Braised Daikon Radish Daikon no Nimono

Written by
Judy Ung
Food writer, recipe developer, and blogger who has published hundreds of Japanese home-cooking recipes.
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Judy Ung
Updated 05/11/21
Braised daikon radish recipe

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 30 mins
Total: 2 hrs 40 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
92 Calories
2g Fat
10g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 92
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 816mg 35%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 17mg 87%
Calcium 29mg 2%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 695mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Simmered or braised dishes, also known as nimono, are a staple in Japanese cuisine. Vegetables, or fish, or a combination of vegetables and proteins are often simmered together to create dishes that are popular nimono, not just in restaurants, and bentos (boxed lunch), but also at home.

Braised Japanese daikon radish, known simply in Japanese as “daikon no nimono”, is a very common dish that is served in the winter, when daikon is typically in the season. Slowly simmering the daikon brings out its natural sweetness and highlights the mellowness of this root. While grated raw daikon is often served as a spicy and pungent garnish to different Japanese foods, when daikon is simmered, it takes on a completely different personality and shines as a stand-alone dish.

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound daikon

  • 4 cups dashi stock, or 4 cups water with 1 teaspoon dashi powder

  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 3 teaspoons sake

  • 2 tablespoons mirin

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for braised daikon

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. The outer skin of the daikon is thick, so when removing this layer, be sure to remove both the thinner outer skin, as well as, the thick layer just beneath it. This can easily be accomplished with a vegetable peeler.

    Remove thin outer layer

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  3. Slice the daikon into pieces that are 3/4 to 1 inch thick. (Tip: Try and cut the slices as similarly as possible, which will ease the cooking process so that all the daikon cook evenly. If the daikon varies in thickness, you’ll find that some daikon are more tender than others, while others might seem overcooked.)

    Slice daikon

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  4. After the daikon is sliced into round pieces, for aesthetic purposes, trim a thin strip all along the bottom and top edges of each daikon piece, essentially "rounding out" each piece. This small step really makes a difference in the appearance of the daikon.

    Trim a strip

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  5. In a medium pot, add the daikon slices with dashi stock, sugar, soy sauce, and sake (reserve the mirin for later use).

    add the daikon slices with dashi stock, sugar, soy sauce, and sake

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  6. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 10 minutes.

    Bring to a boil

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Skim any foam and impurities from the surface.

    Skim foam

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  8. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the daikon pieces are tender in the center and slightly brown in color after having absorbed the soy sauce.

    Reduce heat to low

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  9. Before all of the dashi is cooked away, stir in the mirin, careful not to damage the daikon. They should be very tender at this point.

    Stir in mirin

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  10. Turn off heat, and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the ingredients to meld.

    Turn off heat
    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  11. Serve daikon pieces, with or without some of the simmering liquid, in small individual plates.