Fried Daikon Cakes
Daikon radish is a funky vegetable, and while it makes excellent pickles, it’s fun to figure out what else can be done with the big, colorful roots we harvest every fall. Shredding them and giving them a hash brown-esque treatment is a fun way to eat through an otherwise intimidatingly large radish. Speaking of funky, don’t worry about the smell of the grated radish, as the salting step will not only draw out excess moisture but also tame that brassica funk. These are great served with teriyaki, plum sauce, hoisin, tamarind, or any other sweet or sweet and sour sauce, though they’d be just as tasty alongside sour cream and applesauce, as a stand in for potato latkes.
1 ½ cup grated green or purple daikon (about 8 oz)
2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chopped onion, leek or scallion
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp sriracha or other garlicky chili sauce, or sweet chili sauce
½ cup panko or other plain breadcrumbs
1 extra large or two small eggs, beaten
Combine daikon and salt in a medium bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes has elapsed, rinse and squeeze excess moisture from daikon, then add garlic, onion, pepper, paprika and chili sauce and mix to thoroughly combine. Add breadcrumbs and mix to combine. Add half the egg and thoroughly mix, gradually add enough for batter to just hold together. Add just enough neutral, high smoke point oil to cover the bottom of a heavy skillet, and heat over medium heat until a drop of water flicked into it sputters. Form the batter into eight patties (a little less than ½ cup each) and fry, four at a time, in oil for 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned and firm throughout (check each side of the cakes at 2 minutes and turn the heat down slightly if they are browning too quickly). Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain once cooked.