Daikon Oroshi

Like many other aromatic roots like ginger or horseradish, daikon oroshi helps with digestion and keeping a healthy gut. Because of this, it’s often eaten alongside fried foods, tempura, and other rich dishes like meat. It also often accompanies other, less hefty foods like noodles, grilled fish, sashimi, hot pot, etc., simply because its refreshing yet mild flavor helps enhance the savory aspects of many other hot foods.

Usually, daikon oroshi is served either on top of or beside a dish. It’s also common to be mixed with soy sauce, ponzu, tempura sauce, or other sauces — the way daikon oroshi is served mostly depends on the food with which it’s consumed. For example, tempura isn’t typically eaten with daikon grated directly on it, rather it’s mixed with tempura sauce, into which the tempura is dipped.

To make your own daikon oroshi, you can use fresh daikon from Uwajimaya’s produce department and then grate it at home with either a Japanese vegetable grater, a more Western-conventional grater, or a food processor. A traditional Japanese grater will give you the finest results — those are available in Uwajimaya’s home and kitchen section.