Japanese Salads




A variety of Japanese salads

Japanese salads range from the delightfully simple, to ones with lots of ingredients. Seafood features prominently, but there are also plenty of vegetable only options. I love using white radish daikon in salads. Daikon are mild flavoured very large radishes that are readily available in Japan. I used to walk by fields of them growing on my way to the local shops where I lived in Japan. Here in Australia they are sometimes available in supermarkets and farmers markets. As with all salads getting a good balance of colour, texture and flavour is key, as is presentation. I hope you find a salad or two in this selection that you like. Rather than giving quantities for the main ingredients, I have just given the ingredient list in most cases as it depends on how much you want to make.

Prawn and daikon salad

Dressings The same kind of range of dressings that we have here are available in Japan, but they also have a soy based dressing which they call wafu dressing (“wafu” means “Japanese-style”) some of which have flavours like seaweed and shiitake mushrooms added to them. I have provided a simple wafu recipe below. Another type of delicious salad dressing that they have in Japan is a creamy sesame (goma) flavoured dressing.  Mayonnaise When choosing a mayonnaise to use with Japanese salads use a whole egg mayonnaise. Kewpie mayonnaise (available in the Asian section of supermarkets) is very mild and creamy and widely used in Japan.
Oil and Vinegar The vinegar used in Japan is rice vinegar, but any white vinegar can be substituted. Light salad/vegetable oils eg sunflower oil are used in the dressings.
Note: Although I have made small individual side-plate salads, any of these salads can be scaled up to larger share plates (or bowls) of salad if you prefer. Double (or triple) the dressing quantities to suit. 

 

Bean sprout salad

Beansprout Salad
tomato wedges, bean sprouts, capsicum (green pepper), thinly sliced
Dressing: 2 tablespoons salad oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon crushed garlic, pinch salt
Shake the dressing ingredients together in a jar and set aside. Toss the bean sprouts and capsicum together, add the dressing and toss through. Serve with a wedge of tomato on top.

Scallop, asparagus and daikon salad

Scallop, Asparagus and Daikon Salad

scallops (with or without roe), allow 3 or more per person

butter

1 teaspoon soy sauce

small bunch asparagus

daikon, cut like matchsticks or grated into long threads

cucumber, cut like matchsticks or grated into long threads*

whole egg mayonnaise (Kewpie is a popular brand in Japan)

1.       Pan-fry the scallops in the butter, add the soy sauce and turn once during cooking. Cook until just cooked through, set aside.

2.       Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus and snap into short lengths. Blanch, boil, or steam asparagus until just tender, refresh under cold water and set aside

3.       In a bowl mix the daikon and cucumber together, add mayonnaise and S&P and stir to combine. Gently add in the scallops and stir through.

4.       Serve topped with asparagus spears. I suggest using the non-spear pieces of the asparagus in the base of the salad, reserving the spears for the top.

* This cutting method approximates the Japanese cutting technique called “sengiri” (literally 1,000 cuts) which cooks in Japan use. The sound of rapid cutting done this way with a big knife on a chopping board could be heard in neighbourhoods as I walked home when I lived in Japan.

Carrot and daikon salad

Carrot and Daikon Salad

English spinach
daikon, cut like matchsticks or grated into long threads*
carrots, cut like matchsticks or grated into long threads*
dried bonito flakes (katsobushi)
nori, snipped
Wafu dressing: 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons salad oil, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, black pepper, roasted sesame seeds.
Shake the dressing ingredients together in a jar and set aside. Place the spinach on a serving plate, top with daikon, carrot, bonito flakes and nori.  Serve with the wafu dressing and one other dressing such as a French dressing (vinaigrette) to give diners a choice.  
Note: The original recipe for this salad did not include spinach, I added it so that the colour of the daikon would contrast well with the white plate colour that I used, you can omit the spinach if you have a coloured plate (blue, black or grey plates would work well).

