Looking at Radish

Radishes come in many sizes and colors. One type of radish is called daikon, and is otherwise known as Chinese radish or Japanese radish. While known by its Japanese name, daikon actually originated on continental Asia. While most of the radishes that people eat are small in size, daikons are much larger and one type of daikon known as Sakurajima daikon is usually grown till it is about 22 pounds. However if left in the earth then it can grow up to 60 pounds, or enough to feed to feed a family for quite a few meals! Of course, having radish for weeks in a row won’t hurt anyone. Daikons are easy to incorporate into almost any recipe because of their mild taste. And of course it is quite rich in absorbic acid, folic acid, and also potassium. Those who eat enough radishes will also get a solid dose of magnesium, copper, calcium, B6, and riboflavin.

Stir-fried Chinese Radish

Ingredients

About 10 dried Chinese black fungi, soaked overnight

1 large Chinese radish

2 cloves garlic

3 tsp. oyster sauce

1 fresh chili pepper, sliced.

Small piece of ginger (about 2 inches (5-6 cm) long

Oyster sauce

Vegetable oil

Optional

pinch of sugar

a little soy sauce

a little sesame oil

a little chili sauce - if you like a bit more spice

finely chopped spring onion

Preparation

1. Peel and slice the radish into fairly thin slices. Remove any core of the (if necessary) and slice them if you prefer them smaller. Peel and finely mince the garlic and ginger.

2. In the same wok you used for the spring roll, add a little oil and stir fry all ingredients until the radish turns a glassy but is still firm. Add the little oyster sauce, salt and water as needed. There should be a little liquid in the vegetables at all times while cooking or the radish will get too dry and begin to burn. When the vegetables are cooked, place in an oven-proof dish and keep hot while preparing the rest of the feast.