15-May-2011

Radical Radish

Dig the Daikon

Do you know your radishes? Unlike the dainty red radish, the daikon radish looks like an albino carrot on steroids. In Eastern cultures the daikon is well known for its curative properties, especially for the liver. In India, the juice of the daikon was known as the “poor man’s” cure for jaundice during an epidemic when there weren’t enough hospitals for everyone. This radical vegetable definitely packs a punch!

Because they are a bit milder than the red radish, try daikon chopped or grated into your salad, sliced into “sticks” and served with hummus dip or added to your carrot or veggie juice (not too much, they’re potent). Yogi Bhajan taught that eating steamed daikon radish with beets and beet greens on the 11th day after the new moon every month is like taking out “liver insurance.” Never eaten them before? Pick a couple up next time you’re in the produce section and become a radish radical!

Recipe for Sweet & Spicy Asian Slaw w/Daikon: Get Your Metabolism Moving

Recommended: Kansha: Celebrating Japan's Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions by Elizabeth Andoh