Prawn and daikon salad

Prawn and Daikon salad
English spinach leaves (optional)
daikon, cut like matchsticks or grated into long threads*
cooked prawns (shrimp), tails on
To serve:
Your choice of salad dressings, soy sauce, mayonnaise, or sanbaizu dipping sauce (see below)
Place the spinach on a serving plate, top with daikon and prawns. Use dressings of your choice, and/or soy sauce and mayonnaise to serve. Alternatively provide a dipping sauce for the seafood.
Sanbaizu dipping sauce for seafood: 3 tablespoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoons soy sauce. Mix the ingredients together and set aside. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved.
Note: Any seafood served on a bed of shredded daikon looks wonderful; crab claws, oysters and so on.

Parsnip and prawn salad

Parsnip and Prawn Salad

1 or 2 parsnips, cut into chunky match sticks

lemon juice

small prawns, cooked

spinach leaves OR a perilla leaf aojiso
mustard dressing: 3 tablespoons whole egg mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Boil parsnip for a few minutes and then drain and refresh under cold water. Sprinkle (or squeeze) a little lemon juice over it, set aside. Mix the mayonnaise and mustard together, add the parsnip and prawns. Serve with a perilla leaf on the side if available, or on spinach leaves.
Note: The original recipe for this salad did not use parsnip. It used burdock gobo (a white root vegetable that is available in Japan), parsnip is somewhat similar and makes an interesting combination with the prawns.

Seafood salad

Seafood Salad
lettuce (2 or more types)
tomatoes, diced
cooked seafood of your choice; squid rings, small prawns, scallops

lemon wedges

Place the lettuce on a serving plate, top with the tomato and seafood, piling the tomato and seafood in the centre. Serve with a Wafu or French dressing.
Wafu dressing: 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons salad oil, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, black pepper, toasted sesame seeds. Shake the dressing ingredients together in a jar and set aside.
Variations: Add a little fresh wakame seaweed to the bed of lettuce, if available. Or use a seaweed flavoured wafu dressing.

Wafu Salad

Wafu Salad (Classic Japanese Salad)

Like a classic obento that has little bits of many different ingredients, these salads also feature a quite a few ingredients. Note the variety of colours and textures, giving a variety of nutritional benefits, and the addition of corn. Ready-made salads like this are available in Japan at supermarkets and convenience stores. I think of them as little salad pots of goodness.

lettuce

cabbage, shredded

green capsicum (green pepper), diced

carrot, grated

tomatoes, diced
canned corn kernels, drained

Arrange salad ingredients in a small bowl, serve with either wafu or your choice of dressing.

Homemade Japanese-Style Wafu dressing: 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons salad oil, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, black pepper, roasted sesame seeds. Shake the dressing ingredients together in a jar and set aside.

Commercial Japanese-Style salad dressings, delicious!

 

Prawn and daikon salad

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Shio-yaki (Salt-grilled) Fish



Shio-yaki fish on subtle wave design plate

 Salt-grilling is a wonderful Japanese way to cook fish resulting in very moist and tasty fish. Apparently the salt works on the fat under the skin during cooking to melt it and ensure succulent fish flesh.




the lovely salt crust

4 hoki fillets (or other firm white fish), skin on, about 500g (1 lb)

daikon (for garnish)*

1/4 cup soy sauce

 a few tablespoons of salt

To serve: soy sauce, handful snipped chives

1.      Prepare daikon, peel and cut off a small chunk, grate it finely, gently squeeze out excess moisture, set aside.

2.      Sprinkle salt over the skin side (only) of the fish pieces, set aside for 30 minutes.

3.      Heat your griller and line with foil. Brush sparingly with oil. (I made the mistake of using too much oil and then it soaked into the salt when I turned the fish over).

4.      Place fish on the grill plate, skin side up, cook until it looks cooked and a nice salt crust has formed, about 5 minutes. Then turn it over and cook the other side, until it is just done, avoid over cooking or it will be dry and tough. Fish is done when tested with the point of a sharp knife, it flakes easily.

5.      Serve with a little daikon oroshi (finely grated white radish) to garnish, snipped chives and sesame seeds.

6.      To eat, pour a little soy sauce over the daikon and add it to small bite-sized pieces of the fish that you break off with your chopsticks. Note: You don't have to eat the skin and salt crust. 

 

Shio-yaki with daikon and soy sauce

 

*Daikon is called white radish in English and means “large root”. They are sometimes available in Australian supermarkets and farmers markets. Omit if not available. A lemon wedged can be used instead.

