Daikon Radishes for Sore Throats

This is a variation on a classic recipe for a throat syrup that you make ahead of time.  In the original, you slice the daikon lengthwise into 6 sections, then drizzle honey between each layer.  You then stand the radish on end in a jar, cover it, and allow the ‘syrup’ to ooze out. After a few days, remove the radish and pour the syrup into a clean jar. Use a tablespoon of syrup at a time to ease the pain of raw throats.  As I often forget to make it up ahead – or I’m too lazy – this quick fix that works well.  

Ingredients

1 daikon radish

1/4 cup honey or more if the radish is large

ice chips (optional)

Instructions

Grate the daikon radish.  Pour honey over the radish and mix with ice chips if desired.

Slowly eat the mixture 1 tsp at a time, allowing the ice to melt in your mouth/throat.

Recipe Highlights

Honey soothes and moistens sore throats. It has antibiotic and antiviral properties. Daikon’s pungent nature released exterior pathogens and clears phlegm. Though we don’t often recommend ice in Chinese food energetics - it’s cold and stamps out the digestive fire - here we are using it medicinally for a short period of time.