I had forgotten how much L. likes daikon radish. Having had a devoted Japanese nanny from birth to age two, followed by a six year stint in Tokyo certainly programmed his palate.
I had planned on making him his favorite pasta for dinner tonight which is, inexplicably (but certainly "umamiful"), any kind of pasta shape tossed with butter, Parmesan and a generous handful of bonito flakes. Not a combo that strikes greed in my cold, cold heart but he invented the dish when he was little and swears by it as a comfort food.
The puppy dog eyes that L. made at me when he saw the two plump daikon roots that I had just bought at the Farmer's market, and his request to eat some for dinner, nixed pasta for dinner and this is what I came up with as part of a replacement supper. It is based on every 'nimono' I ate growing up in Japan, but is a totally inauthentic recipe devised off the cuff and predicated on the fact that L. would eat a shoe if it were served in a soy sauce based broth. The fact that it was good was certainly a bonus.
1 large daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1 inch coins
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
1 tsp grated ginger
Put all of the ingredients except the daikon in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the sauce has come to a rolling boil, lower the heat. I know it seems like a lot of sugar to add but the saltiness of the liquid and the bitterness of the daikon require it. I tried with a lot less and it wasn't until I hit the 1/3 cup mark that the broth tasted how it should.
Add the daikon, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of your coins and the toughness of the daikon. You will know that the dish is ready when you can easily pierce one of the daikon coins through with a fork.
Serve with a little bit of sauce ladled over the top. Excellent with grilled fish and white rice, or as part of a vegetarian meal. L. also likes it cold, straight from the fridge, drained and sprinkled with seaweed flakes as a snack but (as mentioned above) he's been conditioned to like those flavors.
