This Chinese-style Braised Daikon Radish is savory, juicy, and slightly sweet. A quick 10-minute braise infuses its mild, white flesh with tons of umami, turning it into a satisfying main course.
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🥢 What is Chinese Braised Daikon Radish?
This recipe draws inspiration from the classic Chinese Beef Brisket and Daikon, a famous Cantonese dish where fatty beef is stewed for hours in a rich brown sauce.
This version is simpler and made with only daikon. It only takes 10 minutes, but it still captures the flavors of the original dish. The daikon turns soft and buttery and absorbs the delicious umami of the sauces.
🧂 Ingredients
- Daikon: Daikon has a mild flavor reminiscent of cucumber. Use a vegetable peeler to peel its skin, then chop into small chunks.
- Dark Soy Sauce: Adds flavor but, most importantly, a rich dark color.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger gives the best flavor.
- Scallion: The whites infuse the oil at the beginning of cooking, and the greens will be used for garnishing.
- Star Anise: This aromatic spice resembles a dried flower and imparts a subtle licorice-like note.
- Soy Sauce: It makes everything taste better and adds a bit of umami.
- Oyster Sauce: Gives a rich umami flavor. You can substitute it with Hoisin sauce for a similar taste.
- Sugar: A touch of sugar is always needed to balance the salty flavors of Chinese dishes.
- Chicken Stock: If you can, make your own stock. But if not, chicken powder works, too. I recommend Totole for Chinese cooking.
- Cornstarch: Just a little bit for thickening the sauce.
🔪 Instructions
STEP 1: Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium heat until it shimmers. Reduce the heat to low and add ginger, star anise, and the scallion whites, stirring for 1 minute until it's aromatic.
STEP 2: Increase the heat to high and stir-fry the daikon pieces for 3 minutes until the edges turn translucent.
STEP 3: Add dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and chicken stock. Bring it to a boil.
STEP 4: Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes until the daikon is soft and tender. Give the cornstarch slurry a stir and mix it in to thicken the sauce. Garnish with scallion greens and serve with rice!
💭 Top Tips
- A small dose of MSG (⅛ teaspoon) or mushroom powder gives this dish a Chinese restaurant-quality flavor.
- The key to this recipe is gently frying the aromatics at the beginning. Don't increase the heat to high, or they'll burn and taste bitter. By gently frying, we infuse the oil with all their flavors, which will coat the daikon at the end.
🥡 Storage & Leftovers
Storing: Store leftover daikon in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat by microwaving or warming up in a pan over medium heat. Add a splash of water to lighten the sauce.
🍽 Looking for more recipes?
📋 Recipe
Chinese-style Braised Daikon Radish
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (like canola, vegetable, avocado oil, etc.)
- 1 ½ pounds daikon (cut into ½-inch thick and 1-inch wide chunks)
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 2-inch piece ginger
- 1 scallion (green and white parts separated)
- 1 star anise
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (or Hoisin sauce)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup chicken stock (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 2 teaspoons of water)
Instructions
- Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium heat until it shimmers. Reduce the heat to low and add ginger, star anise, and the scallion whites, stirring for 1 minute until it's aromatic.
- Increase the heat to high and stir-fry the daikon for 3 minutes until the edges turn translucent.
- Add dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and chicken stock. Bring it to a boil.
- Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes until the daikon is soft and tender. Give the cornstarch slurry a stir and mix it in to thicken the sauce. Garnish with scallion greens.
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