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How to Cook with Daikon

This long white root may look like a pale carrot, but it is actually a member of the same family as radishes, broccoli, and turnips.

A staple of East and Southeast Asian cuisine, the long white root known as daikon (Japanese for “big root”) may look like a pale carrot, but it's actually a member of the Brassicacaea family, which also includes radishes, broccoli, turnips, and cabbage. With its sharp, slightly bitter taste and lightly crunchy texture, daikon is often pickled for use as a condiment (including for our Korean Marinated Beef (Bulgogi)). Once peeled and sliced thin, grated, or cut into matchsticks, it can also be eaten raw in salads and on sandwiches. Daikon is frequently used in stir-fries, curries, and soups. We found that you can also substitute daikon for ordinary round white turnips in stews and other applications—just make sure it's part of a mix of vegetables so that its flavor isn't overpowering and all the water it throws off doesn't impact consistency.

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