Japanese Salads

[tokyogurumegal]

I think it's all about the dressing. Ume and shiso, ume and katsuo (bonito flakes) or yuzu dressing on any mesclun salad makes my tastes buds happy and my waistline in place! When I make these dressings I don't have to use oil

I agree with Hiroyuki san, Japanese potato salad is yum yum. Just like miso soup everyone has their own recipe but there are couple of things Japanese add to potato salad that's different to German potato salads. Mayo is key, kewpie is my preferred brand. Often thinly sliced cucumbers (Japanese cucumbers, not those massive ones used in Greek salad) carrots, onion and bacon are added. It's one of those basic dishes you learn in "domestic science" classes in middle school!

[ChryZ]

I found one recipe and tried it today.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp salad oil

2 tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame seeds (black or white)

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One of my favs for years!

Another very nice salad/sidedish:

Horenso Ohitashi (spinach salad with katsuobushi topping)

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh spinach

3 TBS cold dashi

1 TBS soysauce

4 TBS katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings)

Blanch spinach for 1 min in boiling water with a pinch of salt, drain and transfer spinach into a pot of cold water for 3 min. Squeeze gently to remove liquid from spinach. Dress the spinach with dashi/soysauce mix and top with katsuobushi.

[BarbaraY]

Hiroyuki, I think it's possible that the dressing may have had mayonnaise to get the creamy texture. I have tried several sesame seed dressing recipes but they weren't quite what I was looking for.

This was before I learned how often mayonnaise is used in Japan.

Thanks for the recipe.

[Hiroyuki]

Hiroyuki, I think it's possible that the dressing may have had mayonnaise to get the creamy texture. I have tried several sesame seed dressing recipes but they weren't quite what I was looking for.

This was before I learned how often mayonnaise is used in Japan.

Thanks for the recipe.

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I know I can never come close to commercially available ones because they usually contain a thicker and "seasonings (amino acids, etc.)".

I added some sugar (about 1 teaspoon) and some mayonnaise (I don't know how much) to the dressing. The greatest thing is that my daughter liked it , although I found it still sour.

[Hiroyuki]

I made another goma (sesame) dressing today.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp white sasame seeds

2 tbps soy sauce

2 tbps vinegar

1 tbps sugar

First, I ground the sasame seeds in my Milser, added the other ingredients, and blended them together.

The dressing was almost identical in taste to the one I made yesterday, but was thicker. It's going to be a good sauce for rei shabu (cold shabu-shabu) in the summer.

[torakris]

I am surprised no one has mentioned kaisou (seaweed salads), these are probably some of my favorites especially with a nice fruity dressing.

[Hiroyuki]

I am surprised no one has mentioned kaisou (seaweed salads), these are probably some of my favorites especially with a nice fruity dressing.

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I have. Hijiki salad.

I'm thinking of making kiriboshi daikon salad.

[lannie]

My Japanese friend used to make this fabulous Dandelion leaf salad topped with slices of boiled tako and sesame seeds in a wafu dressing. Yum!

[Hiroyuki]

My Japanese friend used to make this fabulous Dandelion leaf salad topped with slices of boiled tako and sesame seeds in a wafu dressing.  Yum!

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A wafu dressing could be anything. Could you elaborate a little on that?

[helenjp]

Matchstick salads are not unique to Japan, I suspect that they may have come to Japan from SE Asia in the "ethnic" boom of the late 70s and 80s. However, there's nothing exotic about them now!

Daikon matchstick salads:

Some common ingredients - blander items julienned or in short lengths; stronger items shredded:

Daikon

Cucumber

Carrot

New onion, scallions

Mitsuba

Mizuna (especially the stems)

Daikon sprouts or other sprouts

Green shiso leaves

Red shiso sprouts

Ham, more rarely bacon

Kamaboko

White chicken meat shredded

Shirasu (whitebait) fresh, steamed, or deep-fried till crunchy

Lemon or yuzu peel

Citrus pulp* I'm not so keen on this, I think it somehow makes daikon more bitter

Thin age dofu

toasted or fried sesame seeds, nuts

1:1 brown sesame oil/soy sauce dressing

Mayonnaise or mayonnaise/yogurt dressing

Vinaigrette or citrus vinaigrette

"wafuu" vinaigrettes, with the salty element replaced with soy sauce, miso, umeboshi, pickles such as wasabi-zuke or takana-zuke, oil sometimes replaced with brown sesame oil.

