I was not sure how this would end up, and did not know if it was worth posting. The funny thing, is that I finished making the carpaccio, and thought let’s not go through the posting process, of writing and editing images, etc… since today I have not too much time to play around and blog, so I started eating it. Then I liked it so much that, I made a second batch for the pictures and decided to post it.

With making recipes for the first time, you never know how the results will be, it can go wither way, sometimes you decide it’s not something you like, or you are disappointed and it ends there. No second time.

Today it was a really nice surprise. You can definitely serve this as an appetizer, it’s light and fragrant, and open your appetite for the next course.

I love daikon, after my trip to Japan, I ate a lot of them, then slowly I stopped buying them. I guess I am back into my daikon phase. Actually I prefer cooked daikon than raw, it does change its flavor end when cooked, the sweetness of the vegetable stands out. This recipe is quite simple and does not take long. You just need a mandoline, a griddle and a mixer.

You could substitute daikon with avocado and tarragon with basil. It’s all about your inspiration, tastes and mood. Now go and play…and eat daikon!

Ingredients for 3-4

• 2 daikon, 2 mm sliced with a mandoline
• 4 zucchini, 2mm sliced with a mandoline
• salt and pepper

For the roasted tomatoes-tarragon coulis

• 3 well ripe and medium size tomatoes, cut in half and seeds removed
• 1/2 bunch tarragon + leaves for garnish
• 1/2 jalapeno
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the zucchini-daikon

Heat up a grill pan at high heat. Place slices flat and grill a few minutes on each sides. Set aside.

For the roasted tomato coulis

Place tomato halves in a tray and place under broiler until the top gets darkened and tomatoes soft. Let it cool and mix in a mixer with other ingredients. Strain through a sieve. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Lay one slice of zucchini on top of one slice daikon and repeat until used all ingredients.

Top with coulis, decorate with tarragon leaves and eat cold or lukewarm.

I had some daikon in my refrigerator and not sure what to make with it, then I remembered some delicious soup with a clear and delicate broth I ate in Japan with lotus roots and fish. I decided to go that route with my daikon. After a bit of research, I found a recipe for a similar soup made with salmon and daikon called ” Sanpeijiru“. I found this recipe on this beautiful blog called “Just One Cookbook“, and since I loved most of the recipes, I thought to try this one out. Sanpeijiru is a specialty from Hokkaido where they eat a lot salmon and potatoes.

One particular thing about Japanese is that they are very particular about their broth and always filter it so that it becomes crystal clear, with absolutely no residue. My Japanese neighbor, Rui is so picky that she uses coffee filter instead of fine strainer to obtain an impeccable broth.

The broth is made of Kombu a thick seaweed, which is the base of most broths, and gives a very delicate flavor. Daikon is a staple of Japanese cuisine (and many parts of Asia too), it’s a thick and white radish used in broth, grated, pickled, in salads, or on sashimi, in so many different forms or shape. It’s high in vitamin C and one root vegetable very low in calories.

I did marinate the salmon with salt and sake, but not for 2 days, just one day. I used scallions instead of the Tokyo Negi and used salmon fillet instead of salmon scraps. I wanted to add some greens such as kale, but I decided to try the original recipe for the first time. Kale is not really a Japanese ingredient so I thought to keep it authentic.

The result is a clear and clean brothy soup, very delicate, and obviously very light. I just feel clean and nourished which is a great feeling.

 Ingredients

• 1 lb salmon fillet
• Palm-sized kombu
• 4 cups water for soup
• 8” (20 cm) daikon radish, peeled and cut in slices then quartered
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut in slices
• 4 scallions, cut in 2 inches long stems and then sliced lengthwise
• 1 potato, peeled and cut in pieces
• 4 Tbsp. sake
• 1 tsp. kosher salt or more

Instructions

Marinate salmon slices in sake, salt and lemon or Yuzu for 2 days. Cut salmon fillets into 4 inches pieces. Bring water to a boil, pat dry salmon fillets and blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water. Drain and rinse salmon pieces. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add salmon and kombu and let it cook for about 15-20 min. Filter broth to obtain a clear fine liquid.

Add vegetables to broth and let simmer until tender but not mushy. Remove kombu. Filter some more if necessary. Add sake and adjust with salt.

After a recent trip to Japan I came back with tons of recipes, ideas, inspirations, and a fascination for this wonderful country. Needless to say that for someone like me who spends most of her time cooking, and who loves to cook, Japan is the place to go. Everything is perfection, to the quality of the products, to the gorgeous presentations, to the meticulous creations, Japanese strive for perfection and they do it better than any other country. Everything is an art, and people take pride in whatever they do. Many countries should take example on Japan.

Since I took pictures and notes on everything I ate, in order not to forget it, I have the goal to reproduce most of the delightful dishes I ate to the best of my abilities. So within the next month or two, the dishes will be Japan-inspired.

The amazing things about Japanese cuisine is that it seems simple, with simple ingredients, but it’s not that simple. It all depends of the cut of the ingredients (the types of knifes they have is incredible, almost one knife for one ingredient, definitely one knife for one particular type of fish). The herbs are cut very finely which gives a subtle and distinct flavor to the dish.

I ate this daikon dish in a small Izakaya (pub serving small dishes and sake, wine, beer and other types of alcohol) in Kyoto. I had no idea what to expect, but the owner told me that this would be good for me, so I let her decide.  Basically daikon is a big radish, some are smaller, some are bigger. Western supermarkets in San Francisco like Whole Foods carry them, but for this steak, you need a large one (about 10 cm diameter), available in Japan town at Nijiya supermarket.

The original dish in Kyoto was served without any herbs. I took the liberty to add herbs at the end. Adding them or not adding them would be your choice. I got this recipe from my Japanese neighbor, Rui. it tasted identical to the one I ate in Kyoto.

This dish is very simple to make yet delicious.

Ingredients for 4

• 1 large daikon, peeled and cut in 2 cm slices
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 2 tbs soy sauce (I used the reduced salt one)
• salt
• 2 scallions, cut very finely
• 2 tbs mitsuba, cut very finely (Japanese parsley)

Preparation

In a large pot of salted water, cook daikon  for about 30 minutes, until soft (a knife should be able to go through the slice) but still firm. Drain. In a pan, heat olive oil, and brown daikon on both sides at high temperature (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little salt.

Add butter and soy sauce, stir well coating the daikon and serve. Sprinkle with herbs.