A CHINESE VEGETABLE POTPOURRI - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 115

Varieties
Choosing among radish varieties is like confronting a tray of French pastries: they all
look good. Fortunately, you can have your pastry and eat it too because most radishes
take up so little room and grow so quickly that in a single season you can try out several
different kinds.
Chinese radishes aren't always identified as such but may be called “fall and winter”
radishes. Some catalogs use “daikon” for all Asian radishes, although this is just a spe-
cific variety. Others differentiate between Chinese and Japanese varieties when they
may be popular in both countries. Once you get into radishes, you'll learn to recognize
different kinds regardless of catalog descriptions.
Be careful about “icicle” radishes. This name is given to both a white traditional
variety and a white Asian variety, and they are not at all alike. Chances are if it's offered
for spring sowing, it is the ordinary one; for fall sowing, the Asian one.
There are spring, summer, and fall Asian radishes, but the bulk of them are for fall
sowing. Many can be stored over the winter as easily as carrots or turnips. Choose your
variety according to when you want to harvest your crop.
Varieties to look for: Ta-Mei-Hwa, Tsintao Green, Nam Pan.
CULINARY USES
Once you get accustomed to using radishes as an all-around vegetable, you'll be
amazed at all the years you neglected them.
RAW, GRATED . In China and Japan, radishes are a favorite ingredient in the little dishes
of dipping sauce served with tempura and other cooked meat-and-vegetable dishes.
You can also:
• Shred or finely grate the radishes, then mix with soy sauce.
• Place the grated radish on one side along with a little pile of grated ginger, and
the diner chooses one or both to add to the soy sauce.
• Grated radish blended with a little Asian sesame oil is a simple but surprisingly
effective combination. This makes an excellent garnish or antipasto.
• Use grated radish instead of onion on your next hamburger or on a corned-beef
sandwich.