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Radish so red, radish so red
Plucked from the heart of your warm little bed
Sprinkle some salt on top of your head
Delicious!
— From “The Reluctant Dragon,” by Kenneth Grahame, 1898
To eat or not to eat? That is the question I regularly ask myself when I see radishes at local growers’ markets.
I am just now growing to like radishes, but for years my mental picture has been that they are mostly too bitter.
In fall I’m happy to eat the long, white, fat carrot-shaped daikon radishes that are sweeter and a lovely addition to spring rolls or grated on salads. I’ve also come to like fall’s peppery black radishes with a good cheese and dark beer, but it’s spring radishes that keep me searching for new serving ideas.
Why bother? For me, it’s mostly because they are so plentiful at market, they pack a nutritious punch and when most everything else at market is green, it’s hard not to be attracted to this early season crop for its splash of color.
A culinary tour
For inspiration, I looked to Korea, where pickled vegetables are a mainstay, all varieties of radishes are enjoyed in dishes like kimchi, a traditional fermented dish made of vegetables with a variety of spicy seasonings.
In Korea, kimchi is made differently for each season. In spring, herbs are added and it is consumed while fresh rather than fermented. Summer brings the addition of seasonal vegetables such as cucumber. In fall, extra salt is added to preserve the kimchi longer, and in wintertime, pine nuts, pears and chestnuts are added.
Fermenting foods has been around for a long time and was used as a way to preserve foods. Today, fermented foods are recognized for their active bacteria cultures, which help promote the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria, and aid in the digestion and support of the immune function, including an increase in B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, digestive enzymes, lactase and lactic acid, and other immune chemicals that fight off harmful bacteria and possible cancer cells.
Lo and behold, kimchi — a food I first discovered during grade school when a Korean friend’s mother regularly made this spicy salad — is the perfect vehicle to transform spring’s red radishes.
Choosing your produce
Look for radishes that are nice and firm in texture. Their top greens should also be crispy without any yellow, shriveled leaves. When buying produce at your local growers’ market, you can be nearly certain it has been picked within about 24 hours of your visit, so your radish selection should be easy.
Once at home, remove the top greens just as you do for carrots, as they rob the roots of nutrients. Wash them thoroughly in clean water and store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator where they will remain fresh for up to a week (or longer). If using the radish greens, cook them as soon as possible.
It’s a good thing there is no need to peel radishes, as the isothiocyanate antioxidant compound which gives them a peppery, pungent flavor is concentrated in the peel. If you have to peel, gently pare away a superficial thin layer only.
Radishes are also a very low-calorie root vegetable and are a good source of antioxidants like vitamin C, electrolytes, folates, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber.
Radish Salsa
Makes about 2 cups
2 cups chopped radishes, like daikon, red, or a combination (about 1 pound)
½ English cucumber, peeled and diced
½ small red onion, chopped
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh chile (like jalapeño or Thai), or to taste, or hot red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more chile, lemon, or salt as needed. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a day.
COOK’S NOTE: Radishes are a classic salsa ingredient in Mexico, and the technique — mixing a vegetable (or fruit) with onion, an acid, chiles and fresh herbs — is downright common.
— Adapted from
markbittman.com
Red Cabbage &
Radish Kimchi
There are thousands of variations of kimchi recipes, some quick and simple, some complex and fermented for days or weeks. This leans toward the simple side and it can be eaten in a day or so, although it gets better the longer it marinates. Kimchi can be eaten as a side dish, used in stir fry or egg rolls, or as a sandwich topping.
Makes 8 cups
1 head red cabbage, finely shredded and thick veins removed
½ cup Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Thai bird chiles, sliced thin, or 2 tablespoons chile paste such as Sriracha
½ cup sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
½ cup apple cider or white vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce (for a vegetarian version, omit this and increase the soy sauce by 2 tablespoons)
8-10 red radishes, cut into matchsticks
2 cups onion, thinly sliced
2 cups carrot, thinly sliced
1 bunch of green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Place shredded cabbage in a large colander and salt generously, tossing with your hands. Let cabbage drain for 30 minutes. Rinse with fresh water and drain well.
In a large bowl combine garlic, chiles or chile paste, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce (if using) and whisk together. Taste and adjust as desired.
Add cabbage and the rest of the vegetables to the pickling liquid and toss with your hands, mixing well. Put kimchi in plastic storage bags and squeeze out the air — this will help distribute the pickling liquid evenly. Lay bags flat in the refrigerator, giving them a flip every once in a while. Wait at least 2 hours before eating, but it will keep for up to two weeks, getting better with time.
