This is a simple, weeknight dish combining garlicky pork with luscious braised daikon with a nicely mild radish bite and sweetness. This is modified from a Japanese recipe, swapping dashi, sake, and mirin for oyster sauce and some chicken stock – things which are in my more Chinese pantry. I also drop the ginger for green onion, but mostly because I don’t use a lot of ginger.
If you omit the optional rice, this is pretty low in carbs as daikon is not a particularly high starch vegetable.
Braised Daikon with Minced Pork
Developed by The RoboGourmet – v1.0, 1/24/2022
Adapted from RecipeTin Japan
Serves 2
Pork
0.5 lb ground or minced pork
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced ginger
Extra light olive oil or vegetable oil
Daikon
1 lb daikon, ends trimmed, peeled, and roll-cut into 1 ¼” chunks*
A handful of rice (optional)
1 green onion, thinly sliced with the greens and whites separated
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 ¼ cup chicken stock or low sodium broth, divided
½ teaspoon corn starch
*Note: When preparing the daikon, if it is quite thick (2.5” or more), cut it lengthwise into 4 strips before roll-cutting into chunks.
Marinate the pork: In a small bowl, mix the ground pork with the light soy sauce. Ensure the soy sauce is evenly combined with the pork. Set aside to marinate.
Parcook the daikon: Put the daikon and rice (if using) in a small pot and add water to cover the daikon. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, or until the daikon is nearly cooked through (a bamboo skewer or fork should pass through). Drain, rinse with cold water and drain well. Set aside.
Cook the pork: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a 12” skillet and heat on medium-high until starting to smoke. Add the minced garlic and let cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the pork and break up with a wooden spatula into small pieces. Let cook on one side, then stir to cook the other side.
Braise the daikon: Add the parcooked daikon to the pan with the pork. Add the white part of the sliced green onion, 1 cup of the chicken stock, the dark soy sauce, and the oyster sauce. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Thicken the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and remaining chicken stock well to make a smooth slurry. Add the slurry to the pan and stir to combine. Let cook for a minute to thicken the sauce. Take off heat, garnish with the remaining sliced green onion and serve.