Sweet and Sour Stir-Fried Radishes With Their Greens

The bitterness of radish greens pairs wells with a sweet-and-sour sauce in this stir-fry. We always toss out radish greens, but we shouldn’t. They are as nutritious as any green, and they have a pleasantly bitter flavor that is very much like that of turnip greens, which are a close relative. The bitterness works very well against a sweet and

sour stir-fry sauce. The radishes should be barely cooked. This is a great dish for large, colorful breakfast radishes. The big bunches I get at my farmers’ market weigh a pound, sometimes a little more. Use 2 bunches if yours are smaller.

Ingredients

• 1 generous bunch large radishes, with greens (about 1 pound total), or 2 smaller bunches
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons agave nectar or honey
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon peanut, canola, sunflower, or grape seed oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)

    86 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 377 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish

Preparation

1. Cut away greens from radishes and trim off bottoms of the stems. Wash in 2 changes of water and spin dry. Chop coarsely. Trim away tips of radishes and quarter lengthwise if large, cut in half if small.
2. In a small bowl or measuring cup combine soy sauce, vinegar, agave nectar or honey, and stock or water. Have all ingredients within arm’s length of your burner.
3. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Add oil to wok or pan and swirl to coat sides, then add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Add white parts of scallions and stir-fry for 30 seconds to a minute. Add radish greens, salt and pepper and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more, until they wilt, and stir in radishes. Stir-fry for 1/2 minute and add soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry for a minute more, then stir in ilantro and scallion greens, stir together for a few seconds, add cornstarch slurry and stir until vegetables are glazed (less than 30 seconds). Remove from heat and serve.

• Advance preparation: Ingredients can be prepared hours in advance. Keep in the refrigerator until 15 to 30 minutes before you cook.

About 4 minutes