spring onion & radish salad in soy-lemon-sesame vinaigrette

Amazingly - given their popularity in Australian cuisine - I've never bought little red radishes before. I've always been more of a daikon kind of girl. But when I saw bunches of radishes going for cheap, cheap, cheap at the market the other week, I thought it was high time I experimented with them.

spring onion and baby radishes.

Radishes, when raw, have a sharp, spicy flavour which mellows down to a gentle sweetness if cooked. For this recipe, you may use either raw radish, cooked radish, or a combination of both, depending on your preferences. If you serve this salad soon after preparation, the difference will be fairly distinct in both taste and texture, but if you leave the radish slices to marinade overnight, the dressing so infuses them that it becomes much of a muchness - in which case, just leave 'em raw and save yourself the trouble.

This incredibly easy recipe is really just a combination of sliced radishes and spring onions tossed in a vinaigrette of shoyu, lemon and roasted sesame oil. Very simple. Very refreshing.

asian-inspired spring onion & radish salad in soy-lemon-sesame vinaigrette

1 bunch (12 - 15) young radishes about 2 - 3 cm / 1 inch in diameter
2 spring onions (aka scallions)
1 teaspoon shoyu, tamari, or light soy sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice, or lime
1 teaspoon Chinese sesame oil / roasted sesame oil

Trim the leaves and ends of the radishes. Thinly slice. Leave them raw, or if you prefer, you may boil or steam them till just tender.
Finely slice the dark green part of the spring onions. Don't discard the white parts, though - you can use them in future soups, stocks and stir-fries. Alternatively, you can also boil or steam the white parts to take away their edge, and use them in this salad as well.
Toss together radish and spring onions with soy sauce, lemon or lime juice, and sesame oil, making sure they mix well.
Let the salad marinade serenely in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or leave it overnight before serving. Makes a great little side dish!

To make this recipe gluten-free, use wheat-free tamari soy sauce.
Use less of the lemon or lime juice if you prefer a less acidic taste.
If you have sesame seeds (I wish I did!), lightly toast and sprinkle through the salad just before serving, for extra flavour and crunch.

asian-inspired spring onion & radish salad in shoyu-lemon-sesame vinaigrette.