The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word MOOLI
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
M
O
O
L
I
More clues leading to the result MOOLI
- Root maiden before two overs left getting ahead of India
- Eastern root of many outsiders ornamenting life in capitals
- What Daisy AND Ermintrude might have said, having left one root veg
- Low life cut in half radish
- Plant, small measure including eggs' primarily invigorating
- Medic spread oil on Indian radish
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "root veg" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case root veg = mooli.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does MOOLI mean?
MOOLI noun- An East Asian cultivar or subspecies of radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, syn. Raphanus sativus) bearing a large, white, carrot-shaped taproot consumed throughout East and South Asia but grown in North America primarily as a fallow crop for its fast-growing leaves (used as animal fodder) and as a soil ripper.
- Closely-related cultivars such as the enormous turnip-shaped Sakurajima or green-and-red watermelon radish.