Tuna Sashimi With Daikon and Ginger

Make the Dipping Sauce

You really only need to use a good soy sauce here, but if you want to taste the kind of soy sauce you'd get at a good sushi bar, here is the recipe. All of the ingredients are usually available either at a well-stocked supermarket or a health food store. If you can't find the dashi granules, leave them out.

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Add mirin and sake to a small pot and bring to a boil.

3. Turn off heat and add soy sauce, tamari, and dashi granules (these are dried bonito flakes).

4. Mix well and let this come to room temperature.

Prepare the Plates

1. Square off daikon with a very sharp knife, then slice it into very thin sheets, either with a mandoline or a knife.

2. Now stack those sheets and slice again into very thin sticks.

3. Toss them all into a bowl of ice water and make sure they're all separated.

4. Gently wring out and dry daikon, then arrange some on each plate.

5. Use the finest grater you have—a Microplane if you have one—and grate ginger, then mound it into little cones.  

6. Put a cone of ginger on each plate.

Prepare the Tuna

1. With your sharpest knife, cut tuna into a block. You want to ultimately cut thin slices against the grain of the meat, so look for that grain as you shape the larger block (use the trim for tuna tartare).

2. Slice thin strips off the tuna block. Do this with one motion; start with the part of the knife's edge closest to the handle and then draw it back toward you in a smooth motion. Do not saw the tuna.

3. Arrange fish on plate over daikon.

4. Garnish with something green; edible chrysanthemum leaves or shiso leaves are traditional, but you could use flat-leaf parsley, very finely sliced green onion, finely sliced cucumber, or similar greens.