This Daikon salad is the perfect combination of Japanese flavours and simplicity. Daikon radish, also known as mooli, is well known for its health benefits and its versatility in recipes as it can be eaten both cooked and raw. The dish is sure to tantalize your taste buds, as the Daikon lends a delightful crunch that pairs perfectly with the zesty lemon juice. Serve it as an appetizer or side dish – any way you have it, you can’t go wrong with this Daikon salad!
Kurumi Hayter
It was a few years ago when we stumbled upon Kurumi’s Instagram account and were mesmerized. It is filled with traditional Japanese recipes, but it doesn’t end there; you can find many underrated dishes as well as more modern variations of recipes. Kurumi also posts regularly, making sure her followers never miss out on any delicious meals!
For those wanting to learn Japanese cooking techniques, Kurumi’s YouTube channel is a great resource. Featuring hundreds of short videos showcasing her work, viewers are able to watch how she makes her dishes using ingredients that can be obtained from either a Japanese store or an Asian supermarket in the UK. Even for food items which may not have the exact same sizes or shapes as they do in Japan, Kurumi will explain the best way to work around this.
Now we’ve introduced both Daikon and Kurumi-Sensei, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to the recipe!
Daikon Salad Recipe
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 0 mins
Makes: 2 servings
Level: Beginner
Ingredients
- 20cm – 8in (approx. 450g / 15 oz) daikon (AKA white radish or mouli)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 heaped spoon of Japanese dashi stock granules
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- a handful of rocket leaves, rinse
- a little toasted sesame seeds
Preparation & Method
- First, peel off the daikon skin, then cut the daikon in half in lengthways and slice the daikon vertically into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
- Slice the last pieces of daikon into shreds using a sharp kitchen knife
- Next, put your daikon ribbons into a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and leave for at least 10 mins
- Meanwhile, chop the rocket roughly and set aside
- Now return to your daikon ribbons. Carefully squeeze any excess water from the ribbons. Do this a couple of times and then drain
- Add the Japanese dashi granules, lemon juice, sugar and chopped rocket leaves to the ribbons and mix together, taking care not to break up the ribbons as you do so
- Your daikon ribbon salad is ready for the table
And that’s it! A delicious Daikon salad that anyone can make even if you are a beginner level. It also takes twenty minutes to prepare so it’s a good option when you’re in a hurry. It’s a great choice for hot days in summer too!
Looking for more recipes? We’ll be updating regularly on the site each month on our Japanese recipe page. Some of our past recipes include how to make Nikujaga and everyone’s favourite – Okonomiyaki. A great way to make sure you don’t miss out on the latest recipes is by signing up for our newsletter.
Additionally, we highly recommend following Kurumi on either her Instagram account or her YouTube channel that she updates frequently. Not only does she provide authentic recipes, but she often posts reviews on Japanese restaurants in London too!