Any other ingredients or preparation styles that go well with daikon-based salads?

[lannie]

My Japanese friend used to make this fabulous Dandelion leaf salad topped with slices of boiled tako and sesame seeds in a wafu dressing.  Yum!

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A wafu dressing could be anything. Could you elaborate a little on that?

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Oh, unfortunately, I am not sure of her dressing recipe, but it was probably one of those vinaigrette-type dressings (ie rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, etc.). The salad would probably taste good with a spicy chuuka-style (Chinese) dressing, too.

[torakris]

This is one of my favorite salads using daikon but it is grated not julienned, I originally posted this in the daikon thread.

My favorite recipe for grated daikon (I make this a lot!)

Japanese spinach salad (sorry, I am not very creative with names)

Boil until tender

1 bunch of spinach

rinse under cold water, drain sqeezing out excess water, and season with

a sprinkling of mirin, soy sauce, and dashi (if you don't have the mirin or dashi don't worry about it.)

remove the seeds (and skin if you like), then dice

1 tomato

grate enough daikon to equal 1 cup (about 1/3 to 1/2 a daikon)

this should be a very fine grating, similar to grated ginger

drain off the excess liquid, I place it into a cheesecloth and wring it out gently.

In a bowl stir together

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

stir until dissolved, then add the chopped tomato and grated daikon and mix gently.

Place the spinach into a shallow bowl or a dish with sloping sides and place the daikon, tomato mixture on top.

Serve.

[jeniac42]

I really love the bright green seaweed salad with sesame seeds and sometimes chili peppers added to it. However, I have been totally unable to find a recipe for it - just a lot of sites selling it already made. I am not sure of the name; I have seen goma wakame, chuka wakame, hiyashi wakame....

The Japanese grocery store sells it already-made, but I would prefer to make it myself. Does anyone have a recipe for it? The thing is, the wakame in the salad does not seem similar at all to the wakame in, for example, miso soup. Instead it has an almost crunchy texture and is bright green instead of the muddy dark green.

Edited to add that a recipe in Japanese is fine, as well.

Edited March 26, 2006 by jeniac42 (log)

[Hiroyuki]

I really love the bright green seaweed salad with sesame seeds and sometimes chili peppers added to it.  However, I have been totally unable to find a recipe for it - just a lot of sites selling it already made.  I am not sure of the name; I have seen goma wakame, chuka wakame, hiyashi wakame....

The Japanese grocery store sells it already-made, but I would prefer to make it myself.  Does anyone have a recipe for it?  The thing is, the wakame in the salad does not seem similar at all to the wakame in, for example, miso soup.  Instead it has an almost crunchy texture and is bright green instead of the muddy dark green.

Edited to add that a recipe in Japanese is fine, as well.

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I wonder if you mean kiri kombu 切り昆布. If you do, google with 切り昆布 and サラダ (salad), and you will get some recipes such as:

http://www.kikkoman.co.jp/cgi-bin/homecook...i?numb=00001232

http://www.misbit.com/recipe/mid00915.html

[jeniac42]

Hm, I am not sure. Those don't look quite right. This salad doesn't have any cucumber in it. I found a picture by searching for chuka wakame （中華　若布） but the page it is on is no longer there, so there is no recipe! Maybe the picture will help, though.

Here is a link to the picture.

The seaweed does look more like the kiri kombu type, but I'm still not sure. This is a very common dish in Japanese restaurants in my area of the US, so you would think it would be easier to find a recipe!

[Hiroyuki]

Maybe the picture will help, though.

Here is a link to the picture.

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It does help. I think it's kiri kombu.

[helenjp]

A nice kabocha salad (or maybe aemono) for summer.

Slice about 150g (very roughly 5oz) of kabocha (pumpkin) and shred into matchsticks. Blanch briefly and drain, spreading so they cool as fast as possible.

