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Cut daikon into ¾ inch (2 cm) rounds and cut in half if your daikon is more than 2-inches in diameter. |
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In a medium pot, add daikon and water just enough to cover it (about 2 cups/480 ml). In Japan, we use white rice water (from rinsing rice) to cook daikon. It’s believed that the rice bran from the rice water help reduce the bitterness. |
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Cook daikon on medium heat for 15 minutes, until a bamboo skewer goes through smoothly. |
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Drain the water and rinse under cold water to remove the rice bran. Quickly rinse the pot as we will use it for simmering. |
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While cooking daikon, peel the ginger and slice thinly. Save ⅔ of sliced ginger (for cooking) and julienne ⅓ of the ginger slices (for garnish). |
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Sprinkle salt on both sides of the yellowtail, including the skin. Let it stand for 5 minutes, and then cut in half, about 2-inch (5 cm) pieces. |
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Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add sake. Then add in a few pieces of yellowtail. Cook until the surface of the fish turns white, about 10-15 seconds. |
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Take the fish out and place the pieces in iced water. Once cooled, about 10 seconds, remove the fish from the iced water and transfer them to a plate/tray lined with a paper towel. |
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In the medium pot (that you used for boiling daikon), combine water, sake, mirin, and soy sauce. |
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Add ginger slices and sugar and mix all together. |
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Add the yellowtail and bring it to a simmer. Using a fine-mesh sieve, skim the scum and foam if there is any (should not be much due to precooking). |
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Add daikon and coat well with the seasoned broth. Keep a bare simmer. |
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Once simmering, place an otoshibuta (drop lid) over daikon and keep a bare simmer for 15 minutes, flipping the daikon occasionally. Do not use a regular lid. We need some moisture to escape & the otoshibuta helps coat it with seasoned broth at all times. |
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15 minutes later, the dish is done cooking. You can serve it immediately; however, I highly recommend to let cool even for a few hours. |
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Remove from the heat and let cool, keeping the otoshibuta on so the surface won’t dry out. Don’t use a regular lid as the foods take a longer to cool. Once every 30 minutes or so, tilt the pot to coat the surface of the daikon with the seasoned broth. |
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Once completely cooled, you can refrigerate (especially overnight). Right before you serve, reheat until the dish is warm. |
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Serve the dish in a bowl with some broth. Top the fish with julienned ginger. Enjoy! |
