Grated Daikon Radish

Snow-white finely grated daikon radish, daikon oroshi, is important as a mouth refresher and also as an aid to digestion. Grated daikon is seldom used directly in sushi cuisine but is served with many different dishes that accompany the sushi meal—fried, grilled, steamed, raw, and cured protein or vegetables. During autumn and winter, daikon is grated together with a small Japanese dried red chile pepper, aka-togarashi. This tints the grated radish a pretty red color, reminding us of autumn leaves, momiji, so it is called momiji oroshi. The red chile pepper also adds a pleasant spiciness to the sweet daikon radish.