Daikon and Toasted Barley

This recipe is both light and filling, full of fresh ingredients from the Autumn garden and is super easy to make. The naked barley and lentils, toasted to release a nutty aroma, give a chewy, moreish dimension to the meal, whilst the vegetables and ginger root provide fresh and caramelised flavour, amplified by the umami of seaweed flakes on top.

Daikon

Meaning ‘big root’, also known as Mooli, is a type of radish from Japan. Mild flavoured with no pepperiness, this winter radish has become a famous part of both South and East Asian cuisine due to its enormous size and distinctive pattern. Not only are they large enough to feed 2-3 adults each, but their versatility in the kitchen gives us many options for cooking and preserving. In farming, daikon are sometimes planted for their ability to break up compacted soils, recovering nutrients that would otherwise remain locked in the ground.

Inspired by the success of Oca (Oxalis tuberosa) the previous year, Huw and I decided to trial growing daikon as another alternative winter crop. After the first batch bolted in an unexpectedly hot and dry late summer, we directly sowed another four rows and discovered just how quickly these giants can grow.

Working with Daikon has always been a goal of mine ever since falling in love with Japanese cuisine many years ago. This week we harvested our first radish that was standing proudly out of the soil and I rushed it home to test both cooking it and preserving it. This recipe is the result of my first experiment.

P.s. If you don’t have access to daikon then feel free to do a version of this recipe with any winter radish but remove the chilli from the barley (unless you like spice!)

Daikon and Toasted Barley
Serves 2

• 200g Hulled / naked barley

• 80g Speckled lentils

• 1 Dried chilli

• 1 Leek

• 1 Carrot

• Half a daikon radish

• A thumb-sized nub of ginger

• 4-5 Kale leaves, finely shredded

• Smoked sea salt

• Seaweed flakes

Step 1.

Tip the hulled barley into a small to medium saucepan and toast them over a high temperature. Keep them moving from time to time to avoid burning. After 10 minutes add cold water, a dried chilli and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Time for 25 minutes.

Step 2.

After 25 minutes, add the speckled lentils and return the lid to the pan. Cook for another 25 minutes. When done, the lentils will be soft and the barley chewy.

Step 3.

Wash the vegetables and prepare them by grating the carrot and ginger root, thinly slicing the daikon (use a mandoline) and roughly chop the leek. Add a dash of oil to a frying pan and get it very hot. First add the carrots. Keep them moving and cook them until they turn more of a golden orange colour, this is a sign they’re caramelizing. Add the daikon, ginger and leek and continue to fry for another minute.

Step 4.

Drain the lentil and barley mix and let them steam dry for 2 minutes before adding them to the frying pan for 2 minutes. Finally, add the chard and mix it through. The heat from the other ingredients will be enough to cook it as you plate up. Sprinkle it with seaweed flakes and enjoy.