No.12: Daikon (Japanese Radish)

This top notch root sure knows its place in most asian food cultures !

1. The word Daikon is derived from 2words:
dai (large) & kon (root).

2. A secret to cooking daikon is to use water in which rice has been washed or a bit of rice bran added. (to keep it white & reduce brittleness)

3. Newly harvested daikons are to be handled with much care as they are very brittle.

4. Fresh leaves of daikon can also be eaten as a leaf vegetable but they are often removed when sold in a store because they do not adjust well to the refrigerator, yellowing quite easily.

5. Daikon is popular in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Indian cuisines.

Reference: Whats Cooking America, Garden and Hearth, Wikipedia