Growing Mouli

[Primrose]

I'm going to try growing Mouli for the first time this year. Any tips on how to get a successful crop? We have rather stoney soil and I'd love to be able to produce roots similar to the long white ones you can buy in the shops although I'm sure they're grown in a special way to be so unblemished.

[oldherbaceous]

My dear Primrose, i have never even heard of it, let alone grown any.
That wasn't much help was it.
I will be interested to see what the others say.

[alan refail]

We live and learn, OH.

MOOLI is a large radish, old in Asian shops. Known as DAIKON in Japan.



Primrose
I used to grow Minowase and April Cross until I moved to my present stony soil. I reckon you should be OK unless your stones are large. They tend to bend their way round smaller stones rather than forking like carrots. But you probably won't get huge specimens like the ones you have seen in the shops.

[oldherbaceous]

Now that is interesting Alan, do you use it like a radish, or is it used for cooking.

Alan thats the beauty of me not knowing a lot, i'm able to learn a lot everyday.

[Chantal]

Do you want to bet? I grew Mooli for the first time this year and the blasted things were so big I had trouble digging them up! I really didn't know what to expect and I found them incredibly mild. My mother on the other had tried one a month before me and it nearly blew her head off it was so hot.

[alan refail]

OH
Short answer - both, but for cooking I'd stick to slicing thinly and stir-frying.

Chantal
Like your mother, I tend to find them rather hot and don't grow them now.

Alan

[Primrose]

That's really interesting that some people have found them hot/bitter, because the ones I've purchased in shops have always been very mild, with a flavour between mild radish & kohl rabi. We use them in salads, chopped up into coleslaw, or shredded matchstick size in vegetable stir fries. We also substitute them for radishes. I'm looking forwarding to seeing what they turn out like.

[yummyveggies]

I find them great cut into 'julienne' strips / thick matchsticks and mixed with grated carrot as a salad.
And like Chantal mine were absolutely huge and took some digging out .... it was quite a shock .. they went down and down diving for the centre of the earth ... and thick with it !!!! mix of mild and a bit stronger ....