Radish Tart

This recipe is a take off an Asian classic dim sum….turnip cake.   The traditional way to make turnip cake is with a rice flour batter, dried shrimp, some type of meat and mushrooms.  I decided to reconstruct this Asian classic, use all veggies and make a quiche like tart.    I also made it a one bowl kind of deal instead of the traditional way of boiling the radish and mixing the water with the rice flour.  This dish is great for all times of the day, a savory breakfast, lunch or dinner.   And after prepping the vegetables it comes together very quickly.  Let’s first start by talking about the headliner of this tart…daikon radish.

Daikon Radish

Daikon radish is a root vegetable native to the Mediterranean.  It was brought over to China and cultivated around 5000 BC.  Interesting fact is that daikon radish is the most produced vegetable out of any vegetable produced in Japan.   Daikon is low in calories and rich in vitamin C.   Also daikon radish contains protective enzymes to help digest fatty and starchy foods properly.   These same protective enzymes also allows for more nutrients to be absorbed into the body.  So the balance of the daikon and rice flour makes this tart perfect for those unable to digest grains easily.

It gets even better!  Daikon radish has phytonutrients that help fight against cancer, helps with kidney function, and assists in improving the immune system.   AND it’s been reported that laboratory tests show that the enzyme profile in daikon juice (Yes, daikon radish can be juiced!) is very similar to the human digestive tract.  It also contains compounds that blocks food allergy reactions.

Rice Flour

Just like rice flour is used in the original turnip cake, rice flour is used to bind this tart together.   And there’s no need to buy rice flour if you don’t have it on hand.  As long as you have rice and a high speed blender you can make it.

First you need rice.  I prefer to get a high quality sustainably sourced rice and this one is my favorite.    First step is to rinse the rice till the water runs clear.   Then let the rice dry.  After the rice is dry spread the rice on a baking sheet and toast the rice till slightly golden (I do this to add additional flavor to the rice flour).  Let the rice cool.   After that it’s ready to blend into a flour.  You will need 1 cup of rice flour for this recipe.  So I would suggest using 2 cups of rice for the flour.  It’s better to have extra then not enough.

Sauce

This radish tart called for a dipping sauce.  So I pulled out one of my quick and easy sauces which only contains two items, Fabanaise and yellow mustard.  For this sauce I mix two tablespoons of Fabanaise with a couple of teaspoons of yellow mustard and that’s it!  The sauce is like a creamier version of the mustard packet sauces you get at Chinese take out spots.  The combination of this sauce with the tart I find goes really well together.  If you don’t like mustard I also think a coconut aminos sauce would go well with the tart too.  Coconut aminos is like soy sauce without the soy and made with coconut.

The Recipe

AuthorDesireeCategoryGluten Free, Main MealsDifficultyIntermediate

AuthorDesireePrep Time20 minsCook Time25 minsTotal Time45 minsCategoryGluten Free, Main Meals

References

https://aal.fshn.illinois.edu/cancerfightingfoods/radishes/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30884706

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22710810

Daikon Radish