Daikon is a common vegetable that's used in Asian cooking that belongs to the radish family. I had the chance to pick up a monster Daikon from the store earlier this week, so I wanted to share a simple daikon and carrot salad with a refreshing sesame-vinaigrette.
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💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- Ten minute recipe. Hard to beat the convenience. Spiralize or julienne some daikon and carrots, make the dressing, and you're in business.
- Great when served cold, and for make ahead. This recipe is super easy to put together but also to make in bulk. It tastes great chilled.
- Nutritious and refreshing. Daikon is super nutritious and has calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, vitamin C and folate.
📋 Ingredients and notes
You'll need daikon radish, carrots, minced garlic, Thai or Indian green chili pepper for heat (optional). For the dressing, you'll need sesame oil, tamari, rice vinegar, and brown sugar. I also use gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) to add a bit of zing to the dish.
📖 How to make daikon salad
- Prepare the vegetables. Peel the carrots and daikon and then spiralize into thin strips, since it makes them crunchy and bite-sized. Or you can also cut them into juliennes. Chop the chili finely. Add all of this to a large mixing bowl.
- Make the dressing. Mince the garlic cloves. Add brown sugar, tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar and optional gochugaru to a mason jar along with the minced garlic. Close lid and shake to combine.
- Dress the vegetables. Add the dressing to the mixing bowl and toss to combine. Top with optional scallions and/or toasted sesame seeds!
Psst, if you have daikon leftover, make sure to pickle them (check out this recipe for Korean pickled radish).
👩🏽🍳Top tips and FAQs
Daikon can be eaten raw! It can also be stir-fried, roasted, grilled, baked, or boiled. It's a great substitute for traditional radish as well.
I typically wash the daikon, trim off the stem end and tip, and peel. I've also seen folks just rub the skin of the daikon off traditionally!
Gochugaru is a Korean red pepper flake. You can use regular red pepper flakes or red chili powder instead. It's not super spicy but adds a nice bit of heat. If unsure, start small and adjust to tolerance!
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
I recommend making it fresh if possible since it only takes 10 minutes! If you do have to store, then make sure to store the vegetables and dressing separately. Pre-dressed leftovers stay fresh in the fridge for a few days.
If you like this recipe, don't forget to try out my other salad recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Daikon Salad
Equipment
- Spiralizer (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 daikon radish, small and peeled
- 3 carrots, medium sized, peeled
- 2 Thai green chili peppers
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 scallions, for garnish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
For dressing
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru, substitute with red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Start by peeling both the daikon and the carrot. Then spiralize them or cut into thin strips (julienne cut). Remove the end and tip of the Indian or Thai green chili pepper and chop them into small pieces. Adjust this to your spice tolerance or leave out! Place all cut vegetables into a mixing bowl.
- Mince the garlic. Add 1 tablespoon each of tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, and a teaspoon of gochugaru or red pepper flakes to a small mason jar along with the minced garlic. Close the lid and shake to combine. Alternatively, use a fork or small whisk to combine them.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables in the mixing bowl and use tongs to toss and coat evenly. Top with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds and enjoy a refreshing salad!
Notes
- Adjusting to spice tolerance. Both the green chili pepper and the gochugaru lend a bit of heat to the salad. Depending on your spice tolerance, you might want to reduce or increase the quantity or leave them out. Scallions will provide a great crunchy fresh flavor in lieu of the peppers!
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