Daikon is a mild-flavored winter root vegetable from the Brassicaceae family that comes in many shapes, colors, and sizes. Daikon is a very popular vegetable in Japan, though it's used in many other cuisines as well. Its versatility makes it an easy vegetable to incorporate into raw or cooked dishes like salads, stews, soups, or oven-roasted preparations.
What is Daikon?
Daikon is a radish, usually white in color and mild in flavor. Like other radishes in the same family, daikon has a napiform shape, meaning it's thicker and rounder at the top, while slimmer and pointier at the bottom, similar to a carrot. Daikon has a crunchy texture, but is milder in flavor compared to other similar vegetables. This flavorful vegetable can easily be incorporated into any dishes that would use carrots or turnips instead.
Storage Tips
If the leaves are still attached to your daikon, remove them and store separately. The leaves will keep for up to three days wrapped in paper towels and stored in a plastic bag. The unwashed root will keep for one or two weeks wrapped in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Cut, raw daikon keeps well but may impart a strong odor that can be absorbed by other ingredients inside your refrigerator. Blanched daikon can be frozen for up to a month and cooked daikon will keep for a few days in an airtight container. Pickled daikon will keep for three weeks or more.
Fast Facts
Family: Brassicaceae, like broccoli, kale, cabbage, or horseradish.
Flavor and Texture: Crunchy and tangy when raw, sweet and soft when cooked.
Other Names: Winter radish, Japanese radish, loubo.
Sources: The Spruce Eats