What Does Daikon Taste Like?
In comparison to other varieties of radishes, Japanese daikon is mild in flavour and does not have that spicy element. When eaten raw, it’s slightly sweet yet peppery with a crisp and watery texture. When cooked, the flavour mellows down, becomes sweeter and becomes quite similar to cooked turnips. Because of it’s mild flavour and itsability to soak up lots of flavour, it’s the perfect canvas for dishes with a sauce rich in flavour.
Health Benefits of Daikon Radish
In Japan, daikon is often served as a side dish alongside heavier meals like deep fried food as a way to ‘relive the oily-ness’ and as a palate cleanser. Since it is low in calories, high in water content and fiber– it makes for a healthy addition to everyday meals!
How to Make Daikon Steak
- Prep daikon radish: Peel and slice daikon into rounds, about 4-5 cm in thickness. Score both sides with a sharp knife about 3/4 cm deep. Rub sake and kombu dashi on both sides. Place in a microwave safe dish, cover and microwave for 2 minutes on each side at 600 W (or until 80% cooked through). It will look more translucent.
- Make the sauce: Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl and combine.
- Cook the radish steaks: Heat vegan butter over high heat and then season both sides with salt and pepper. Pan fry both sides until charred to your liking (about 1 minute per side). Reduce heat to medium low, add sauce mixture and simmer one side for about 30 seconds (or until sauce begins to thicken). Flip and let other side simmer in the sauce. Turn off the heat, remove from burner and serve on a plate. Drizzle with remaining sauce and then garnish with scallions to complete.
Serve these fancy daikon steaks with anything you like! I like to pair it with a fresh bowl of rice, a simple cold tofu side dish and another vegetable based side dish like spinach gomaae.
Daikon Steak Variations
Here are some more flavour suggestions you can make daikon steak with:
- teriyaki
- soy butter
- soy garlic sauce
- ginger soy sauce
- ponzu
- sukiyaki sauce
- yakiniku sauce (Japanese grill sauce)
- yuzu soy sauce
- balsamic sauce
- top with cheese
Recipe Notes
- Score or slice both sides of the daikon radish about 3/4 cm so that it is easier for the sauce to be absorbed.
- Microwaving is a quick and easy way to cook the radish through evenly since the slices are thick.
- The sake is optional but recommended if you find your daikon to be on the bitter side.
More daikon recipes to try:
- Daikon Miso Soup
- Vegan Kimchi
- Ozoni Mochi Soup
- Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrots for Bun Chay
- Spicy Pickled Daikon (in Bibimbap, coming soon!)
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
If you recreate this Miso Butter Daikon Steak recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Hungry for more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest for more deliciousness!
Miso Butter Daikon Steak
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1/3 daikon radish, peeled (225-275g net weight)
- 1 tsp kombu dashi powder (5g // can substitute for mushroom stock powder)
- 1 tbsp sake, optional (15ml)
- 1 tbsp vegan butter (15g)
- 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce (7ml // tamari for guten free)
- 1 tbsp mirin (15ml)
- 1 tsp cane sugar (4g)
- 1 tbsp white miso paste (20g // gluten free miso paste as needed)
- 1 garlic clove, minced (4g)
- scallions for garnishing
Instructions
- Peel and then slice daikon into 4 cm thick rounds. Score the daikon steaks on both sides. Place the daikon into a microwave safe dish and then drizzle sake on top. Rub kombu dashi powder on both sides and then cover with a lid. Microwave both sides for 2 minutes each at 600W or until daikon is mostly cooked (it will look more translucent). Be sure not to overcook.
- In the meantime, add the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, miso and garlic in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Over high heat, add the vegan butter. Once melted, add the daikon to the pan and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. Pan fry the daikon until you get some charring on both sides (about 1 minute on each side). Reduce heat to medium to medium low. Add the sauce mixture and let the daikon simmer in the sauce for about 30 seconds. Flip the daikon and let the other side cook in the sauce until the sauce has reduced significantly.
- Remove from heat, serve on a plate and drizzle with remaining sauce. Garnish with scallions and enjoy!
Notes
- Helpful Equipment: non-stick skillet, sharp pairing knife, microwave safe with with a lid
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 134
- Sugar: 8.4g
- Sodium: 1440mg
- Fat: 6.6g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.1g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 2.8g
- Cholesterol: 0
Okonomi Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you purchase something through my amazon affiliate links, I earn a small commission that helps me produce consistent content at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my plant based kitchen!
Very easy recipe to follow ! Heheh
I even shared with my friends
And none of them can realize daikon can be made this good hahaha 🤣
Made these with a side of mushrooms and they were pretty good! I had never used daikon before so I’m curious what else I’ll try with it. I would pair it with a thicker sauce next time, overall was pretty filling!
Heavenly!! Love it as a side dish or on its own with some rice
This was such a tasty recipe, I would have never known to prepare daikon like this! Thank you!
Amazing recipe. Such a fast and easy addition to weekday dinners! Daikon is a favorite of mine and it really shines here!
Top notch! Uncanny similarity in taste to steak. Really recommend it
Made this multiple times! I usually increase the microwave time to make the daikon more tender. very delicious over rice.
Another tasty, creative recipe! I don’t use daikon often, but when I saw this recipe, I wanted to try it. Then I saw that my CSA offered daikon, so it was meant to be. It was fun to make and the delicious.
Saw this on TikTok and tried it immediately! Super easy and the result is amazing!! Would eat this everyday🤤👌🏻
Love this recipe! 10/10 of the meat sub recipes I’ve made. So juicy and flavorful 👌👏