ENSALADANG LABANOS with DILIS
Tita Becky •
May 26, 2026
In case you didn't know, Filipinos have salads! One of them is "Ensaladang Labanos" with dilis. I don't know where this dish originated, but my mom made it growing up as a side dish to any "ulam" or viand that's grilled or fried. It has thinly sliced "labanos" or Daikon radish, with tomatoes, red onions, scallions, and salted and dried "dilis" or anchovies that have been fried tossed in a dressing of cane vinegar, ground black pepper, and a little sugar. It's crunchy, fresh, and very easy to make.
Ingredients (10)
Ingredients (10)
Instructions
Prep the labanos. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the skin and create paper thin slices. Place in a large bowl. Add salt and water. Rub and massage for a few minutes. Using a strainer, drain water, rinse well to get rid of salt, squeeze out as much water as possible, and transfer back into the same bowl.
This step will draw out excess moisture from the labanos and reduce it's bitterness.
Preheat a saute' pan over low heat.. Add cooking oil and "dilis", Saute' for a few minutes until dilis turns brown and slighly crispy. Set aside and cool.
In the same bowl with the labanos, add tomatoes, red onions, scallions, dilis, cane vinegar, cane sugar and ground black pepper. Mix until combined. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Notes
1. You can omit the "dilis" or salted dried anchovies if you can't find it at your local Asian store. Just add salt to taste.
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