Soy sauce braised daikon radish

Peel the daikon, then peel off a second layer, since the outer layer carries more bitterness.

Cut into rounds two-thirds of an inch thick, stack and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Trim and halve the shallot, peel the outer layers and dice finely. Crush and finely dice the garlic.

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat; add the garlic, shallot, the optional dried chili and the Sichuan peppercorns and stir 2 minutes.

Add the soybean paste, drizzle in the soy sauce and stir a minute.

Add the radish and the water, bring to a boil, then turn to low and simmer 25 minutes.

Garnish with diced cilantro and serve as a side. Save the braising broth to boil noodles in the next day.