This recipe is inspired by David Chang’s Ginger Scallion Noodles at Mokofuku Noodle Bar in Manhattan (https://momofuku.com/). Check out my seasonal twist (quite literally- get your spiralizer out) that uses daikon radish instead of noodles.

When I saw green onions in my produce box at Hollygrove this week I immediately thought to make ginger scallion noodles. The real brain blast though was when I thought to use the daikon radishes (also in the box) as the vehicle for the sauce in this recipe. The sauce is so zesty and flavorful that it stands up to the harsh-ish bite of the radish. Lastly, I love this recipe because it is some serious vegetable on vegetable love. What’s better than seasoning plants with other plants to make something more delicious? We could all learn something from the collaboration of humble root veggies, no?

For this recipe, we’re going to start by making the sauce, so all the components can get to know each other a little better while we work on the rest.

WARNING: This sauce is highly addictive and should only be consumed by individuals capable of handling outrageous amounts of tastiness.

Now that we got the technicalities out of the way, trim the roots and some of the green tops off of the green onions.

Instead of discarding these bits and bobs, I throw them into a Ziploc bag and stick them in the freezer. Once the bag is full, I plop the contents into my dutch oven, cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer for ~two hours. Strain and voila! Homemade veggie stock! Pro tip: throw in some dried mushrooms for extra umami.

But I digress. Thinly slice the onions. I throw them straight into the storage container because I’m wacky and cannot be tamed. (It has nothing to do with my hatred for doing dishes.)

Next grab your ginger chunk. Ginger is one of those magical gifts from Mother Nature that is basically good for you in every single way. It helps digestion, reduces inflammation, and improves circulation, leaving you feeling healthy, wealthy, and wise. Okay, maybe not wealthy, but the healthy and wise is a good start.

Peel the ginger and grate it right into the container with the sliced scallions.

Add rice wine vinegar and low sodium soy sauce. Give it a taste to make sure the ratios are to your liking. Resist eating it all out of the container in that moment.

Cover the sauce, shake, and place in the fridge. In theory, one could simply stir the sauce to combine rather than shaking, but what’s the fun in that? I told you I was wacky.

Phase two: soft boil the egg. Place the egg in a small saucepan and cover with water. There should be about ½ inch of water covering the egg.

Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow the egg to simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

While the egg simmers, peel and trim the daikon. Throw those scraps into your veggie stock bag while you’re at it.

Using a spiralizer or zester, (the kind with little holes that makes strips of zest. If you know the name of this instrument please comment below.) create noodles from the radishes.

The egg should be done now. Remove the egg from the saucepan and run it under cold water. Let sit until cool enough to handle, then peel.

In a non-stick pan, heat a teaspoon of grapeseed oil over medium heat. Grapeseed oil is super mild, so it does the trick without factoring into the flavor of the sauce.

Sautée the radish noodles for about 2-3 minutes. I do this just so the radish is hot. This makes it feel more like a noodle dish rather than a salad. It also evaporates some of the water that the radish releases when made into noodles.

Yes! Your eyes do not deceive you! That is my ELECTRIC stove. I live in college housing, so my kitchen situation is not ideal. This stove does not diffuse heat well nor does it look pretty. It does, however, prove that anyone anywhere can make good food.

After 2-3 minutes, transfer the radish to a serving bowl.

Spoon some of the sauce over the faux noodles (foodles?…foodles!) and toss to combine. I’m obsessed with this sauce if you couldn’t tell, so I dress mine rather heavily. Save the rest of the sauce for up to four days to put on anything and everything.

Top with the halved egg and black sesame seeds. Bone Apple Tea!