Braised Daikon Radish

Preparation

1. Peeling and cutting the Daikon. You can choose to peel the whole radish first then cut into segments, But I prefer to cut the radish into 1 - 1.5 cm thick rounds, stack and use a vegetable peeler to clean and shape. Even thickness equals even cooking.
2. Peel the skin off the Daikon rounds, then run the peeler around the 'sharp' edges of both sides of the round to mute the edges, this helps to stop the radish from becoming brittle on the edges and most importantly makes it easier to pick up with chopsticks later.
3. I also tend to cut a shallow cross through the face of each side of each round, it helps to infuse the stock into the radish and makes it easier to break into bite sized pieces for eating later, but not essential, if you forget don't panic.
4. Soaking the radish in plenty of water helps to reduce the bite of this relatives mild radish and reduces necessary cooking time. I tend to soak mine over night in the box I later use to store them in the fridge. The Daikon rounds tend to absorb water during the soaking period so don't panic if it looks like you have more than you started with. (If you want to do the recipe in one day - Soak the daikon for 20 - 30 minutes, then simmer for an extra hour, keep in mind you may need to add more water half way through.

Cooking

1. In a medium to large pot, add the daikon slices with dashi stock, sugar, soy sauce and sake (reserve the mirin for later use).
2. Bring to a boil over medium - high heat, and cook for 10 minutes while skimming any foam and impurities from the surface.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 1 to 2 hours until the daikon pieces are tender in the center and slightly brown in color after having absorbed the soy sauce.(I tend to cover the pot and let it simmer on low for an hour, check for tenderness, add water and increase cooking time if needed)
4. Before all of the dashi is cooked away, stir in mirin, careful not to damage the daikon. They should be very tender at this point.
5. Turn off heat, and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the ingredients to meld.
6. Serve daikon pieces, with or without some of the simmering liquid, in small individual plates.
7. Store the daikon in a container in whatever remains of their simmering liquid, enjoy cold on hot days or warm up in the microwave and enjoy with some miso butter sauce... awesome!