Daikon root is a mild-flavored winter radish popular in Japanese cuisine. It is also found in many low carb, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and other popular lifestyle diet recipes.
Although it used to be difficult to find in some places, it is now carried by many regular grocery stores due to its growing popularity.
Here, Daikon root takes center stage because it is the perfect choice for spiral slicing into ramen-like noodles.
What’s more, it pairs beautifully with the more robust flavors of caramelized onions and sautéed Portobello mushrooms.
Note: this recipe can be made vegan by replacing the butter with an equal amount of olive oil.
Yield: 6 servings
Total Prep Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
4” Daikon radish root
3 small white onions (or 2 medium)
3 T. unsalted butter
3 T. dry white wine
salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz. baby Portobello mushrooms, cut into thin slices
32 oz. vegetable stock
¼ cup fresh, frozen, or bottled pesto*
salt and pepper, to taste
Garnish: (optional)
3 green onions, green parts only, finely sliced
Special equipment: vegetable spiral slicer, such as the Paderno World Cuisine Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer or the OXO Spiral Vegetable Slicer.
*Go to Fresh Basil Pesto recipe.
Directions
- Remove outer skin of the Daikon root with a potato peeler. Using the smallest blade on a spiral slicer, spiralize the root into long, thin, spaghetti-like strands. For best results, trim the strands with kitchen scissors once they reach about 10-12” long. Place trimmed strands on clean kitchen or paper towels to absorb excess moisture and set aside.
- Slice off the ends of each onion and remove the papery outer layers. Cut onion in half lengthwise (from root to tip). Then cut each section across the middle to form four sections. Cut each section lengthwise into long strips. Tip: Don’t cut the onions too thin, or they may burn while cooking.
- Over medium heat, melt butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet with high sides. (For best results, do not use a non-stick pan). Add onions and stir until coated with butter.
- Cook onions over medium heat for approximately 45 – 50 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so to ensure they cook evenly and don’t stick to the pan. The exact cooking time will vary based on several factors, including the age of the onions and how many you cook at one time.
- Once the onions reach the desired depth of color, add white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add more liquid if necessary to scrape up all the brown bits and then salt and pepper the onions, to taste.
- Next, add the sliced mushrooms to the pan with onions and sauté until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add vegetable stock and pesto to skillet and simmer over medium-low heat until heated through, about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium and add Daikon “noodles.” Cook for another 5-6 minutes and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle soup into individual serving bowls and garnish with sliced green onion. Serve immediately.
