White Radish Soup

This clear peppery White Radish Soup with beef broth is soothing accompaniment to any rice meal. Also delicious served with thick rice noodles.

We are at the tail end of summer here in Minnesota. This past week, the weather has been pleasant during the day and a little chilly in the evenings. Today, it is cold and rainy. The high for the day is only 55˚F (13˚C) and I am currently wearing a sweater as I sit here to write this post. It is supposed to warm up again and I hope it does because the cold weather will surely be upon us soon. After all, this is Minnesota and there is no escaping that cold weather…brrr!

In Malaysia, despite the sweltering weather, people there love their hot clear soups. It is not uncommon to break out in perspiration while slurping down a bowl of soupy goodness. In fact, people turn to clear soups to cool down when the weather gets unbearably hot and humid. Over here, soups are more popular during the colder months. Thick creamy soups keep the soul and belly warm. Our family enjoys both clear and creamy soups.

I try to prepare some kind of soup, two or three times a week during the colder months. If we are going to have rice, then it will be a clear soup. For a more Western meal, I will prepare a creamy or chunky soup or stew. Whenever possible, I save all meat bones to prepare the soups. They can be fresh or grilled. I especially like grilled meat bones because they make a rich and flavorful broth.

In today’s White Radish Soup I used fresh beef neck bones to flavor the soup. The bones are blanched and rinsed before being simmered gently for 1½ to 2 hours to produce a clear flavorful broth. White radish goes really well with a beefy broth but you can use pork bones if preferred.

As for the white radish, I used the sweeter Korean radish instead of the more pungent and slim daikon. You can see a picture of the Korean radish here. If you can’t find Korean radish, then please use daikon a.k.a. pek chai tau (in Hokkien) or pak lo pak (in Cantonese).

Print

White Radish Soup

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 40 mins

Total Time

1 hr 50 mins

 

This clear peppery White Radish Soup with beef broth is soothing accompaniment to any rice meal. Also delicious served with thick rice noodles.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 6

Calories: 150 kcal

Author: Linda Ooi

Ingredients

• 10 cups water + some for blanching (2.4 liters)
• 1 lb beef neck bones or ribs (450g)
• 2 lbs white radish (peeled and cut into ¼ inch thick slices) (900g)
• 1 tsp white peppercorns (crushed)
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot half full of water. Bring to a boil. Add beef neck bones or ribs. Allow it to blanch for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with thongs and rinse in cold water.
   
2. Discard water in pot and fill with 10 cups (2.4 liters) of fresh water. Bring to a boil.

3. Add blanched beef neck bones or ribs, white radish, and crushed peppercorns.

   

4. Bring water back up to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow soup to simmer for 1½ hours. Skim off any scum appearing on the surface.

5. Season with salt and turn off heat.
   
6. Serve warm in individual bowls.

If you are craving for a bowl of soupy noodles, this White Radish Soup makes a delicious broth for thick rice noodles. Serve it with a side of Garlic Chili Sauce for a simple yet amazingly satisfying meal.