Purple Daikon Salad with Golden Beets and Bok Choy

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.

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Yield: 4

Purple Daikon Salad with Golden Beets and Bok Choy

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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.

Prep Time 12 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

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

1. 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).
2. When the beets have cooled, peel and dice them.
3. Cut the purple daikon in half lengthwise, then slice thinly into half-circles.
4. 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.

If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy …

Daikon and Carrot Salad with Red Cabbage

How to Use Watermelon Radish — Some Tasty and Colorful Ideas

Here are lots more vegan salads & sides.