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Radish is not only a storehouse of vitamins and minerals but also an excellent ingredient for your dishes. Recently, the fashion for healthy and proper nutrition has resumed in the world.
Radish, spinach, broccoli – something that will saturate your body and cure it better than any pills. Learn how to choose, store and also prepare this product correctly. There are many recipes and cooking techniques, but are all of them useful?
Types of radishes
There are many varieties of radishes. They differ in harvest seasons, size, and taste characteristics. However, professional chefs identify the most successful types of vegetables for use in cooking:
- Daikon radish. This variety does not contain bitter oils and is great for salads and fresh snacks.
- Round radish. A fairly large and bitter vegetable, perfect for frying and stewing.
- Red radish. It has a long shelf life and unique taste qualities.
Choose any type of vegetable, depending on the required recipe. The main thing is to properly prepare the product for cooking.
How to choose?
Radish has a pleasant refreshing bitter taste and also performs well in salads and summer cold meals. However, to get a good dish, you must choose the right product. Professional chefs have highlighted several tips that will help you:
- Choose juicy radishes with fresh and bright green leaves.
- The root crop should be rich in color, without wrinkles and damage.
- Another indicator of juiciness is the weight of the product. The heavier the radish, the fresher it is. Light vegetables are empty and dried inside.
- Buy only fresh vegetables at the farmer’s market or in a grocery store. This way you will protect yourself from buying low-quality vegetables with chemicals and additives.
How to eat radishes
There are many variations of radish consumption. You can fry the product in a pan skillet, cook it in the microwave or bake it in the oven. Professional chefs in expensive restaurants bake radish and turn it into tartare or mix with lightly salted trout to get an excellent reet.
The main secret of preparing radishes is that the cooked product remains soft on the outside, but inside it becomes juicy and crunchy. Choose any method of preparation, the main thing is to use high-quality and ripe radishes!
Radish: pros and cons
Radish is a low carb annual root vegetable, differing in varieties, color, and shape. Young products have a sweet taste and spicy aroma, while old ones have a sharper and bitter flavor.
Today, this root crop is commercially available at any time of the year, but experts still consider radishes grown in the summer season the most beneficial. Although it will not be difficult to grow this vegetable at home, for example, on the balcony. Moreover, it will take only 3 weeks for the radish to ripen. The vegetable has a low caloric content – only 16 kcal per 100 grams.
Any radish variety is an excellent source of vitamins C, manganese, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and potassium, as well as fiber and various phytonutrients. Its healing properties have many positive effects on the human body:
- accelerates metabolism
- removes toxins
- improves digestion
- protects against inflammation and bacteria
- strengthens the heart and regulates blood pressure
However, this vegetable can be dangerous for people with thyroid disease. Also, people with ulcers and gastritis should use radish with caution.
Are radishes better cooked or raw?
Raw radishes are rich in potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, vitamins C, E, PP. Experts recommend eating radishes in their raw form to preserve all the valuable properties of the product.
Is it possible to use a cooked product? Minor heat treatment by the type of boiling or stewing does not greatly harm the beneficial properties of the product. However, grilling or frying in vegetable oil will significantly increase the caloric content and toxicity of the product.
Can you boil radishes?
Boiling radishes in water do not harm the valuable properties of the product. However, you must follow a certain technology so that the product remains crispy inside, but soft on the outside:
- Peel the vegetable, remove the roots, and top.
- Cook radishes in salted water for 10 minutes, bring to a boil.
- Put the cooked radish in a colander, add the greens. Serve the boiled radish with salt and butter.
You can also cook a vegetable in the microwave. This method will be faster. It is enough to put radishes in a thermal package. The cooking time of the vegetable in such conditions with the maximum power of the microwave will take no more than 5 minutes.
Do you peel radishes before cooking?
You can eat peeled or unpeeled radishes. However, if you are going to give the product heat treatment – do not cut off the skin. Cooked or roasted vegetables should remain juicy and crispy inside. I
f you remove the skin, the whole product will become soft. However, if you need to cut the peel for a certain recipe, do it according to the following technology:
- Rinse the radish under cold water. Dry the product with paper towels.
- Take a sharp kitchen knife or vegetable slicer. Remove external defects and stains.
- Delete the skin with a thin layer. Rinse and dry the radishes again.
How long do radishes keep in the refrigerator?
To preserve radishes for a long time and use them for preparing salads or other dishes during the winter months, follow these steps:
- Select large undamaged root crops of any autumn variety and remove the tops from them, leaving a tail of about 3-4 cm. Leave the roots intact.
- Carefully delete the remnants of earth and sand from the vegetables. There is no need to wash radishes under water.
- Put the fruits in a vegetable box or other container of a suitable size in layers, sprinkling each row with slightly moistened sand.
- Place the radish containers on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
The storage time of radishes with such proper storage is no more than 10 days. If you want to increase the shelf life of the product – freeze it in sealed bags.
How do you reduce the bitterness in radishes?
Experts identify several causes of bitterness in radishes:
- Lack of moisture. Watering from case to case is a direct way to get a bitter harvest.
