Kiriboshi Daikon

Mar 16, 2024 | Recipes

Before refrigeration became widely available, pre-modern societies struggled with keeping fresh food from spoiling. A variety of ingenious techniques were developed throughout the world, including drying fresh foods in well-ventilated shade.

In Japan, the resulting foods are known collectively as kambutsu (literally, “dried things”) and are an important category of comestibles in both home and professional pantries. Although kambutsu were originally conceived of in archaic circumstances, they can become the modern, too-busy-to-get-to-the-grocery-store, cook’s best friend. One of the most versatile kambutsu items is KIRI-BOSHI DAIKON 切り干し大根.

Packages of kiriboshi daikon are available outside Japan in most Asian groceries. Look for cellophane-wrapped bags of straw-colored, dried-but-still-somewhat-pliable, shredded radish. It is best to buy packages labelled tenpi-boshi 天日干し or naturally dried without chemicals. That way the liquid from re-hydrating the dried radish becomes a deeply flavored and nutrient-rich stock. No need to make separate dashi when cooking the softened radish.

To make your own tenpi-boshi kiriboshi daikon download instructions: Home-made Kiriboshi Daikon.


Want to enrich your diet and expand your culinary repertoire? Check out the KITCHEN CULTURE COOKING CLUB’s latest PROJECT Kiriboshi Daikon

If you haven’t yet read my MARCH 2024 newsletter about kiriboshi daikon, check it out.

Eat to Beat the Heat

Eat to Beat the Heat

  The Japanese have long believed that foods beginning with the syllable “U" (written” う in hiragana), have special beat-the-heat properties. Most famous is UNAGI (eel, rich in vitamin B1) known as an antidote for summertime lethargy. The current custom of eating...

MA-GO-WA-YA-SA-SHI-I

MA-GO-WA-YA-SA-SHI-I

  MA-GO-WA-YA-SA-SHI-I(Grandchildren are kind) This acronym helps speakers of Japanese remember the names of food groups that support a healthy diet. Each of the seven sounds represents a food group, while the total spells out a lovely adage (lauding the kindness of...

Junsai, a summertime delicacy

Junsai, a summertime delicacy

JUNSAI (water shield; Brasenia schreberi) grows naturally in lakes, ponds and slow streams in many parts of the world but only Japan and China have a long history of cultivating the plant as a food. The Japanese especially love foods with a tsuru tsuru (slippery,...

Kashiwa Mochi

Kashiwa Mochi

So named because this sweet is wrapped in kashiwa (oak) leaves, kashiwa mochi 柏餅 is enjoyed during the Golden Week holidays, early in May. Historically this sweet is associated with Tango no Sekku (also known as Kodomo no Hi or Children's Day). What's the connection?...

Recent Posts & Projects