What to do with Dai Kon: the giant white carrot?

Make soup, I answered. Every time someone see me gather these white roots, they always wonder what I do with them. Dai kon soup is one of the simplest and most delicious soup you can imagine. It's light enough even for the hottest summer that the heat of the soup doesn't even bother you. It's also a perfect sit-in-front-of-the TV-kind of soup when it's cold outside. In Austin, you see Dai Kon at the farmers' market in the late fall through Spring. In Thai cuisine, we use Dai Kon to make soup, salad and stir fried dishes.

Fall is around the corner and so is cooler weather. I thought this recipe comes at a perfect time to get you ready to plan for the arrival of this vegetable. This soup base is great for many other vegetables and meat. You can even use silken tofu to replace pork. Even leafy greens are great substitution for Dai Kon.

Dai Kon Soup w/ Pork and Green Onions

1 large dai kon or two small ones

pinch of salt

6 oz minced pork

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp palm or white sugar

4-5 cups stock

2 more tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped green onions

pork seasoning

2 cilantro stems, minced

pinch of salt

3 garlic cloves, minced

10 peppercorn

Mix the pork seasoning with ground pork and season with palm sugar and 2 tbsp light soy sauce.

Bring stock to a boil, add pork and break it up with a ladle. Add cubed dai kon, 2 tbsp light soy sauce and pinch of salt, let simmer until dai kon is cooked about 20 minutes. Add more stock if needed. Check seasoning and add more soy sauce if needed. Turn off the heat and garnish with spring onions, cilantro and ground pepper.