Fried Daikon (White Radish) Leaves

Happy New Year to all of you!
May the New Year bring these Wishes to you all.

Well, I had been busy cooking during holidays. Mainly I cooked Mediterranean food. Therefore, I had been eating mostly Mediterranean food. After all of the parties were over, I realized I missed Japanese food very much. I longed for a cup of white rice with miso soup and some simple Japanese side dishes.

I found daikon (white radish) in some local farmers markets. They did not come with the leaves. I was very disappointed because the leaves are one of my favorite vegetables. Luckily I found daikon with leaves in Whole Foods. So I decided to cook this easy but yummy Japanese dish.

I recommend you to cook only organic daikon leaves. If they are not organic, they may contain agricultural chemicals more than their roots. Daikon leaves are rich in vitamins A and C. I cannot believe they used to be thrown away and people did not eat them at all!

Ingredients:
1 bunch of daikon leaves (white radish leaves)
¼ cup of dried shaved bonito
1 teaspoon of roast sesame seeds
1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of mirin (sweet rice wine with a low alcohol content)

Directions:
1. Steam or boil the daikon leaves until they become tender.
2. Drain the daikon leaves and cut small pieces.
3. Heat the sesame oil in a fry pan and fry the daikon leaves for 3-5 minutes.
4. Season them with the soy sauce and mirin.
5. Add the dried shaved bonito. Mix them well.