Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals).

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The last in the series on the in-season daikon radish and turnip focuses on “chicken drumette simmered in thick ‘mizore’ sauce” where grated daikon plays a central role.

The succulent winter daikon is grated unpeeled, and its juice is used in full.

The chicken drumette that is the thickest segment of the chicken wing is given a roasted flavor by pan-frying it first. This step gives contour and depth to the relish.

The simmering liquid with grated daikon that is likened to “mizore” (sleet) gives a refreshing touch to the meat.

Grated daikon is added with the juice and simmered briefly after the meat is cooked. It should not be overcooked so that the fresh texture of the grated daikon remains and feels pleasing to the tongue.

The simmering liquid with the sweetness of the in-season daikon and umami of the meat on bones is thickened with katakuriko starch. Not only does this make it easier to eat but the dish also remains hot until the end of the meal.

Accentuated by the refreshing aroma of yuzu, it becomes a delicacy to be enjoyed on a cold day.

The arranged version is “oysters with thick mizore sauce” where the oyster replaces the meat. The thick sauce offering the aroma of the sea is quite special.

GRATED TURNIP TURNS OUT SMOOTHER

Grated daikon radish is often regarded as a relish to accompany grilled fish or fried food. Yet thick sauce with grated daikon or grated daikon hotpot allows us to enjoy a different gentle flavor.

The daikon radish may be replaced by a turnip to make the simmered chicken drumette dish. When grated, the turnip, whose texture is finer than that of the daikon, turns out smoother.

Another dish that makes use of this characteristic is “kabura-mushi” (steamed turnip), a winter delicacy of Kyoto where a grated turnip and whipped egg whites are mixed, then combined with fish and other ingredients before steaming.

“If you get tired of the standard simmered turnip or daikon cut into thick pieces, you can grate them to discover new ways to please your palate,” says cooking expert Setsuko Sugimoto, who oversaw the latest series.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Setsuko Sugimoto in the cooking aspect and Midori Kasai in the cookery science aspect)

* Ingredients (Serves two)
6 chicken drumettes (tori-tebamoto), 150 grams daikon radish, 10 grams ginger, 1 Tbsp cooking oil, some yuzu zest, 2 Tbsp sake, 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp light-colored soy sauce, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp katakuriko starch

About 315 kcal and 3.0 grams salt per portion

1. Wash skin of daikon thoroughly and grate unpeeled. Grate ginger with skin.

2. Make incisions in chicken drumette along bones (PHOTO A) and sprinkle bit of salt and pepper over all pieces.

3. Heat oil in frying pan, cook surface of chicken over higher medium heat (PHOTO B).

4. Add 1 and 1/2 cups water, sake, sugar, light-colored soy sauce, chicken stock powder and ginger and cook on medium heat with lid. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Skim off foam. Add grated daikon (PHOTO C), simmer briefly and turn off heat. Add katakuriko starch mixed with 2 Tbsp water. While mixing, turn stove on again and turn off when liquid thickens. Serve and sprinkle with yuzu zest.

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Setsuko Sugimoto is a Kyoto-based cooking expert who explores the culinary culture of the historical capital.
Midori Kasai is a professor emerita at Ochanomizu University and former chairwoman of the Japan Society of Cookery Science.

ARRANGED VERSION

Oysters with thick “mizore” sauce

Rinse 12 fresh oysters by moving them side by side in salted water. Grate 150 grams daikon and 10 grams ginger both with skin. Add 1 and 1/2 cups water and 5-cm square dried kombu kelp in a pot and leave for 20 minutes. Place on lower medium heat and remove kombu right before pot comes to a boil. Add 2 Tbsp sake and 1 Tbsp light-colored soy sauce and then oysters. Cook briefly and remove oysters for the time being. Add grated daikon and ginger in pot, cook briefly, turn off heat and add 1 and 1/2 Tbsp katakuriko starch mixed with 2 Tbsp water. While stirring, turn on stove again. When sauce thickens, return oysters and warm them.

COOKERY SCIENCE

Grated daikon is pungent because isothiocyanates, which are odorous and pungent components, are formed through enzymatic reaction when the cells are broken through grating. As the components will volatilize or break down when left to stand, the pungency decreases with time. The formation of a pungent component through the effect of enzymes does not occur in heated daikon.

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column