What to do with Daikon Radishes? I've been pleasantly surprised by how versatile they can be. But before I get ahead of myself... what are they? Well, they look kinda like an albino carrot. I was worried by the name "radish" since radishes are not my favorite. In my boxes I've had some that are long and thin, very carrot like. And some that are a bit bigger, a bit more rounded and fatter. In my experience, the carrot-like ones have tasted very mild and almost like a carrot, with almost no radishness to them. The bigger, fatter ones had a familiar mild radish flavor. However, the flavor was slight without the heat of their red globe-like cousins. I had no "bleh" factor when eating them.
*TIP* Try 'em before you cook 'em! Try them raw before you decide how to use them. Peel them, cut off the ends, and sample a bit. Peeling them is especially good to avoid some spicy and bitter notes in the radish. If they are very mild steaming is a great way to go. If they're spicier (and you don't like spicy) baking can be a great way to draw out the sweetness and minimize spiciness.
So what to do with these guys? For our 11 month old, I choose the milder flavored daikons, diced them and steamed them until very tender. I actually snack on them like this too. I enjoy them plain, without seasoning. The mild flavor goes down easy. I imagine for the rest of the family, the mild daikons would be super yummy tossed with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. But really, they're tasty as-is.
For the slightly spicy ones, they are hidden wonderfully in oatbars. The combo of baking them and adding ingredients with mild and sweet flavors work well. For my picky preschooler, I add beets to make these "pink" oatmeal bars. (What 3 1/2 year-old princess-loving girl would deny a pink treat?!)
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