They are hairy but I learned that in a stir-fry, the hairiness completely disappears. I bought seed for a radish that was sold as "hairless" but that seed company went out of business about 20 years ago. That's how I came to try radish in stir-fry and was willing to experiment with leaves from the more conventional varieties.
However, I'm seeing them advertised as a salad green and have found a source and description for Saisai Purple Radish. It is a daikon. Have you eaten daikon? The first time I had it was in a little restaurant at Pike's Place in Seattle. Vietnamese sandwich. I liked it and have bought those sandwiches now and then at Asian markets.
The roots look too big for me to make good use of them and I have root-unfriendly, rocky soil but this veggie looks multipurpose.
Steve
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pepperhead212
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Daikons are used a lot in Asian cuisine in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese dishes. Pretty much the root, leaves and seed pods are edible. If you eat the daikon leaves, the younger ones are better. My daikon leaves are not only slightly hairy but have prickles on them when they get old.
The daikon itself can be pickled or put in soups and stir fries.
So can the leaves. The leaves can be made into kim chee, or pickled Japanese style. It is also used in soups, oriental pancakes (usually they have scalions), and stir fries. It does have a little bite.
There is also a different radish that has a hard inedible root but is actually grown for the seed pods. It is called rat tail radish. Young seed pods can be eaten in salads or stir fries. It also has a slight bite, but gets mellower when it is stir fried. You can eat the seed pods of regular daikon as well.
The daikon itself can be pickled or put in soups and stir fries.
So can the leaves. The leaves can be made into kim chee, or pickled Japanese style. It is also used in soups, oriental pancakes (usually they have scalions), and stir fries. It does have a little bite.
There is also a different radish that has a hard inedible root but is actually grown for the seed pods. It is called rat tail radish. Young seed pods can be eaten in salads or stir fries. It also has a slight bite, but gets mellower when it is stir fried. You can eat the seed pods of regular daikon as well.
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applestar
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I just looked up Saisai Purple Radish and it’s described as hybrid developed to grow as baby salad greens, micro greens and sprouts due to good flavor, tenderness, and the striking color of the red/purple mid-vein. Sounds all good. 
Grown to full maturity it is heat/bolt-resistant and produces daikon-type roots. I might have to try this at some point. It would have been a no-brainer for making the choice for me if it was not a hybrid.
I’m surprised you haven’t tried daikon @digit’S. I just saw a recipe for “daikon steak” which was a new one for me, but I use daikon a lot. I’m starting to experiment with growing shorter fast-maturing varieties (unfortunately mostly hybrid) Biggest issue is the vulnerability to all of the brassica pests including cabbage white butterflies, just like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbages, etc. But I’m determined to perfect my “growing under protection” technique.
I just bought wasabi daikon seeds — this may or may not be different I think from wasabi-na, and grows green short daikon roots that supposedly taste similar to wasabi (though I will definitely try some as sprouts and baby greens). Since regular daikon is already used as matchstick or spiral-cut noodles to go with sashimi, grated wasabi daikon sounds like it might be a good condiment to go with fish, mixed with dressing/mayo, etc.
Grown to full maturity it is heat/bolt-resistant and produces daikon-type roots. I might have to try this at some point. It would have been a no-brainer for making the choice for me if it was not a hybrid.I’m surprised you haven’t tried daikon @digit’S. I just saw a recipe for “daikon steak” which was a new one for me, but I use daikon a lot. I’m starting to experiment with growing shorter fast-maturing varieties (unfortunately mostly hybrid) Biggest issue is the vulnerability to all of the brassica pests including cabbage white butterflies, just like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbages, etc. But I’m determined to perfect my “growing under protection” technique.
I just bought wasabi daikon seeds — this may or may not be different I think from wasabi-na, and grows green short daikon roots that supposedly taste similar to wasabi (though I will definitely try some as sprouts and baby greens). Since regular daikon is already used as matchstick or spiral-cut noodles to go with sashimi, grated wasabi daikon sounds like it might be a good condiment to go with fish, mixed with dressing/mayo, etc.
I have had the wasabi daikon. It is greenish and it does actually have a wasabi like bite. Definitely will clear the sinuses.
I can grow daikon in my community garden. It has gotten over 2ft long and about 3 inches in diameter. When it gets that long it is hard to dig it out. It usually breaks before I get to the end and. I also have to find someone to use at least half of it since I can't eat it all.
I can grow daikon in my community garden. It has gotten over 2ft long and about 3 inches in diameter. When it gets that long it is hard to dig it out. It usually breaks before I get to the end and. I also have to find someone to use at least half of it since I can't eat it all.
I like wasabi - but, it better be the tiniest dab on my sushi. If the wasabi daikon is close to being the same, I might be happy with it.
For many years, I thought that I didn't like the standard American radishes - or, that they didn't like me. Then, I learned that harvested right at their prime was the answer for being easy on the stomach. Diakon seems to come in a range of mild to hot but I have no experience growing them.
Saving seeds for several years for the "hairless" radish that I mentioned was how I learned something about eating the seedpods. Delicious, and better than the root IMO but, once again, recognizing when they were at their prime was necessary. No, not rat tail -- but I didn't have to deal with that unappetizing name! In time, I lost the regimen of saving that radish seed and the seed ... I guess
.
Steve
For many years, I thought that I didn't like the standard American radishes - or, that they didn't like me. Then, I learned that harvested right at their prime was the answer for being easy on the stomach. Diakon seems to come in a range of mild to hot but I have no experience growing them.
Saving seeds for several years for the "hairless" radish that I mentioned was how I learned something about eating the seedpods. Delicious, and better than the root IMO but, once again, recognizing when they were at their prime was necessary. No, not rat tail -- but I didn't have to deal with that unappetizing name! In time, I lost the regimen of saving that radish seed and the seed ... I guess
.Steve