radish Archives | the non-japanese cook

The nights are drawing in, and since September my menus have been gradually changing to counteract the chillier weather. More and more, I’ve been turning to those knobbly, underground, secretive vegetables – the ones we always abandon around April and rediscover towards Christmas. This time around, I’m also unearthing the meanings behind homely Japanese dishes such as shigure-ni and takikomi-gohan. Also featured in this post is a sweet treat I brought back from Japan to share with you – but don’t worry, it still fits with the root vegetable theme!

butaniku to yasai no shigure-ni / pork belly and root vegetable stew
takikomi-gohan / variety rice
miso soup with aubergines and chives – previously featured here
radish misozuke – previously featured here
kimpira parsnip / soy-simmered parsnip
BONUS SHOW & TELL: murasaki-imo yōkan / sweet potato jelly

As always, read on for more details and cooking tips.

When a brunch day comes around and you find yourself longing for a healthier option than bacon and/or pancakes, why not go Japanese? The traditional Japanese breakfast is a balanced but infinitely variable feast, normally including healthy proteins, vegetables, pickles, rice and soup. That’s 2-3 of your five-a-day and potentially some oily fish too. If, like me, you can happily eat most things for breakfast but baulk at the sight of processed pork or desserts before midday, you’ll be very happy with a spread like this. The only downside is that I can’t manage to cook it on weekdays! My example menu contains:

grilled mackerel and braised baby chicory
rolled omelette / tamagoyaki (卵焼き)
tomato salad
rice, miso soup with wakame, radish misozuke (味噌漬け）

Read on for methods and tips!

radish

autumnal eats: shigure-ni, takikomi-gohan and more

ichiju-sansai: brunch but not as you know it