COOK’S NOTE: Using this recipe as a guideline, add any of your favorite crunchy, leafy vegetables that you need to use up. Any type of greens, cabbage, onions, chiles or radishes will work just fine. Making kimchi is all about “to taste” — you can make it sweeter, saltier, milder or more sour, depending on your personal preference. Adjust the level of spiciness by adding more or less chiles or chile paste, but remember that the kimchi will get hotter the longer it sits as the chiles “bloom.”
Radish Kimchi
This easy-to-make radish kimchi is a colorful, spicy variation of the more common cabbage kimchi.
Traditional kimchi usually includes daikon radishes. This recipe reverses the proportion of radish to cabbage to showcase the radish crunch and taste. Using red-skinned cherry radishes or French breakfast radishes gives this recipe its cheerful color. You could also use watermelon radishes for their bright pink interiors.
No matter which vegetables kimchi is made with, it is loaded with naturally good-for-you probiotics. Delicious served alongside Korean or other Asian-style dishes, it is also good mixed into rice and other cooked grains.
Radish kimchi is a lacto-fermented food that will get stronger in flavor as it ages. Although it will keep in the refrigerator for many months, it is best eaten within 3 months. Stored longer than that it starts to lose some of its crunch and may get too pungent.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Initial fermentation time: 48 hours
Total time: 48 hours, 15 minutes
Yield: 1 quart or 1 liter
2 teaspoons kosher or other non-iodized salt
3 cups filtered water
½ teaspoon fish sauce (or soy sauce)
¾ pound radishes, washed
¼ pound cabbage leaves, cut into thin strips (think coleslaw)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1 small onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
Dissolve the salt in the filtered water. It’s important to use filtered water because the chlorine and other chemicals in most municipal tap water can interfere with the fermentation process.
Stir in the fish or soy sauce.
Slice off the leaf and root ends of the radishes. Julienne them into matchstick-sized pieces, or slice into 1/8-inch rounds. A mandoline or thin slicing blade of a food processor will make this step easier.
In a large bowl, toss the chopped radish, sliced cabbage, grated ginger, sliced onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Pack them into a clean quart or liter glass jar.
Pour the brine over the other ingredients. Press gently on the vegetables and spices to release any air bubbles. The brine should completely cover the other ingredients. If the food floats out of the brine, weight it with a smaller glass jar filled with water. If the vegetables are staying immersed in the brine, just cover the jar they are in loosely with a lid.
Place the jar of kimchi on a small plate to catch the overflow that may happen as it starts to ferment. Leave it at room temperature for 24-48 hours.
Remove the lid or small jar weight and check the kimchee after the first 24 hours. You should start to see some bubbles and it will begin to develop a lightly sour smell (like sauerkraut, but more pungent because of the garlic and ginger).
Once you see and smell signs that the kimchi is actively fermenting, transfer the jar to the door of your refrigerator. This is the warmest part of your refrigerator but still cooler than room temperature — perfect for your kimchi to keep slowly fermenting.
COOK’S NOTE: Kimchi is ready to eat 1-2 weeks after you make it. If you plan to store it for longer than a month, move it to a cooler part of your refrigerator (one of the central shelves rather than the inside of the refrigerator door).
April growers’ markets
Starting in May, many of the once-monthly markets listed below will go to back to weekly schedules. Visit the New Mexico Farmers Marketing Association on Facebook and www.FarmersMarketsNM.org for information.
Albuquerque Downtown Growers’ Market spring market. NEW LOCATION: Gold St. between First and Second. Saturdays, April 13, April 20, April 27, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Corrales Growers’ Market, Recreation Center, 500 Jones Road & Corrales Road, south of the post office. Sunday, April 28, 9 a.m.-noon.
Las Cruces Farmers’ & Crafts Market, Downtown Mall. Saturdays & Wednesdays, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m., year-round.
Los Alamos Farmers’ Market, Fuller Lodge, 2132 Central Ave. April 11, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Los Ranchos Growers’ Market, tennis court parking lot at 6718 Rio Grande Blvd. NW. Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m.-noon.
Nob Hill Growers’ Market, Morningside Park, Lead & Morningside SE. Thursdays, April 11, April 18, April 25, 3-6:30 p.m.
Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, Farmers’ Market Pavilion, 1607 Paseo de Peralta. Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Taos Pueblo – Red Willow Farmers’ Market, Veteran’s Highway, Taos Pueblo. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., year-round (indoors in winter).
