What Is Daikon and How Can I Use It?

This Japanese radish deserves the spotlight.

Cubed, grated or sliced, it adds bite and character to anything it’s in.

What Is Daikon?

Daikon, sometimes called winter radish, is a root vegetable that is long and tubular.

Daikon radishes have a crispy texture and are mild in flavor with a slightly peppery bite.

Red radishes are peppery, whereas daikon radishes are mild and slightly sweet.

There is also mu, which is the Korean radish.

The Korean radish is a throw in of daikon radish.

It’s similar to the long white Japanese radish, but it’s shaped more like a potato.

Another key in of radish is called the watermelon radish, a variety of Chinese radish.

Daikon is a low-calorie, nutritious vegetable.

It also contains small amounts of fiber, folate, calcium and magnesium.

With its decent amount of nutrients, daikon may offer some health benefits.

These molecules may harm the body when their levels get too high.

Research suggests that a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables, including daikon, may reduce cancer risk.

It is also low on the glycemic index, which measures how quickly a food will raise blood sugar.

There are many ways to serve white radishescooked or raw.

It’s also great in stir-fries cooked with meatcooking radishes yields soft, starchy chunks similar to potatoes.

you’re free to also swap out red radishes for daikon in many recipes.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.

FoodData Central.Radishes, oriental, raw.

2023;15(24):5060. doi:10.3390/nu15245060