most peppery part, so it’s better to cut into thin slices and put them in soup or pickled, or if you are fun of peppery taste, then grated daikon is great too.

Sample Recipes: Pickled daikon, Grated daikon, Miso soup

The Skin

The skin is high in nutrients so do not throw it away. 

Sample Recipes: Stir fry, Pickles

The leaves

If the daikon comes with leaves, please don’t throw it away.

It includes many nutritional values and you can cook it the same way as other green leaves. It is a bit bitter so recommended to cook with extra seasoning and the most popular way is Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning).

I like to add these leaves when I make my green smoothies because it's very refreshing.

Sample Recipes: Miso soup, Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning), Pickles, Green smoothie

5 recipes to get the most out of your daikon!

You'll be surprised to know how many different dishes you can make with daikon!

Daikons are versatile vegetables that can take on whatever flavor you want. Here are 5 easy and simple recipes for you!

Try them and let me know which one you like the best!

Daikon Salad with Sesame Dressing

This daikon salad is a simple and refreshing salad and a great side dish to any meal. The homemade creamy sesame seeds dressing gives it an extra hit of flavor.

Daikon Nimono (Simmered Daikon)

Simmer daikon and atsuage (deep-fried tofu) with soy sauce, mirin, and shio koji, and enjoy this daikon nimono (simmered daikon) which is flavorful, tender, and easy to break with chopsticks!

Daikon Miso Soup

This Daikon Miso Soup is a hearty and healthy Japanese soup. The daikons are tender, and the dashi stock (Japanese soup stock) brings an umami flavor that makes it rich in taste.

Daikon Skin Stir-Fry

If you have some leftover daikon skin, don't throw them away! Try this Daikon Skin Stir-Fry to make another dish for your dinner table instead.

Pickled Daikon

This quick and easy pickled radish is a perfect side dish for beginners looking to explore new flavors without all of those pesky preparation steps!

Watch How To Cook Daikon

Watch this video and learn how to cook daikon in 5 different ways.

Thanks For Stopping By

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ If you’ve tried this recipe(or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!

Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!

Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog that shares simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes including vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions.

Daikon Radish Recipes You Might Like

• Daikon Salad
• Daikon Nimono With Atsuage (Simmered dish)
• Daikon Miso Soup
• Daikon Skin Stir Fry with Shio kombu
• Pickled Daikon