All About the Chinese Red Braise | Why it Works with Lucas Sin

RED BRAISED DAIKON:
In this episode of Why it Works, Lucas Sin combines Japanese and Chinese tradition to create a deliciously savory red braised daikon. Here's what Lucas has to say about the recipe:

"Daikon, a humble yet versatile root vegetable, often plays the supporting role in many dishes. But here it takes center stage, pairing Japanese braised daikon preparation with a traditional Chinese red-braising technique to create a tender cooked radish with deep sweetness.

Because daikon is harvested and sold at a huge range of stages of its growth cycle, the quality of braised daikon dishes can vary. There are a couple of ways to prevent any bitterness. First, select relatively younger daikon and not ones as large as a forearm. Fresh daikon should be firm and heavy for its size. Second, peel the daikon past its initial layer until the skin is translucent. Third, borrowing a Japanese technique for dashi-braised daikon, furofuki daikon ふろふき大根, the daikon is first cooked gently with rice. The starches in the liquid will help neutralize bitterness and pepperiness that comes from the mustard oils present in the radish.

After the initial simmer with rice, daikon is already tender and almost ready to eat. The second cook, the red-braising, aims to infuse the daikon with caramelized flavor, built off of a combination of three soy sauces: light soy sauce for soy flavor and sodium, seasoning soy sauce for umami, and the dark soy sauce for color. But even without the red-braising, the simmered daikon can be used for a variety of other braised dishes, Chinese or otherwise." ~Lucas

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:25 - Red Braise Technique
01:10 - All About Daikon
06:30 - The Aromatics
07:40 - Simmering the Daikon
09:50 - Building the Red Braise
17:00 - Plate & Serve!

GET THE RECIPE:

PRODUCTS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO:

MORE ABOUT WHY IT WORKS:
In this technique-driven series, Food52 Resident Lucas Sin dives into the reasoning behind the culinary methods he uses in the kitchen. We'll learn why certain Chinese cooking techniques work and how they can be applied beyond their traditional recipes. If you're looking to level up in the kitchen, this skill-centered series is a great place to start!

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[claska]

I love how Lucas explains everything so well. Like he’s super experienced in the kitchen and realizes many of the steps he takes are not common sense to beginners. Unlike other chefs who might just blow through a certain technique, Lucas shows us the reason for said technique! Best cooking teacher 🙌🏻

[iamthatisnt]

Love Lucas Sin, bring him back a million times more so I can continue learning and loving Chinese food.

[hinas_for_life]

Hello Lucas. A tip from Tokyo that I learned from a neighbor whose family runs a Dikon pickle maker. She say the best tasting Dikon are straight, , firm and a bit shiny and the little root whiskers/dimples are running straight down the Daikon and not all over the place. I asked hey why but she said she don't know only that all Daikon farmers say the same thing.

[AKS]

You cannot find a better instructor for Chinese cuisine than Lucas

[Yoyo-vthc]

i was just binging lucas sin videos when this one came out 😂

[AL-cutx]

Traditionally the "red" colour comes from caramelising rock sugar with oil, which gives it an amber colour. But it's more commonly done with dark soy sauce these days!

[rosewearsraybans]

When he tidied up the little bowl with the starch slurry, I might have developed a new crush 😍

[transitdogsays]

My mom made this when I was growing up. Thank you Lucas for elevating a dish that is so personal to me. I will be recreating this for her on Chinese New Year 😊🍽🧧

[TulsiDesai-fbcc]

Love Lucas Sin! Could watch him talk about food all day. And he’s unintentionally funny ! 😂

[orelalaith]

BRICK! red-braised stuff tends to be brick red! lol. Love lucas, I especially love that he doesn't edit out mistakes, they're "plot twists". helps me learn to trouble shoot cooking mishaps!

[maicholor]

Daikon with pork ribs will take this to another level of deliciousness!

[AngieLau]

Thank you for this! I love how you break everything down. As a native Chinese person with family in Asia and living in the USA. This is perfect 👍🏼 also legit! Thank you so much.

[JulieTuesday]

Wonderful! Very soothing video and great to see the MM healing bronchitis / pneumonia broth being made start to finish. 🙏❤️

[nebusnevermore]

Lucas is amazing! Love his manner and the way in which he explains the process! Absolute legend

[mqmartini]

Lucas inspired me to try this at home (I had to get my hands on the variety of soy sauces) and it came out great! Tender and flavorful and lovely on the table...Thanks Lucas!

[OSheaDean]

I love daikon, & lotus, and I never prepare them at home, but really must; radish cake is so good. Thanks so much for the how-to.

[jbroiles]

Ochre comes to mind for me. Thank you Lucas!

[phthisis]

15:39 This makes perfect sense from an artistic perspective, since combining every color at once will produce brown.

[davidhalldurham]

Thank you for another excellent, informative video! I always learn so much from Lucas.

[LARKXHIN]

I live in the middle of nowhere USA and we still get daikon radish here, so I can try this!