Serves6
- Active time:20 min
- Start to finish:20 min
May 2008
Food editor Maggie Ruggiero became enamored of a sesame-dressed salad at Donguri, a Japanese home-cooking restaurant in New York City. This is her take on it. Because the sesame seeds are unhulled, they have a richness that flatters the freshness of spring vegetables—here, cool kohlrabi and sweet pea shoots.
-
2
oz
snow-pea shoots, halved (2 cups)
-
3/4
lb
trimmed kohlrabi bulbs
-
1/3
cup
Japanese-style sesame seeds (not hulled), toasted
-
3 tablespoons plus 1
teaspoon
reduced-sodium soy sauce
-
2
teaspoons
sugar
-
2
teaspoons
mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
-
1
tablespoon
water
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Bring 2 quarts water to a boil with 2 teaspoons salt, then quickly blanch pea shoots until color brightens, about 10 seconds. Drain immediately and transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.
-
Peel kohlrabi bulbs with a small sharp knife, then cut into matchsticks with slicer. Toss together with shoots in a serving dish.
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Finely grind sesame seeds in suribachi or grinder, then transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. (Dressing will be thick; thin slightly with additional water if desired.)
-
Serve salad drizzled with some of dressing and serve remainder on the side.
Cooks’ note: Salad and dressing can be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately, covered. If dressing is too thick to drizzle, thin with 1 teaspoon water.