Topic: Freezing Mooli

[mpdjulie]

I have just harvested some Mooli April Cross and I'd like to know whether I can freeze it.  I was planning on cutting it into disks and then bagging and freezing it. 
Will this be okay?
Julie
 ???

[lottie lou]

Doubt if mooli is freezable.  It is a radish.  The Japanese use it as an garnish - not sure if you are supposed to eat it, but if you do it is crunchy but bland.  My mum always serves it to me boiled in a stew, but only in winter, whilst I always eat it to please her, it tastes like a boiled loofah.  The main time for mooli (also known as Loy Bok in chinese or Daikon in Japanese)  in Birmingham markets is around October/November when the stalls have really massive roots.   Persoally I wouldn't bother - email me in October and I will go down market and get you one.

[mpdjulie]

Doubt if mooli is freezable.  It is a radish.  The Japanese use it as an garnish - not sure if you are supposed to eat it, but if you do it is crunchy but bland.  My mum always serves it to me boiled in a stew, but only in winter, whilst I always eat it to please her, it tastes like a boiled loofah.  The main time for mooli (also known as Loy Bok in chinese or Daikon in Japanese)  in Birmingham markets is around October/November when the stalls have really massive roots.   Persoally I wouldn't bother - email me in October and I will go down market and get you one.

I know what it tastes like - we actually like its peppery taste.  I use it in alot of stir fries plus casseroles.  I need to find a way of storing it because I have about 20 more of them to pull tomorrow.
Thanks for your reply.
Julie

[Vinlander]

It depends on how you like to eat it:

If you like it fresh as a mild radish you can eat loads of in a salad (my favourite use for it - for refreshing crunch) then NO.

If you like it cooked as a sort of turnip then YES - but you ought to try freezing it AFTER cooking it - the result will probably be more like what you expect.

In my experience freezing raw and defrosting and cooking afterwards can produce some weird tastes in some veg (but not all).

Even better is to cook it with something (onions. tomatoes, whatever) so you are making the first half of a meal in progress and freeze that.

Either way you will never retain any of the crunch after freezing.

Cheers.

[schw]

Hi Julie,
I think Vinlander has got it right but you also have a few other options.

One is to store them in a clamp with the tops cut off, I'm not sure how viable this is in summer but if you have a cool room/larder/shed it should work.

For salad/stir-fry use, a very light pickle will preserve the crunch longer in the fridge or in a jar, maybe with a sweetish vinegar.

It freezes ok grated, in which form it is a popular accompaniment to certain dishes in Japan.

Another thing they do is dehydrate it after cutting it into strips (like julienne but longer). This keeps almost indefinitely, and you can cook it in any braise. It then resembles crunchy (but not tough or chewy) noodles, and adds lots of body and flavour.

In the colder parts of the country they also freeze-dry quarters of mooli by hanging them from the eaves, where they freeze at night and thaw out during the day. But this is unlikely to be helpful to you...

If you still have loads you could even clean them and just leave them at room temperature for a while! They will shrivel but should keep fine (as long as they are clean and have good air circulation), and be nice for casseroles.

I hope you can try several methods and see which suits you.

[Jeannine]

Don't know if this helps but it is available  frozen in the Oriental supermarket near me XX Jeannine

[mpdjulie]

Thanks so much everyone. I think that I am going to try the cook and freeze method like as if I was stir frying it.

I love this website and all who use it !!!
 ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mooli's nice chopped up and stir fried, but I wouldn't want it in a stew. I never could stand overboiled veg!

[lottie lou]

Its not bad in a stew.  Hs a rather strange texture though.

[1066]

For salad/stir-fry use, a very light pickle will preserve the crunch longer in the fridge or in a jar, maybe with a sweetish vinegar.

Hi schw - and welcome to A4A.I'm growing Mooli for the 1st time, have always bought it before  :) And it sounds like you know a thing or 2 about it. Do you have any pickle or preserving recipies ? (she says hopefully  :D )

and

Another thing they do is dehydrate it after cutting it into strips (like julienne but longer). This keeps almost indefinitely, and you can cook it in any braise. It then resembles crunchy (but not tough or chewy) noodles, and adds lots of body and flavour.

Could you tell me how it is stored after it has been dried? I guess in an airtight container - sounds fascinating?!

I'm definitely going to try and freeze some, as grated mooli is great on noodle dishes, so thanks for that tip  :) As even if I buy them they are so huge I never use it up quickly enough!!

And thanks for asking the question Julie  ;)  :)

[schw]

Hi 1066, and thanks for the welcome.

I often do a sweet pickle with vegetables, something like this:
1. Cut up into slices (sticks would do as well, not big chunks)
2. Layer with about 3%, by weight, of salt
3. Leave overnight or for a day to draw out some moisture
4. Rinse and pat dry
5. Heat some vinegar gently and dissolve in twice the weight of sugar, make enough to cover the veg
6. Combine once the vinegar is cooled, leave for a few hours before eating.

You can add stuff like dried chilis for colour and flavour too. I usually add a little kefir whey, which makes it much tangier from the fermenting.

As for the dried mooli, yes, airtight container, with some desiccant if you have it. I must admit to only ever having used it in Japanese dishes, but I'm sure there are lots more things it would go with.

[1066]

thanks for the recipe tips schw  ;D  I hate wasting food and never use a whole mooli in 1 dish, unless of course I was feeding the 5000!!  And the pickle sounds pretty easy, so will give it a go. I guess you could add some Perilla for colour (I know it's used for ginger pickles)
It's an area of cookery I'm not very familiar with and would like to learn more about preserving

Thanks again

[schw]

Mmm, perilla... the green would be nice too. I've always been disappointed in the flavour since growing them in the UK but this year I am trying in ericaceous compost to see if it makes any difference.