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Susan Jung

Like smaller varieties of radish, Chinese radishes - also known as loh bak, Chinese turnip, white carrot or daikon - are crisp and juicy. The flavour is sweet, with a hint of heat when eaten raw. The smell is much stronger than the taste.

What are they? One of the larger varieties of radishes, growing up to about 45cm long. Although

the entire vegetable is edible, usually only the root is eaten fresh.

When are they in season? They're in the markets year-round, but they're at their best in late  autumn and winter.

How to choose: they should be firm and heavy, with smooth, unblemished skin and no bruised or

soft spots.

How to store: wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge for about a week. If stored for too long, they become soft.

What else? There's a smaller variety of Chinese radish that is green, with a rougher skin. Both the

tops and roots of mature Chinese radish can be salted and preserved or pickled. Radish sprouts, which are crisp with a peppery bite, are popular in Japanese cuisine.

How to use: loh bak can be eaten raw -  they have a sharp flavour, but  it's not overwhelming - or cooked,  which makes them sweeter and milder.  In Japanese cuisine, raw daikon are shredded or julienned and used in salads or as a garnish, grated and used in a dip for tempura, or  cut by hand into long, fine sheets for wrapping other ingredients in. They are made into a pickle with white vinegar, water and sugar in Vietnamese cuisine.

In Chinese cuisine, the root is almost always cooked. Probably the most famous dish is loh bak goh, the 'radish cake' that's traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year holiday (although it's  available in dim sum restaurants year-round). Radish, especially the green variety, is often used in tonic soups.  The larger white radish is  delicious when braised.

For oxtail stew, brown the short (about 3cm) sections of oxtail in oil and add soy sauce, rice wine, stock or water, star anise, dried tangerine peel and a couple of slices of  ginger. Bring  to the simmer then lower the heat, cover with a  lid and cook  slowly for several hours, or until the meat is almost tender (don't boil or the meat will toughen). Add large chunks of Chinese radish and simmer for another hour or longer. Serve with white rice. A variation on this is Chinese radish simmered with beef tongue (cut into chunks), carrots and lots of white pepper.



Chinese radishes