Instructions: Boil Japanese radish: Wash Japanese radish, cut into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch thick rounds and remove thick skin. Peel very thin strip from edge of each slice; make a shallow crisscross on one side of each slice. Boil in water that was used to rinse rice. Turn off heat before radish becomes tender.

Put kelp in pan and arrange Japanese radish over it. Cover with water and cook until soft. To test, insert chopstick.

Prepare sesame-miso topping: Toast sesame seeds; grind well in Japanese grinding bowl with pestle until seeds give off delightful aroma. Put shiro-miso, sesame seeds, sugar, sake and stock in pan; mix well over low heat until smooth.

Prepare chicken-miso topping: Heat salad oil in frying pan and stir-fry ground chicken, stirring constantly to prevent chicken from sticking together. Add chopped Japanese mushroom and stir-fry. Add aka-miso, sugar, sake, water and cook over low heat, mixing well. Add grated citron peel.

Prepare plum-miso topping: Wash ume, chop with knife and mash. Put shiro-miso, sugar, sweetened cooking sake and stock in pan and cook over low heat, mixing well. Add ume and mix until smooth.

Serve diakon and toppings on separate plates; spoon favorite topping over Japanese radish at table.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

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