Radishes - Building your pantry
RADISHES get very little press or time on the dinner plate, perhaps because they taste pungent and peppery—but that sharp flavor reflects the radish’s ability to really move the chi and make things happen. Radishes are a stand-out cruciferous vegetable for their potent action in the immune system, in addition to the cancer prevention and dense nutrition that all brassicas share. There’s a range of radishes: from darling round red cherry radishes to big white daikon radishes to the coveted black radish (pro tip: choose black radishes anytime you can find them, as they top the charts in nutritional prowess! However, if they are old, they will be really spicy).
For my radish-averse friends: try raw WHITE DAIKON RADISHES, as they have a sweet and lightly spicy flavor, and tend to be milder than a peppery red radish. The flesh is very crunchy and refreshingly juicy. Cooked, all radishes mellow out and become tender, similar to a cooked turnip.
RADISH GREENS are edible—and should be eaten!—as they detoxify the body from heavy metals and, as prebiotics, they feed your beneficial gut bacteria and help your microbiome to thrive. Chop the peppery greens to add to salad or cook them for a milder flavor. Choose small radishes, as they will be less pungent and spicy. Here’s a fun way to eat a radish that I learned in a fancy French restaurant: slice thinly, and top with softened butter and some salt. I put this out as a little appetizer sometimes and friends are always surprised by how simple and delicious it is.
A couple of Nourish Me recipes that include radishes in the ingredients:
Korean Kimchi Pancakes - page 534
Japanese Pickled Vegetables - page 663
Want more essential health wisdom and nourishing recipes? The Nourish Me Kitchen 2-volume book has got you covered. Explore functional-medicine foundations and 300 family-friendly, body-thriving recipes by Dr. Erika Siegel here.
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