With just a few ingredients, you can enjoy this vivid purple daikon salad with golden beets and bok choy. Crunchy and colorful, this delectable daikon and golden beet salad recipe is pulled together with sesame-ginger dressing.
About purple daikon
Purple daikon is a type of radish, that like its colorful cousin, watermelon radish, is becoming more widely available. Don’t let the dull purple exterior put you off — cut open, it reveals an appealing white, lavender, and purple pattern.
Purple daikon not only looks good, but it tastes fantastic and has a delectable crispness. In the realm of radishes its flavor is mildly peppery, though once in a while you might get one that packs a little more heat. The skin is thin, so simply scrub it and leave it on for extra color and fiber.
This lovely radish can be used both cooked and raw, though the latter will highlight its best qualities — color and crunch. It’s easiest to simply slice it thinly, though grating it is nice, too. If the leaves are unblemished, they can be washed and used raw and cooked as well.
In addition to using purple daikon as is in salads, it can also be added at the last minute to Asian-style soups (such as miso soup) and stir-fries. Add to roasted root vegetable medleys; and pickling is a fun option as well.
Learn lots more (including nutrition info) about purple daikon at Nature’s Produce.
Substitutes for purple daikon: Regular (white) daikon, about a 5- to 6-inch piece (it won’t be as dramatic, but will still taste good; or 2 medium watermelon radishes.
Explore more …
- Delectable Plant-Based Bok Choy Recipes
- Daikon and Carrot Salad with Red Cabbage
- How to Use Watermelon Radish — Some Tasty and Colorful Ideas
- Roasted Root Vegetable Salad
Purple Daikon Salad with Golden Beets and Bok Choy
You don’t need a lot of ingredients to enjoy this vivid purple daikon salad with golden beets and boy choy. Crunchy and colorful, it’s pulled together with sesame-ginger dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 medium golden beets
- 1 purple daikon radish, ends trimmed, and scrubbed
- 1 baby bok choy, sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup bottled or homemade sesame-ginger salad dressing (see link to recipe in Notes)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Microwave the beets in a lidded casserole dish, starting with 2 minutes per beet, and adding a minute thereafter until the beets can be pierced through but not overdone. Allow to cool to room temperature (expedite by plunging into ice water, if you’d like).
- When the beets have cooled, peel and dice them.
- Cut the purple daikon in half lengthwise, then slice thinly into half-circles.
- In a serving bowl, combine the daikon and beets with the remaining ingredients. Allow to stand for a few minutes, then serve.
Notes
Here is our recipe for Sesame-Ginger Salad Dressing.
Here are lots more vegan salads & sides and Fresh Spring Salads
Renee
Leave the bok choy uncooked? Sorry I’m new to all this.
Thank you!
Nava Atlas
Renee, bok choy is best uncooked! Of course you can add it to stir-fries as well. But when I do, it’s the last veggie to go in so that it retains some crunch.
Leola
This recipe is so good! I too was intrigued by raw bok choy being an ingredient and very glad to know how delicious it is in this salad! I didn’t have golden beets so I used regular (it makes everything in the salad red-ish). We didn’t have scallions so we used a tiny red onion we had and sliced in into very thin half circles. Didn’t have fresh cilantro so used dry. Used the recipe for the homemade ginger sesame dressing. This recipe is delicious and versatile, it takes well to substitutes – use whatever close ingredients you have on hand. Thanks Nava Atlas!
Nava Atlas
Thank you for your comment and suggestions for tweaks! Glad you enjoyed this versatile salad.