Spicy Roasted Daikon Radish French Fries

These Spicy Roasted Daikon Radish French Fries are a sure fire way to get everyone to love daikon radishes. Full of delicious Asian flavors and caramelized to perfection, it's one of the most unique daikon recipes.

Look, I'm just going to be totally honest with you. While they may look like potato fries, they're not -- nor are they trying to be potato fries.

They're Daikon Fries, and proud of it.

Of all the daikon recipes I've tasted, this is my favorite.

*Don't expect the same texture that you'd find in a potato French fry.

The roasting process leaves these Daikon Radish Fries with a wonderful caramelized "crust," but they will be considerably more soft than crisp.

Oh, and I wouldn't even think about dipping them in any sort of a sauce. There's simply no need.

The Ingredients

Each fry is a mouthful of these scrumptious flavors.

• Daikon - Try to choose heavy, plump. Daikon with bright green perky leaves attached.
• chili paste - I use Sambal Oelek.
• fresh ginger - Fresh ginger roots should be firm and feel heavy for their size.
• Tamari or soy sauce - Tamari is slightly thicker and richer than regular soy sauce, and it's usually gluten-free. You can use either.
• grapeseed oil - Or other neutral oil, like vegetable.
• sugar - Just a touch!
• salt - I cook with Kosher salt because I like its larger flake size and it usually doesn't contain additives. (If you use table salt, use half the amount.)

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

What is a Daikon Radish?

• Daikon is a long white Asian radish that looks like a parsnip, though it's usually much larger.
• Slightly less pungent than the small round radishes, they're quite good raw or pickled for an excellent crunch in a salad.

I love them the most roasted and doused in sweet and spicy Asian flavors, turned into Daikon Radish French Fries.

How to Make Them

- Preheat the oven to 475°F, and adjust a rack to the center.

- Cut the Daikon into sections approximately 3-inches long.

- Cut about ¼-inch slices off the side of each one, to make a base. Stand the sections on their bases, and cut them, vertically into slices about ¼-inch thick. Stand these slices on top of each other, and then cut them into sticks about ¼-inch thick. Add all of the Daikon slices to a baking sheet and set aside.

- Combine the oil, chili paste, Tamari or soy sauce, ginger, sugar and salt. Drizzle this over the Daikon and mix.

- Spread the coated Daikon fries on a sheet pan and roast them in the preheated 475°F oven until they are golden brown on all sides, about 30 minutes. (You should gently toss/flip them about halfway through the cooking time.)

- Add a double layer of paper towels to another baking sheet, and when the fries are done, add them on top of the towels to drain and cool.

(More detailed instructions are below.)

What to Serve with Daikon Radish French Fries

The possibilities are really endless, as these fries pair really well with all types of dishes.

They would be great added to an Asian-style menu, along with my Crispy Garlic Ginger Bok Choy Chips and Miso Gai Lan Egg Soup.

All of these flavors and textures will compliment each other beautifully.

Can you make them ahead?

I don't recommend making these too far ahead -- you don't want them sitting out for more than about 15 minutes before serving.

They're best as close to the time they come out of the oven as possible because they'll loose some of their crispness, and they're already a softer fry.

That said, even when they're softer, they're still amazingly tasty.

I often serve them with Asian Pear Marinated Flank Steak or Broiled Black Cod with Bok Choy.

And adding a green salad is always a great idea.

More of my Favorite French fry Recipes

• Curry French Fries with Coconut Lime Dipping Sauce
• Perfect Oven Roasted French Fries
• Smoky Chipotle Parmesan French Fries
• Chile Lemon Purple Sweet Potato Roasted French Fries

A Few More Daikon Recipes

• Homemade Kimchi
• Daikon Rolls
• Asian Pear and Daikon Salad

You simply won't be able to stop snacking on them!

Thank you Melissa's Produce for sending me Asian produce which inspired this recipe, and others.

If you try this Daikon radish recipe, or any of my other recipes, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook to keep up with my mouth-watering recipes!

Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.