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Sun dried mooli (Chinese radish, daikon) is a traditional ingredient in many Taiwanese meals and street food. It might not be that easy to buy from the supermarket, depending upon where you live – however buying fresh mooli (Chinese radish, daikon), or even growing your own is possible. Joanne makes this Taiwanese style which is less thoroughly dried than the Chinese version, she likes the bite you get and it isn’t necessary to soak it overnight to use it in your recipes.
Sun dried mooli preparation
Slice your mooli as Joanne shows in the video then cut it and cover it in salt overnight. Make sure you have a sunny day the next day and you can then hang it out to dry. After a day judge if the dryness is right for you, if it is you can store it in a jar in the fridge to use as and when you wish. If its not quite dry enough then you can keep air drying it for an extended period.
This is dry, at the end of the sunny day
The ingredients;
- 3 large mooli (Chinese radish, daikon)
- salt
- a sunny day after you have cut, salted and left it in a cool place the previous night
- a 1.5 litre jar
Joanne has recorded a sun dried radish 曬蘿蔔乾 making video so you can see her method step by step.
Making sun dried radish 曬蘿蔔乾 (曝菜圃) video
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Hi Joanne,
I have followed your recipe for pickled green vegetable and that seem to last for very very long in the fridge. Occasionally I use it aside with fried food such as spring rolls to have something “sour” as contrast to the oily fried food … Does the air- or sun dried radish last as long in its jar when resting in the fridge, since it doesn’t swim in its own juice like the pickled green vegetable does ??? And furthermore, does this recipe also works with any radish, in case one does not get the Chinese one from the supermarket ??
Best for today,
Steffen (from Germany)
Hi Steffen, it is a traditional way to keep radish for a very long time. You have to make sure the jar is nice clean and dry. For extra life you can sun dry even longer. However I like them a bit soft and ready from the jar so I dry for only one day. These are called ‘new sun dried radish’ rather than the ‘old sun dried radish’ which needs soaking in water before use. I usually eat this whole jar within a few weeks! JJ
Hi Joanne!
Thanks for sharing. I just tried it today. Hopefully it works out. By the way, if I rinse it with boiled cooled water before I sun them will they b spoilt?
If you’ve just cut a vegetable open there is no need to wash it. However, I don’t think it would cause a problem to do as you say…
What do you do with the dried diakon radish?
You can eat it as a snack or put it in various stir fry dishes in small pieces.