Radish and Carrot Salad (Kohaku Namasu)

Red (carrot) and white (daikon) symbolise happiness and celebration in Japanese culture, so this sweetened vinegar salad is often served in celebration of Japanese New Year to accompany grilled and fried dishes. The fresh daikon juice contains amylase and esterase which help to process the heavier fatty foods.
Credits: Ceri, Zenxin master chef
Print the recipe!Radish and Carrot Salad (Kohaku Namasu)

Key facts

Preparation: 10 mins Waiting time: 30 mins Total: 40 mins Serves: 6

Ingredients

300g organic daikon with leaves
30g organic carrot
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp organic brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp filtered water
1 tsp organic coconut nectar sugar
¼ tsp sea salt
A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

Method

Wash the vegetables, cut off the leaves, chop finely and reserve for garnish.
Peel the daikon and carrot and grate or julienne into fine slivers.
Place the slivers into a bowl and massage in the salt.
Leave to sit for 10 minutes.
Mix together the water, vinegar, salt and coconut sugar.
Next, squeeze out the water and place the daikon and carrot into another bowl with the vinegar mixture and mix well. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with a few toasted white sesame seeds, serve and enjoy!

Learn more about this recipe!

The ethos of balance underlies Japanese cuisine, one of the healthiest in the world. The name namasu comes from namashi, a dish of sliced raw fish seasoned with vinegar.
The shojin or vegetarian version simply contains radishes and carrots seasoned with sweetened savoury vinegar.
Daikon and carrot also represent 3 of the elements, white (金jīn metal), red (火 huǒ fire) and green (木mù wood) in the traditional Chinese 5-element soup and are certainly very beneficial for health.
Daikon is diuretic and helps in the removal of toxins from the body. It also helps reduce inflammation and is a good source of calcium. Carrots are known to help you see in the dark as they contain beta-carotene which improves eyesight and night blindness.
Here we have used an organic brown rice vinegar from Kyushu and organic coconut nectar sugar from Indonesia to make a more healthy dressing.

The ingredients! ▼