Simmered Daikon with Lemon Miso Sauce

Simmered Daikon with Lemon Miso Sauce

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Servings: 4

Simmered daikon radish, tender and infused with a savory-sweet lemon miso sauce, offers a delicious balance of flavors. This Japanese dish combines the earthy notes of daikon with the umami richness of miso, brightened by the citrusy zest of lemon. Perfect as a comforting side or a light main dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium daikon, (about 750 g)
• 3 cups (750 ml) Dashi (Fish Stock) or Vegetarian Stock or water
• 3 tablespoons white miso
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon sake
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Lemon zest for garnish

Instructions:

1. Prepare Daikon: Peel the daikon and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) thick circles. 

2. Simmer Daikon: In a medium saucepan, bring dashi or stock to a boil. Add daikon in a single layer and reduce heat to simmer for 25-30 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife.

3. Make Miso Sauce: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine miso, mirin, and sake. Stir for 2 minutes until smooth. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and grated lemon zest.

4. Finish and Serve: Using a spoon or brush, generously coat each daikon piece with miso sauce. Garnish with lemon zest to release aroma. Serve warm as a side dish or light main course.

   

Notes:

• Preparation: Peel and cut the daikon into similar sizes and in thick circles, ensuring they cook evenly. You can trim the edges of the circle with a knife to round them slightly which helps daikon to hold its shape over long simmering times.
• Simmering: Use either dashi (fish stock) or vegetarian stock to simmer the daikon, allowing it to absorb flavors deeply until tender.
• Miso Sauce: Prepare the miso sauce separately, combining white miso, mirin, sake, lemon juice, and zest over low heat to preserve flavors. If there is no white miso, you can substitute it with red miso or mixed miso and adjust the quantity according to your taste preference.