This simple, refreshing vegetarian salad with a soy sauce based dressing has a wonderful crunch from the Japanese daikon or radish. This can also be substituted with Korean radish. Just use whatever looks the most fresh. On the day I was shopping at my local Asian supermarket, the Korean radish was hard and fresh, while the Japanese daikon was soft and limp. Always go with the freshest you can find.
In Asia, we often enjoy our daikon raw as well as stewed and pickled. In this recipe we cut all the vegetables into thin julienne slices and blend with cucumbers and carrots. This helps reduce the bite of the radish.
As with all salads, the dressing is key to enhancing the vegetables. This recipe calls for a Japanese citrus fruit called yuzu. Here in the U.S., it’s not easy to find and often it’s substituted with a Meyer’s lemon, which is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. However, recently I found a product imported from Japan in our local Asian supermarket, Uwajimaya, called: Yuzu Juice. This is just the yuzu juice in a bottle. Now, I know this may not be available everywhere so for a good substitute I use lime juice or a combination of lemon and lime. It’s okay to be flexible.
I brought this to my monthly book club and it was a big hit, so I decided to share the recipe here!
photo credit: Japanese daikon –Wikimedia , yuzu – jpatokal
- 3 Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber - cut into julienne strips
- 2 carrots - cut into julienne strips
- ¼ Japanese daikon radish or ½ Korean radish - cut into julienne strips
- 3 tablespoon chopped herbs: with fresh Thai basil, cilantro, mint - your choice of one
- 1 Tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
- Dressing
- 2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoon canola or grape seed oil
- 2 Tablespoon sushi vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon yuzu juice
- optional: a dash of sesame oil
- Cut carrots, cucumbers, and daikon radish into julienne strips. Chop fresh herbs. Blend together and set aside. Blend all dressing ingredients together in a jar.
- Add dressing to vegetables and blend well letting the flavors marinate for about an hour before hand. Place on dish and sprinkle with sesame seeds.