- Overripe. If you miss the harvest period, you will get an unusable vegetable.
- Lack of light. Culture does not grow well and develops with insufficient lighting.
However, if you have already bought or grown a bitter product, fix it during the cooking process. There are several ways to do this:
- Soaking in water with salt. Stir 1 tablespoon of salt into 2 liters of water and put the peeled, chopped radish there for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
- Scalding with boiling water. Cover the chopped root vegetables with boiling water, and soak them for 10 minutes with strong bitterness.
- Using sugar and lemon. If you plan to add radishes to the salad, cut it into cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice, and add a small amount of sugar.
- Salad dressing with sour cream. It masks and partially neutralizes the bitter taste of root vegetables.
What to do with radishes from the garden
Radish is the simplest vegetable that you can grow in your garden. There are many options for using this product.
- Addition to fresh salads. Rinse the product, dry with paper towels, and cut into large pieces.
- Using as a snack. This vegetable is perfect in size for creating cute miniature snacks. It can be a rope or small bruschetta.
- In combination with cream. Radish unexpectedly reveals its taste in combination with fermented milk products. You can bake a vegetable in cream or give it as a gift.
- In combination with meat dishes. Protein food goes well with vegetables. Radish is no exception. Just bake the vegetable with meat and fresh herbs to get a great dish.
How to cook radishes in soup
If you are a radish lover, try to cook a unique soup with this vegetable. To make a recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Peel and finely chop the onion.
- Grate a bunch of radishes on a coarse grater.
- In one tablespoon of oil, fry the onion until transparent.
- Add two more tablespoons of oil and lightly fry the flour along with the onion.
- Pour water into a saucepan and boil it. Add radishes and fried onions.
- Bring the radish soup to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add finely chopped herbs and a teaspoon of sea salt to the soup.
How to cook radishes in an air fryer
Another recipe for radish lovers is based on the technology of cooking in a deep fryer. It will not only be an excellent main dish, but also a good side dish. To repeat such radishes recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- fresh radish – 20 pieces
- garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves) – 1 teaspoon
- black pepper – 1 teaspoon
- balsamic vinegar
- lemon juice
- avocado oil – to taste
- Feta cheese (or Parmesan cheese) – 100 grams
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Cut radishes into thin slices with a sharp knife.
- Put the chopped radishes in a small saucepan, pour water, bring to a boil and cook for another 4-5 minutes after boiling.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan.
- Drop the slices into the boiling oil and fry for about 8-10 minutes until deep brown.
- Put the cooked radishes on a paper napkin so that it absorbs excess fat. Before serving, brush the chips with olive or avocado oil, and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Roasted radishes and potatoes recipe
Roasted radishes taste like cucumbers. In combination with potatoes, the product will reveal its unique taste. To make such a dish, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- potatoes – 4 pieces
- radish – 5 pieces
- pork belly – 150 grams
- carrot – optional
- dill – sprig
- salt and pepper – to taste
- pine nuts – optional
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Cut the pork belly into thin slices and fry until cooked on both sides under a lid on low heat.
- Coarsely chop the potatoes and add carrots if desired. Cover and continue cooking for 30 minutes.
- Add all the ingredients to the pan and roast radishes for 5-6 minutes.
- At the end of cooking, add ground nuts, salt, and pepper to taste.
If you love radishes and have tried this recipe, you will not be able to stop cooking it all the time!
Best Way To Cook Radishes
Roasting radishes is a unique way to prepare tasty side dishes for your family table. To make a recipe, prepare the following ingredients:
- radish – 200 grams
- green onion – 1/3 bunch
- rosemary – 1/2 teaspoon
- Italian herbs – 1/2 teaspoon
- radish greens – for decoration
- sesame seeds – 1-2 tablespoons
- garlic – 1-2 cloves
- salt – to taste
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Chop the garlic and onion on a fine grater.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat and fry half of the green onions, rosemary, and garlic until fragrant.
- Cut radishes into quarters.
- Add the radish and sesame seeds to the pan, stir fry for 10 minutes.
- Add the Italian herbs, the second part of the green onion, and salt.
- Simmer all together for another 5 minutes under the lid.
Storage rules
It is significant to observe certain conditions to store radishes longer, as well as to choose varieties with the appropriate qualities and characteristics. Follow the storage tips:
- Do not keep the container with vegetables near heating devices.
- Observe the temperature regime from +2 to +4 degrees Celsius.
- With a dry storage method, use plastic bags. You can also store dry radishes on a baking dish or a veggie tray.
- With a wet storage method, you should transfer the root vegetables into glass containers. In each of them, add 2-3 tablespoons of boiled water, cooled to 20 degrees.
Final Verdict
Many radish recipes differ in the method of heat treatment. If you want to get a crispy vegetable for a salad – just slice a fresh product. If you need a soft shell – fry or stew the radish.
This meal will be a great addition to a family dinner as a side dish or main course. If you are a special radish fan, make unique vegetable chips and sprinkle them with grated cheese. Experiment with this product to get unusual taste solutions.
The main thing is to choose a fresh radish and the desired storage method.