MOOLI

Here's yet another 'vegetable of the month' that defies expectations. A name like this surely belongs to some exotic species that figures in Oriental cookery -- but no, the specimens below have come no further than from Littleport!

Well, it may be locally grown, but it does have an Asian pedigree! The name is derived from the Hindu muli, and it's also known as daikon, under which name it's big in Japanese and Korean cuisine.

This is a member of the brassicas. Grown in sandy soil, it's a prolific grower and there are (not-too-trustworthy) reports of specimens reaching two feet in length and two inches in diameter! Although in appearance it's the size and shape of a small white carrot, it's most reminiscent of the radish and has the same crisp peppery taste, not unlike watercress. If you're growing it yourself, sow in late spring and continue with staggered sowings throughout the summer -- it takes around 60 days to crop.

Where it differs from the radish is that it's as good cooked as it is raw. Simmer it lightly in boiling water, fry it or steam it, grate it as a salad granish, or add it to soup. Or simply eat one raw! The leaves are also edible, but they go yellow quite easily and don't particularly enjoy life in a refrigerator, and you often find mooli being sold already trimmed.

As well as its use in Far Eastern cookery -- the Chinese, for example, make mooli cakes as part of the New Year celebrations -- it turns up in Indian cooking as well. Although we've never been offered one in an Indian restaurant, mooli paratha (basically a mooli sandwich) is a delicacy.

 

 

BACK TO FEN FOOD MASTER PAGE >>