Salmon and Veggie Ramen Bowl

Getting a biweekly produce box from Home Sweet Home is always a fun adventure – you never know what might be in there. It’s also a great learning opportunity, to discover what vegetables grow well locally. Turns out daikon is one vegetable that grows well in the Prince George area, and it started showing up on a regular basis with the rest of my veggies.

What is daikon? It’s a juicy, crunchy, peppery Japanese radish. You may have seen it pickled with sushi, or topping a banh mi sandwich. It’s also a good source of Vitamin C, and like any vegetable, will add some fibre to your diet. I was definitely familiar with daikon, but had never cooked with it before. So I sent the great ladies of Home Sweet Home a message to ask for their recommended recipes, and lo and behold, they had just done a blog post on daikon. It was the perfect place to start to get some inspiration.

I loved their idea of making an Asian inspired rice bowl with their daikon, but wasn’t sure I wanted a cold dish with raw daikon. Even though it’s flavour is mild, I still find the peppery flavour can be overwhelming when you are eating a lot of it. So I decided to create a quick veggie and ramen bowl to pair with some leftover orange-miso glazed salmon.

This dish was great for a few reasons:

• It was super quick to make – I was able to chopped, cook, plate, and eat this even on a weekday when I came home from work for lunch.
• It used seasonal veggies – I love when I can make meals that use a variety of veggies from my produce box.
• It was filling – hello copious veggies, noodles, and protein.
• It tasted awesome – because who wants to eat something that doesn’t taste good!

Basically, this simple lunch encompassed all the things I like in a good quick meal. So thank you Home Sweet Home for giving me daikon and inspiration for a quick, tasty, and nutritious meal. Now go out and get yourself some daikon and get cooking!

Salmon and Veggie Ramen Bowl

serves 1

• 1 ramen cake (I like Lotus Foods organic millet and brown rice ramen)
• 2 tsp avocado or canola oil
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 cup daikon, cut into matchsticks
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1 salmon fillet, cooked (3-4 oz or 100g)
• sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Cook ramen per package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. While ramen is cooking, heat avocado oil in a skillet or wok. Add cabbage, carrots, and daikon and stirfry for 5 minutes – cabbage should be softened, while the carrots and daikon will still be a little crisp.

3. Add cooked ramen, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Toss together.

4. To serve, place vegetable/ramen mixture in bowl, and top with cooked salmon. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy.

Note: This is a great way to use leftover cooked salmon. You can either eat it cold or reheat it. If you don’t have salmon, use whatever seafood you like, or try a poached egg or tofu.

Have you cooked with daikon? What’s your favourite way to use it?