Easy-Easy Daikon & Pepper Salad

If you’re craving something crisp, colorful, and irresistibly fresh, let me introduce you to the vegetable daikon (some times called daikon radish) and your next favorite side dish. Just cut the daikon into matchsticks and dice the bell pepper, the salad all comes together in a vibrant tangle with a punchy dressing of rice vinegar and olive oil. It’s light yet flavorful, crunchy but satisfying, and ridiculously easy to throw together in under 10 minutes.

Approachable, Everyday Whole Food, Fast & Fresh. An Easy, Healthy Side Dish. Just Three Ingredients (Plus Vinegar, Oil and Salt). Budget Friendly. Lunch Fast, Weeknight Easy. Perfect When Cooking for One or Two. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

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What Is Daikon?

Meet my new favorite vegetable: daikon!

Daikon is the ONLY vegetable that starts with the Letter D – who knew? (The famous A–Z Alphabet of Vegetables knew, that's who!)

OTHER NAMES Daikon is also called Japanese radish, Chinese radish, Asian radish and Chinese turnip; also white radish, winter radish, even the "icicle radish". The syllables mean big (dai) and root (kon) in Japanese.

If you've ever ordered a bahn mi sandwich at a Vietnamese place, you've probably tasted the carrot and daikon relish that makes the sandwich so crave-worthy. You can even make that relish at home, see how easy this is, Carrot & Daikon Refrigerator Pickle.

A FEW FUN FACTS

• Daikon comes in a huge, white baton-like root.
• It is sweet and wet and has wonderful tooth-crunch.
• It lacks the bitter bite of radish and the woodiness of jicama.
• It peels as easily as a carrot and slices as easily as a cucumber.
• Daikon would be a terrific addition to crispy vegetable platters or diced/grated into fresh slaws.
• A whole pound of daikon has only 82 calories. It's also low-carb, low-calorie and low-cholesterol.

Needless to say, daikon is GREAT!

I tend to forget about vegetable salads during the winter. My mistake! This simple daikon-pepper-watercress combination tastes so fresh and alive. It's both filling and nutritious and dare I say, a harbinger of spring during the snow-days of winter.

Why I Love This Recipe & You Might Too

• ... it's quick to make, ready to eat asap
• ... it's fun to step away from our usual salad vegetables
• ... and yet daikon feels/tastes familiar, like a less-crispy, less-peppery radish
• ... that color! that crunch! that freshness!
• Ready to get started? Here's your recipe!

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...

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EASY-EASY DAIKON & PEPPER SALAD

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time-to-table: 10 minutes
Serves 4

• 8 ounces (225g) daikon
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 4 tablespoons fresh herbs, cilantro or parsley, say
• 1-1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar or another gentle vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt to taste

PREP THE DAIKON Peel the daikon, then cut into thin rounds. Stack three or four rounds, then cut into matchsticks.

FINISH THE SALAD Combine the daikon, red pepper and herbs in a bowl. Sprinkle with vinegar, olive oil and a touch of salt. Toss to combine.

EAT UP! Really, that's it!

TIMING TIP This salad is ready to eat, asap. But if you're tempted to make a double or triple batch for leftovers, go for it. It really does keep its freshness and crispness for a couple of days.

VARIATIONS The red bell pepper is especially pretty but so would an orange one, even a yellow one. The idea is to have color as well as taste and texture contrast.

ALANNA's TIPS No rice vinegar? No problem though do know, it's easy to find, inexpensive to purchase and handy to have on hand. But no worries. If you have another gentle vinegar, that's basically anything except harsh white vinegar but I'd start with white wine vinegar. Do try to stay with clear vinegars so the daikon doesn't stain though honestly, that will affect appearance more than taste. I especially love to serve this simple salad with fish, Fish with Herb Butter or Salmon with Crispy Crust. Just put the fish in the oven, there's plenty of time to make the salad! Would a little feta be stellar here? I think so!

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2025/01/easy-easy-daikon-pepper-salad.html .

Per Serving (assumes 4): 37 Calories; 2g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 13mg Sodium; 5g Carb; 2g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 1g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 1 & SmartPoints 1 & Freestyle 1 & myWW green 1 & blue 1 & purple 1 & future WW points CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = 2 generous servings (2g protein).

Adapted from Gourmet magazine circa December 1992 (sniff, it's still missed ...)

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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