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Prep time
25 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour 15 minutes
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Serves
2
Author Notes
Daikon, a humble yet versatile root vegetable, often plays the supporting role in many dishes. But here it takes center stage, pairing Japanese braised daikon preparation with a traditional Chinese red-braising technique to create a tender cooked radish with deep sweetness.
Because daikon is harvested and sold at a huge range of stages of its growth cycle, the quality of braised daikon dishes can vary. There are a couple of ways to prevent any bitterness. First, select relatively younger daikon and not ones as large as a forearm. Fresh daikon should be firm and heavy for its size. Second, peel the daikon past its initial layer until the skin is translucent. Third, borrowing a Japanese technique for dashi-braised daikon, furofuki daikon ふろふき大根, the daikon is first cooked gently with rice. The starches in the liquid will help neutralize bitterness and pepperiness that comes from the mustard oils present in the radish.
After the initial simmer with rice, daikon is already tender and almost ready to eat. The second cook, the red-braising, aims to infuse the daikon with caramelized flavor, built off of a combination of three soy sauces: light soy sauce for soy flavor and sodium, seasoning soy sauce for umami, and the dark soy sauce for color. But even without the red-braising, the simmered daikon can be used for a variety of other braised dishes, Chinese or otherwise. —Lucas Sin
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Ingredients
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1
daikon (about 450 grams; 1 pound)
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1 tablespoon
(about 11 grams) uncooked rice
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1
1/2-inch knob fresh ginger (about ½ ounce; 15 grams), smashed and sliced thinly
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2
scallions (around 1 ounce; 30 grams), chopped into ½-inch segments
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4
garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
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1/2 tablespoon
(around 5 grams) dried Szechuan peppercorns
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2 cups
plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
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1 tablespoon
(30 grams) light soy sauce, preferably reduced sodium
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1 tablespoon
(15 grams) dark soy sauce
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1 tablespoon
(15 grams) seasoning sauce
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1 tablespoon
(15 grams) oyster sauce
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1/2 tablespoon
white sugar
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1 tablespoon
(10 grams) corn starch or potato starch
Directions
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First, process the daikon. Slice off the stem and tip. Using a y-peeler, peel the daikon until no veins are visible. Cut the daikon into ½-inch-thick disks. Using the peeler again, chamfer thet top and bottom edges, rounding them off to prevent the edges of the daikon from chipping during the cook. Finally, cut shallow ⅛-inch crosses along the diameter of one side of the daikon, to allow for flavor penetration.
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Place the daikon in a medium pot with the rice. Cover with cold water by 1-inch and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the daikon, uncovered, for 30 minutes until barely fork tender. Strain and remove the daikon from the pot and set aside. Discard the liquid and the rice.
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Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet or a wok over medium-high heat until barely smoking. Turn to medium. Add the ginger, scallions, garlic, and Szechuan peppercorn. Stir-fry until aromatic and golden brown, about 1 minute. Carefully watching for splatter, add water and bring to a boil. Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, seasoning sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Mix to combine. Add the parcooked daikon into the pot and cook, maintaining a simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the daikon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
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To finish the dish, thicken the sauce. Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary. In a small bowl, combine the starch and water to form a slurry. Bring the sauce to a boil and add the starch slurry, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Ladle the sauce over the cooked daikon and serve warm with warm rice.
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