roots and greens, steamed

January 13, 2014 • Nancy Wolfson-Moche

Root vegetables are grounding and strengthening. Daikon, the conical white Asian radish, is a digestive aid that strengthens and cleanses the kidneys, aka the stress organs. Eating the root with its green tops – the whole plant – is the most balancing way to eat it. I learned to cook this strengthening, cleansing, balancing dish from my awesome teacher Denny Waxman and his wife, Susan.  I am grateful to them for introducing me to daikon and to many foods.

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serves 4

INgredients

2 daikon radishes, with green tops

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Process   Separate (by cutting or tearing) the green tops from the daikon roots.

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Wash the greens well. Scrape any tiny white “hairs” and brown spots from the daikon roots and rinse them well. Slice the daikon root diagonally into quarter-inch-wide oblong discs.

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Cut each disc into about 12-18 small square pieces

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and place them in a steamer basket.  Chop the leaves into similarly sized small pieces

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and layer them on top of the daikon pieces in the basket.

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Place about 1-2 inches of water in the steamer pot; cover and bring to a boil. Place steamer basket in the steamer pot; cover and allow to steam for about 8 minutes.  Add the soy sauce and simmer for another minute.

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Remove from pot and serve.

©Nancy Wolfson-Moche 2014

Icing on the Cake: Testimonials

I loved Ms. Nancy’s cooking class so much.! I have been in this cooking class for two years and I would love to sign up for another one. I tried a lot of new foods like winter squash, cardamom, Brussels sprouts and kale. My favorite salad was the kiwi, carrot, radish salad.
Not only did we cook and eat, we also did labs about food. We used rulers to measure the size of plants. We also explored stone fruits and their ripe season. Now in my house we have window boxes and I am growing cherry tomatoes and basil.
I learned that we can use a lot of different tools to cook, not just our hands and senses. We used safety knives, potato peelers and a carrot sharpener (I wonder if you could sharpen a pencil with it?) !!!
Because of this class I can help papi make dinner and I will try any new food at least once to see if I like it. Thank you, Ms. Nancy for making cooking fun and interesting and helping me be excited about food.

- Love, K (a 7-year-old boy).