Cut 1 Japanese cucumber into matchsticks.

Shred 4 sticks or pieces of fake crab surimi.

Make a simple dressing: grind 2 tab toasted sesame seeds with 2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt, plus 1 bouillon cube if you wish (I used an instant konbu-dashi sachet, amd preferred the lighter taste).

Add 4 tab rice vinegar or other light vinegar.

Dress salad ingredients, place in a serving bowl, pour just a little toasted sesame oil over, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

[helenjp]

Another kabocha salad...this one from an izakaya recipe off the internet, adapted just a titch.

Steam equal quantities of peeled satsuma-imo (sweet potato), kabocha (squash), and broccoli.

Dress with chopped kimchi, plain yogurt with a tiny bit of sugar added, and toasted sesame seeds.

Cut some finely-sliced pork or beef into smaller pieces, drop one by one into simmering water, removing as soon as they change color, and add to salad.

As you can see, this "salad" is a meal in itself. The kimchi and yogurt work well together.

[Hiroyuki]

The kimchi and yogurt work well together.

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Was your opinion shared by your husband and sons?

[tantan]

I really want the recipe for the salad from a yakiniku place that I go to (Koh-Ya in Brisbane, Australia).

The main ingredients are baby spinach, sliced almonds and tuna. I'm not exactly sure what's in the sauce, but I love it.

I can't stand having corn in salads. It's just too dominant for me. I think corn should only be eaten by itself.

[helenjp]

tantan, can you tell us more about the sauce - is it clear and dark (soy sauce vinaigrette), or smooth and light brown and creamy (miso and/or sesame), does it have clear pulp (grated daikon) in it??

Hiroyuki, you should try this combination, though I'm sure there are more inspired salads to try it on (how about shredded steamed chicken?). The lactic-acid pickles and the mildly sour yogurt blend seamlessly - you wouldn't think "yogurt" at all.

And if cucumber pickles go with cheese, why shouldn't kimchi go with yogurt?

My family ate it all up. I thought the pork was over the top, but they were enthusiastic...men!

[tantan]

helenjp - it's a soy sauce based sauce... maybe some sesame oil and a few other secret ingredients. It's a light flavoured, but very satisfying kind of salad. No miso, daikon or other really dominating flavours that I could detect. I'm pretty sure it's a simple sauce - most of the flavour comes from the baby spinach, tuna and almonds.

Sorry, I haven't been to the restaurant in a while. I'll have to try to determine exactly what's in it next time and see if my friend who used to work there knows anything.

Kimchi and yoghurt, huh? Have you ever tried pineapple with soy sauce?

[helenjp]

Sorry, just leaving for the airport so can't give exact measurements, but this kind of salad dressing is just a variation on an ordinary vinaigrette (which you will find plenty of on the internet).

For salt, substitute soy sauce to taste

For vinegar, use a mild rice vinegar

For oil, use a little toasted sesame seed oil and top up with a mild salad oil.

Sprinkle a few sesame seeds in.

You can add a little wasabi or mustard.

You can also use chopped or sieved umeboshi instead of soy sauce (add a drop or two of soy sauce).

[torakris]

My favorite recipe for grated daikon (I make this a lot!)

Japanese spinach salad  (sorry, I am not very creative with names)

Boil until tender

1 bunch of spinach

rinse under cold water, drain sqeezing out excess water, and season with

a sprinkling of mirin, soy sauce, and dashi (if you don't have the mirin or dashi don't worry about it.)

remove the seeds (and skin if you like), then dice

1 tomato

grate enough daikon to equal 1 cup (about 1/3 to 1/2 a daikon)

this should be a very fine grating, similar to grated ginger

drain off the excess liquid, I place it into a cheesecloth and wring it out gently.

In  a bowl stir together

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

stir until dissolved, then add the chopped tomato and grated daikon and mix gently.

Place the spinach into a shallow bowl or a dish with sloping sides and place the daikon, tomato mixture on top.

Serve.

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This is really one of my favorite salads, I make it quite often and finally took a picture of it. Sorry it isn't very good though.