Daikon and the Japanese Approach to Raw Vegetables
Japanese cooking uses raw vegetables differently from most Western traditions. Rather than chunks in a dressed salad, produce is cut with precision into shapes chosen for texture and appearance, and daikon is the vegetable that best illustrates the approach.
What Daikon Is
Daikon is a large white radish, mild and slightly sweet when raw, becoming almost translucent when cooked. It is peppery near the tip and sweeter near the leaves, which is why recipes sometimes specify which end to use.
It is available in most supermarkets now and in every Asian grocer, and it is inexpensive. It is also one of the most rewarding vegetables to own a slicer for, since almost every traditional preparation depends on a fine, uniform cut.
Why the Cut Matters So Much
In Japanese cooking the cut is not decoration. Fine shreds of daikon under sashimi are there because the texture and mild pepperiness reset the palate between pieces, and a thicker cut would not do that.
Similarly, namasu depends on shreds thin enough for the vinegar to penetrate within an hour. Cut thicker, the same ingredients produce something quite different and considerably less good.
This is why Japanese slicers exist as a category. Ranges such as benriner mandoline catalogues are built around the fine, adjustable cut these preparations require, with julienne inserts in several widths for exactly this kind of work.
The Preparations
- Tsuma: fine shreds served under sashimi, both as garnish and palate cleanser
- Katsuramuki: a continuous paper-thin sheet, traditionally cut by knife
- Namasu: daikon and carrot shreds in sweetened vinegar
- Grated daikon, served with fried food and grilled fish to cut richness
- Simmered daikon in dashi, where it becomes soft and absorbs stock
Preparing Daikon
Peel it, since the skin is tough and slightly bitter. Cut into manageable lengths before slicing, both for handling and because a whole daikon is unwieldy against a slicer bed.
For shreds, slice thinly then stack and cut, or use a julienne blade directly. Soaking the shreds in cold water for ten minutes makes them crisp and removes some of the sharpness.
Other Vegetables in the Same Tradition
Cucumber, carrot, lotus root, cabbage and burdock all receive similar treatment. Cabbage shredded very fine, served alongside tonkatsu, is a good example of a preparation that seems trivial and is genuinely difficult to reproduce without the right cut.
Lotus root sliced thin shows its characteristic pattern and crisps beautifully. Burdock, julienned, makes kinpira, a sweet-savoury braise that is one of the more approachable Japanese vegetable dishes.
Namasu, as a Starting Point
Equal quantities of daikon and carrot, julienned. Salt them, leave for twenty minutes, squeeze out the liquid. Dress with rice vinegar, a little sugar and a pinch of salt, and leave for at least an hour.
It keeps for several days, improves overnight and goes with almost anything rich. It is also a good test of whether your julienne cut is consistent, since irregular shreds are immediately obvious.