DIY: Radishes In Miso Sauce

Chez Noonie got a new camera lens and wanted to take a close up of something under appreciated and often unnoticed. Then I received some radishes in my weekly CSA loot and soon after set my sights (and tastes) upon them. Radishes are overlooked at the supermarket. They are sold for next to nothing and often just act as a salad garnish that most people shunt aside in their search for more sumptuous morsels.

Truth is, they are attractive, warm, tasty, and it's worth paying attention to them. Radishes add terrific color to any dish. Their peppery skin adds a kick to anything from a salad to a sandwich to a side dish; when peeled, they are sweet and yielding, and make great eats. Also, they keep fresh in the fridge for a long time, making them a go to when everything has gone wilted. Finally, radishes are good for you. They are full of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Folate and Potassium. So listen up readers, because this recipe is worth trying.

I adapted this from a big oven recipe that calls for daikon radish, which is probably much easier to prepare. But it worked fine with garden variety red radishes, just a little more peeling involved. A few notes on it:

• Red radishes require a lot of cleaning. Use a vegetable scrubber if you have one on hand, and clean it with the same rigor as you would a potato.
• The original recipe called for serving it with chopped cilantro or nori, which I am sure would be nice. I decided to chop the discarded skins and let them pepper up the dish a little.
• Make this a full dinner by poaching some sliced chicken with the radishes and serving with noodles.
• You could also reserve the radish leaves and serve the above suggestion on top of them.
• I am a big fan of the light miso for vegetables; any kind would likely work, but I think that the light miso, especially given the radishes high sugar content, works beautifully.

Braised Radishes in Miso Sauce

Ingredients

1 bunch of red radishes (10 - 12)

Water

1 tbsp miso light paste

1 small chili, sliced (I used a jalepeno)

1 tbsp sugar

Method

• Peel the radishes and reserve the peels. Chop the radishes into thin circles and set aside. Chop the peels finely and set aside.
• Simmer the water. Add the radishes and cook on simmer until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add chili, miso, and sugar. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Strain the radishes and place on a platter. Sprinkle with chopped peel and serve.