Radish Seeds

The number and variety of radishes available are testimony to their importance in Asian cuisine. In the West a radish is typically round, small and red. Asian radishes, however, range in color from red or pink to green or white, in shapes from round to oblong to tapered, and in pungency from mild to spicy hot. While Western tastes generally prefer radishes in small amounts in green salads or as a garnish, in Japan and China the radish is more often pickled or cooked in some fashion, often in soups. It's also a popular ingredient in stir-fries, stews and casseroles. When eaten raw, it is grated into a salad or carved into a beautiful garnish. The Chinese make a radish pudding, and pickled radish is a principal ingredient in Korean Kimchee. Asian cuisine also finds a resourceful use for the leaves, stems, seed pods and seedlings. Some varieties, in fact, are cultivated more for the greens than the root.