How to make a Carrot Daikon Drink

Daikon radishes look a lot like parsnips but are more tart.

A carrot daikon drink is a vegetable broth-based beverage with Asian seasonings. In addition to carrot, it contains daikon, an Asian root vegetable and relatively mild-flavored member of the radish family. The carrot daikon drink is popular among practitioners of macrobiotics, a strict diet of whole organic foods made popular by celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna. In addition to recommending unprocessed foods, macrobiotics specialists suggest incorporating lots of sea greens into your diet. Proponents claim that the diet can lead to weight loss and disease prevention and that the carrot daikon drink is an easy way of cleansing bodily toxins.

Things You'll Need

• 2/3 c. grated uncooked carrot
• 2/3 c. grated uncooked daikon radish
• Medium saucepan
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. fermented soy sauce
• 2/3 sheet toasted nori
• 1 Japanese or uneboshi plum, optional

Instructions

1. Pour 1 1/2 c. cool water into a medium-sized saucepan.

2. Add 1/2 c. grated carrot and 1/2 c. grated daikon to the pan, and place it over an eye of your stove.

3. Turn the stove temperature to medium or medium-high. Do not cover the saucepan.

4. Steam the vegetables in the water until it just begins to boil, and allow the water to simmer for about 4 minutes.

5. Add 2/3 sheet of toasted nori and 1/4 tsp. fermented soy sauce, and remove from heat. If you like, add a peeled and sliced Japanese plum for additional sweetness.

6. Strain the grated vegetables through a cheese cloth leaving the broth to drink.

Tips & Warnings

• Macrobiotics practitioners recommend eating the grated vegetables as well as drinking the broth for best results.

• You can repeat this process daily for 10 days to two weeks as part of a colon cleanse regimen.

• Purchase toasted nori and good quality soy sauce from your local Asian market.

• The Japanese plum provides a serving of fruit, but you may prefer a savory drink without the added sweetness. You need not include it to reap the health benefits of the carrot daikon drink.

• If you like, grate your carrot and daikon up to a week in advance, and store in an airtight container in your refrigerator's crisper. Alternatively, blanch vegetables in hot water, and store in your freezer in an airtight container for up to six weeks.

• If the daikon flavoring is too potent for you, reduce to 1/2 c. grated daikon.

• Make sure to take in enough daily calories when using the carrot daikon drink. Some natural practitioners may recommend extremely low calorie diets for the duration of your carrot daikon cleanse, but extreme calorie restriction is unsafe. If you eat a normal, healthy diet that is rich in whole foods while doing the cleanse, your carrot daikon regimen is quite safe.

References

• Mina Dobic: Internal Remedies
• StarrWalker; Knowing the Rest of the Story
• The Cook's Thesaurus: Roots
• Christina Cooks; Carrot Daikon Drink; Christina Pirello
• Macrobiotic Guide; Macrobiotic Home Remedies
• Kushi Institute; What Is Macrobiotics?; Phiya Kushi

Resources

• The Macrobiotic Institute: Macrobiotic Recipes
• "The Huffington Post"; Gwyneth Paltrow on Madonna, Her Macrobiotic Diet and Her Vices; May 2008
• Macrobiotics America; Basic Macrobiotic Recipes; David and Cynthia Briscoe
• "The Los Angeles Times"; M Cafe's Scarlet Quinoa Salad; April 2009
• "The Los Angeles Times"; Seed Kitchen's Walnut Cookies; April 2009
• Cancer Research UK: Macrobiotic Diet