The long, slender white radish may seem like a difficult culinary challenge, but this delicious root has a crunchy, flavorful taste that can be incorporated into a wide variety of recipes. A short list of my favorite uses: Slice into matchsticks and toss with Chinese cabbage, carrots, chopped cashews, and pears, and drizzle with sesame-ginger dressing for a crunchy salad. Toss with mushroom and vegetable soup. I grated it as a topping for crunchy vegetables or dishes topped with other crunchy vegetables if the other options were out of season. Radishes are traditionally used in Asian cuisine, but the flavor of this radish has no cultural limitations. It’s a great vegetable to keep in the fridge or root drawer over the winter and add to any dish that calls for a crunchy, spicy vegetable ingredient. .
The following recipe is my adaptation of the traditional Chinese New Year turnip cake recipe (Lowbokugau) and radish cake (Luo Bogao). Original turnip cake recipe radish cake recipe Following the steaming process, you will need (optional) instructions for slicing and frying the cake. For my radish cake recipe, I prefer to bake a cake (it is a cake, after all) and just fry the resulting cake slices once. It’s delicious on its own, but it’s best served sliced over steamed or sautéed ginger bok choy (or other delicious bok choy). The pork in this recipe is great, but I found that a pound of tofu also makes a great cake. If using tofu, cut the daikon radish into thin strips and do the same with the tofu to create the unique texture of the grated radish and minced pork recipe.
jennifer kongs I am the editor-in-chief of mother earth news magazine. When she’s not working at a magazine, she might instead be found working in the garden, at a local running trail, or in the kitchen.