Rat-tail radish pod ✦

Radis serpent

What it is

It is a radish grown for its seed pods, and it reached European seed catalogues in the 1860s billed as the Java radish, a curiosity that never caught on though the pods had long been an ordinary vegetable in India. The root beneath is woody and inedible: the plant has put everything into the pod.

In the kitchen

Take them young, at pencil thickness or less; beyond that a papery string runs down each seam and the seeds go hard. Thirty seconds in hot oil with garlic, or raw in a quick vinegar pickle — anything longer and the pepper heat cooks straight out.

Goes with

Rice vinegar Toasted sesame oil Soy sauce Chili pepper Cucumber Fish sauce

Same species

Bettarazuke Black radish Cai pu Daikon Dongchimi Fukujinzuke

In season alongside

Watercress Basil Chives Cilantro / Coriander Kohlrabi Lovage

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