Charred Daikon Radish Soup

This soup is all about the charred daikon radishes – something that is in ABUNDANCE come winter, but yes, can be kind of a bummer to cook? Luckily, this soup sears them first, captures all that caramelization and then simmers them down until they have a texture I compare to a potato, although my fiancé says he more closely links them to scallops? So it’s a mystery either way, but no matter what, the texture is rich, delicious, and totally making a soup for.

So if you are ever wondering: what do I cook with a daikon radish? Don’t fear – this Charred Daikon Radish Soup is your answer.

What are daikon radishes?

Daikon radishes are only one kind of radish – and let me tell you, they are huge. They are in season in the winter, but available year-round, and they are a large (usually over one foot long at least), white radish with a crisp center and a high water percentage. You’ll find daikon radishes used commonly in South Asian cuisines, but they are starting to get more popular in other cuisines as well. They are easy to grow and have high yield, so they are naturally a great winter vegetable!

Why is it so important to char the radishes in this soup?

Daikon radishes are delicious in a lot of capacities, but they are usually served in a crispy raw or pickled state, and that’s because radishes tend to hold a lot of moisture. This is wonderful for when they are served in a cool, raw, crisp way (like a salad), but it can be a barrier when you are roasting or simmering them. They just end up tasting watery and not-so-great.

Here, charring the radishes not only brings out some great caramelized flavor, but it also preps them to cook all the way through later on. If we just put in the radishes with the rest of the vegetables, they wouldn’t cook down to that tender, potato-y texture that we are looking for. They also wouldn’t taste as rich. They’d feel a little lacking, and fall a bit flat. That’s why we caramelize first! Because 1) the color is amazing but 2) the flavor delivers tenfold.

Ingredients for this charred daikon radish soup

This soup is akin to a ginger-miso soup, with a LOT of both of those ingredients (but, in a good way!). I’ve found these flavors are the best partner for a daikon radish, although I am itching to throw some gochujang in the mix one day. That just sounds too delicious to pass up.

Here’s everything you’ll need for this soup version though:

• 2 large daikon radishes, about 2 pounds, peeled and halved lengthwise
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 hot red long hot peppers, or Fresno peppers, thinly sliced, seeds removed
• 3-inch long knob of ginger, about 1/4 cup, peeled and sliced
• 5 large garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/4 cup white miso paste
• 1 (15-ounce) pack of extra-firm tofu, drained, lightly pressed, and cubed
• 3 small bok choy bunches

What is the best way to prepare this daikon radish soup?

This soup of course, starts with the radishes.

In batches, sear the radishes until deep golden on each side, about 4 minutes per side. The darker the sear, the better.
Then you’ll reduce the heat to medium and add the sliced onion into the remaining olive oil. Cook this down before adding in the ginger and garlic. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the garlic is no longer raw. Season everything with a pinch of salt.

Then in a small measuring cup, whisk together the miso with one cup of warm water. Pour this into the Dutch oven along with 5 additional cups of water.

Let this come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Now it’s a good time to bring out the immersion blender to blend this into a thick miso ginger broth.

The last big step is to add the charred radishes back into the broth. Cube the tofu into 1-centimeter thick pieces and add those in as well. Tear in the bok choy leaves. Stir everything to combine.

Bring the heat back up to medium, cover the pot and let everything simmer for another 20 minutes. This will cook the radishes all the way through, wilt the bok choy, and let the tofu absorb the broth’s flavor.

After 20 minutes, or when all the radishes are tender, the soup is ready!

Looking for similar recipes?

There’s always time for radishes, here are a few other radish recipes from the blog!

And that’s everything for this Charred Daikon Radish Soup! If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.