Radish

About

Radishes combine a peppery heat with a cold, crunchy texture, functioning as both a condiment and a palate cleanser. Young radishes taste similar to raw winter cabbage, and their heat intensifies the longer they remain in the soil, though this varies by cultivar. Common store radishes are pink-red and thumb-sized, but varieties also include purple, black, and yellow types such as the hot, flavorful Zlata, as well as white radishes ranging from the grayish daikon to the bright white, elongated, and peppery White Icicle. The Japanese Sakurajima cultivar can weigh over sixty-five pounds.

Pairs well with radish

• SuEggPreserved daikon radish appears in the Malaysian omelet chai poh nooi, and in Thai pad Thai alongside egg, bean sprouts and noodles; chai…
• GrAvocadoWhipped avocado with olive oil, lemon and salt can replace butter alongside crisp, spicy radishes without the same mouth-coating heaviness.
• WoCarrotCarrots served with their leaves attached are traditionally used for dipping into aioli, as at outdoor wine festivals in southern France.
• MuMustardChilled radish dipped in mustard gives a hot-cold-hot effect.
• GrParsleyParsley and radish share a cold, mineral quality that suits a salad served with fatty kebabs, or a parsley butter served with raw radish.
• GrChileKorean radish and chiles combine in kakdugi, a kimchi of chunked radish fermented with chiles, ginger and scallions, giving sweet, juicy…
• GrBuckwheatIn the Japanese dish oroshi soba, chilled buckwheat noodles are served in broth with grated daikon radish (called mizore, meaning…
• EaRyeRadish is traditionally served simply, dipped in salt or butter, but its peppery bite is best matched by good rye bread, which is…
• MaSeaweedJapanese takuan, a vivid yellow pickled daikon radish, is made by layering sliced dried daikon with rice bran and nori (seaweed) in a…
• GrLettuceSliced radish adds color and a peppery bite to lettuce and other salad leaves.
• SuChiveAt German beer festivals, the white Munich beer radish, spiralized into thin strands and sprinkled with chives, is a traditional pairing;…
• EaTofuAgedashi tofu is made by coating soft tofu in potato starch and deep-frying it until crisp outside and warm and silky within, then topping…