Spicy Daikon Radish Salad is yet another dish that the garden has foisted upon me. After the last of the spring crop of spinach was harvested in June, I planted a cover crop mix to feed the soil – Austrian field pea, hard red winter wheat, triticale, hairy vetch, crimson clover, yellow mustard, and yes, daikon radish. The role of the daikon in the cover crop mix is to aerate the soil – the long root pushes down into the soil, loosening it and creating a pathway for moisture and nutrients.

When we began fall garden clean-up this year, we were astonished to find that the daikon radishes were practically leaping out of the soil, more of the root veg pushing up out of the soil than what was submerged below. They pulled out of the ground so easily. We were afraid that the daikon was overgrown, that it would be tough and inedible, but we were pleasantly surprised to learn that it was sweet, with a lively crunch. Hence, Spicy Daikon Radish Salad!

I was inspired to try these flavors because of another dish we love – Cucumber Kimchi, another crunchy vegetable offering that includes gochgaru, the traditional spice for fermented kimchi. It’s also a key flavor in this Spicy Daikon Radish salad. The gochugaru, sugar, minced garlic, sesame oil, and salt meld together into a flavor bomb that enhances the light and crunchy daikon radish.