A white bowl of Radishes in chile oil sauce on a small round wooden table with a scraper beside the bowl.
Rating
5 / 3 votes
Comments 12 Comments
Adapted From Fuchsia Dunlop
Photographer Chris Terry

Contents

This is a beautiful and stunningly simple dish to rouse the appetite at the start of a meal. Small red radishes are not a traditional Chinese vegetable, but a recent import. This recipe is based on a recipe for home cooking, Ji ben jia chang cai.–Fuchsia Dunlop

Radishes in Chile Oil Sauce | Qiang Luo Bo

5 / 3 votes
Radishes doused with authentic Szechuan chile oil sauce? Seems destined to be a guaranteed conversation starter. Fresh radishes are salted, then slicked with a hot spiced oil and served at the beginning of a meal to rouse your appetite.
David Leite
Print
CourseAppetizers
CuisineChinese
Servings4 to 6 servings
Calories79 kcal
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 bunches small red radishes, trimmed, rinsed, and patted dry
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chile oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions 

  • Lightly smack the radishes with the side of a cleaver or a rolling pin. (The idea is to crack them open, not to smash them to smithereens.)
  • Pile the cracked radishes in a bowl, add the salt, and toss well. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  • Combine the sugar and soy sauce in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the chile and sesame oils.
  • When you’re ready to eat, drain the radishes—they will have released a fair amount of water—and shake them dry. Pour the chile oil mixture over the radishes and toss to mix well. That’s it. Really. You can go ahead and serve them now.
Every Grain of Rice

Adapted From

Every Grain of Rice

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 portionCalories: 79 kcalCarbohydrates: 2 gProtein: 1 gFat: 8 gSaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 5 gSodium: 734 mgFiber: 0.5 gSugar: 2 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2013 Fuchsia Dunlop. Photo © 2013 Chris Terry. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

Joan Osborne

These radishes in chile oil sauce are amazing. I could hardly stop eating them. Hubby loves Korean food and the first thing he said was “this has sesame oil in it, and it’s great.” I found some wonderfully fresh, smallish radishes with the tops still on them.

This recipe makes a great appetizer and a nice snack as well. I’d even consider serving it as a side dish with an Asian-themed meal. I think you could easily serve 4 or 5 as an appetizer.

Anna Scott

What a unique recipe for crisp, peppery radishes. I’m a huge fan of radishes, whether raw, roasted, pickled—any way really—and I was intrigued to make this simple Chinese version. The mix of sesame oil, chile oil, soy sauce, and sugar is delectable. I would use this in my next stir-fry or even as a vinaigrette on a tender leaf salad. Maybe even on shredded cabbage and daikon radishes for a coleslaw base?

Back to the radishes in chile oil sauce recipe–how ingenious to smack the radishes so they absorb more of the delicious oil mixture. (I used a meat cleaver–a rolling pin split the radishes into pieces.) This recipe served about 4 people as an appetizer alongside crostini and a log of goat cheese. Not Asian, I know…but the creaminess of the cheese on the crisp bread was a nice counterpoint to the extremely flavorful radishes. It was so good to be able to dip the bread in the leftover sauce on the plate as well. I really loved this recipe and the wonderful chili oil leftovers it made!

Sita Krishnaswamy

These radishes in chile oil sauce is a great condiment to serve alongside meats, or add to a pita pocket, or just set out as appetizers. I used about 16 small red radishes (2 bunches) and it served about 6 people.

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About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.

Read More About Me

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12 Comments

  2. The smashing technique reminds me of the way we make marinated cucumbers with a similar sauce.

    Reply

      1. Vegetable such as radishes and cucumbers both have smooth surfaces. By smashing them with the side of a cleaver instead of making neat cuts, you can create much more irregular surface area for sauce to cling on to. For cucumbers, I usually cut baby cucumbers or English cucumbers into 3-inch pieces and then smash them.

        Reply

  3. 5 stars
    I love radishes and it is good to finally see recipes for them. My faves are the white icicles and this would probably work for those, too. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. You’re quite welcome, Abbe. And I, too, think white icicles would be lovely like this. Just in case you missed them, here are some other recipes that make interesting use of radishes. I’m quite fond of the Salt and Sugar Pickles….

      Reply

    2. Hi, if you love radishes, you will really love them roasted with olive oil and salt on a baking tray at 350°F for 35 min. They are awesome.

      Reply

      1. I’ll second that, Paul. Exactly how I do my radishes, give or take a few degrees and a few minutes. It’s like having radishes for the first time….

        Reply