I don't know why, but I love buying strange vegetables whenever I see them. A year or two ago I bought a watermelon radish for the first time, just because. Hey, I like radishes! Why not a watermelon radish?
I brought the watermelon radish home, sliced it into thin pieces, and ate it as a snack. It was firm, crisp, and pleasant-tasting in only a way a radish can be. I remember it being almost sweet. I liked it.
So the other day when I noticed that Choices was carrying the same watermelon radishes, I bought one. However, this time when I brought it home, sliced it up and bit into a piece, it was different.
The taste at first was pleasant, but it was immediately followed by an incredible heat and pungence that I've only ever experienced from fresh horseradish.
Eating it became torture, and I don't mean the good "I'm eating a spicy curry" kind of torture, but a truly awful "I'm eating a spoonful of wasabi" kind of torture. The aftertaste was so pungent and the after burn so strong, it felt like I had been eating spoiled cabbage flambée. The taste lingered in my mouth for a long time afterwards.
But the problem with watermelon radishes is that they're so pretty. And cute.
Oh, the minty green rind!
Oh, the crispy pink interior!
I couldn't just throw the radish away, and I couldn't just offer it to Josh. That would be too cruel...
... so I put it in some Tupperware and placed it in the fridge. Who knows? Maybe the radish will magically change.
Two days later, today, I opened up the fridge and sought my little watermelon radish. I opened up the Tupperware and contemplated what to do next. The previously-cut pieces of the watermelon radish were a tad dry, but still edible. They were still cute. They were still beckoning me with their watermelon colours.
So I bit into a piece of the radish and chewed without hesitation.
The radish hadn't changed.
It was still pungent and very spicy in the wrong way.
Determined, I looked in the cupboard and pulled out a bowl. I threw the pieces of watermelon radish into the bowl and splashed on a bit of water before placing it in the microwave.
2 minutes later out came freshly steamed watermelon radish. I picked up a piece from the bowl and bit into it...
It was no longer pungent.
It was no longer spicy.
It was actually rather pleasant to eat.
I did it!
As I ate the cooked pieces of watermelon radish, I was overcome by its familiar earthy flavour. I had magically transformed my watermelon radish into pink slices of turnip! Who knew?
Turnip is one of those vegetables that I really enjoy, but I rarely eat. It reminds me of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners as that's usually the only time I'll eat it. But here it was in my bowl and I ate the rest with glee!
I guess it makes sense as radishes and turnips are a part of the same family, but now I know for sure that watermelon radishes make good turnip alternatives.
So that's my story of the watermelon radish.
2 comments:
I've never heard of a watermelon radish. What an interesting item. I grow the globe variety and they can get pretty spicy, but nothing like yours. We don't get too many unusual vegetables here in Powell River, but maybe when I pass through Vancouver some day. - Margy
Rosemarie, your radish mouse is adorable! :)
Margy, I had never heard of them either until I saw one in the grocery store! They really do look like turnips and not at all like other radishes one would typically find. They are pretty interesting however, and worth trying at least once!
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