The radishes are soft and tender, with a rich, savory sauce and a wonderfully balanced hint of saltiness and sweetness.
The small pink radishes become translucent and glossy after braising, with a silky, tender texture that melts in your mouth—simple to prepare and perfect for busy professionals.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
350 g (about 12 oz) baby turnips
The best choice is seasonal pink-skinned baby turnips, though cherry radishes also work well.
Seasonings
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) soy sauce
2 g salt
5 g (about 1 teaspoon) sugar
1 star anise
Garlic to taste
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Trim both ends off the small radishes, then cut them into irregular chunks (see page 165 for the specific cutting technique), and mince the garlic. Bring water to a boil in a wok, blanch the radish chunks, then remove and set aside.
*Blanching the small radishes removes their pungent, bitter taste, but do not blanch them too long—just until the water comes to a boil.
*The skin of small radishes is rich in nutrients but has the strongest peppery bite; if you don't like it, you can peel them.
Stir-fry over high heat until the radish is tender and slightly caramelized.
Stir-fry over high heat: Heat a wok over high heat, add oil, then stir-fry half the minced garlic until fragrant (Image 4). Add the baby turnips and continue stir-frying over high heat for 30 seconds (Image 5). Then add soy sauce and stir-fry until the turnips are evenly colored (Image 6).
*Add the soy sauce before adding water, letting it sizzle in the hot oil for better flavor.
Simmer the turnips in the sauce over medium-low heat until tender and the liquid has reduced slightly, allowing the flavors to fully penetrate.
Add enough water to cover, along with salt, sugar, and star anise, then bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes until the baby turnips are completely tender (Figure 7).
*Adding sugar helps further remove the astringent taste from the small turnips.
④ Stir in a thin cornstarch slurry to lightly thicken, then sprinkle with the remaining minced garlic and remove from heat (Image 8).
*After the small turnips are braised until tender, there should still be some liquid in the pan so that when you thicken it with the cornstarch slurry, the sauce coats the ingredients evenly. If there is too little liquid, the slurry won't cling to the turnips, and the flavor will be too weak.