Teriyaki Salmon

The fish pictured here is Australian Ocean Trout served on a classic Japanese wave design fish plate, on a tenugui cloth.

This recipe is easy and delicious, take a little care with the teriyaki, don't have it too hot or it will burn.

4 salmon (or ocean trout) portions, skin on*, about 500g (1 lb) in total
piece daikon, grated (for garnish)*
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin

  To serve: soy sauce, handful snipped chives

1.      Prepare daikon, peel and cut off a chunk of daikon, then grate it finely, gently squeeze out excess moisture, set aside.

2.      Mix soy sauce and mirin together to make a teriyaki sauce, (I do this in a glass measuring jug), then microwave it long enough to heat but not boil.

3.      Heat your griller and line with foil. Brush with the oil.

4.      Place fish on the grill plate, skin side up, and brush with the teriyaki sauce*. Slide it under the grill. Every minute or so, brush a little more teriyaki sauce over the fish. turn it over and cook the other side, brushing with the teriyaki sauce, until it is done. About 5 minutes each side. Fish is done when tested with the point of a sharp knife, it flakes easily.

5.      Serve with a little daikon oroshi (grated white radish), shaped like a little yama (mountain) to garnish, and snipped chives.

6.      To eat, pour a little soy sauce over the daikon oroshi and add it to small bite-sized pieces of the fish that you break off with your chopsticks.

soy sauce, daikon and chives are added while eating 

Variations: If you like ginger add a little freshly grated ginger to the teriyaki sauce, and a tiny bit to the top of the daikon "mountain".
If preferred pan fry skin-on or skin-off fillets in a fry pan, but keep ladling over the juices as it cooks.

*Daikon is called white radish in English and means “large root”. They are sometimes available in Australian supermarkets and farmers markets. Omit if not available or use onion instead. See my previous blog post to learn more about daikon.

*teriyaki tends to burn easily because of the sugar content of the mirin, a little chicken or Japanese stock dashi can be added to the teriyaki sauce help avoid this. Note that this authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce is thin, if you want a thicker glaze add a little cornflour mixed with water to thicken it (over heat) before using. Both the thin and thick style are used in Japan.

*Japanese cook fish with the skin on to keep it moist. If you can’t get “skin on” fish, this recipe will work with fish fillets that have the skin removed.

Daikon

Japanese flavours On left from top; soy sauce, vinegar, mirin,
amazu shoga (pink pickled ginger), wasabi and root ginger
On right; a daikon
 

Daikon is called “white radish” in English and means “large root”. Usually they are more than 30cm or 1 foot long. In  Japan they are used in a variety of ways. They can be cooked as a vegetable, used in salads and perhaps most often, used as a garnish. They are sometimes available in Australian supermarkets and farmers markets.



Relatively small Daikon

There are 3 main uses of daikon in Japan; finely grated and used as a garnish, in salads and boiled as a winter vegetable.



daikon grated finely

1. Daikon oroshi (grated daikon),  pictured below, and see my blogs on shio-yaki and teriyaki salmon. 
2. In salads, see my "Japanese Salad" blog post for more pictures.


Prawn and Daikon Salad

3. Boiled as a winter vegetable.


Boiled Daikon

1 daikon, peeled and cut into thick (2or3cm, 1 in) slices

1 piece kelp (konbu) or use powdered konbu dashi granules

3 ½ cups water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sake

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon sugar

1.       Bring water to the boil with the piece of kelp in it, remove the kelp just before it boils.

2.       Add daikon and the soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar, boil for 20 minutes.

3.       Add an extra tablespoon of soysauce and mirin. Boil for 10 minutes more.

Variations: A little chicken, fatty pork or fish can be added in step 2, to cook together with the daikon. If using fish sprinkle with salt and set aside for 30 min before using.

Serve with dried bonito flakes katsuobushi and soy sauce.



Boiled Daikon 



Yakiniku and Mushrooms

 

Yakiniku and mushrooms

The “Yaki” in this recipe title refers to the teriyaki flavour, and “niku” means meat. Beef, pork and chicken are all delicious in this recipe. All 3 types of Japanese mushrooms can be used, however just use what is available, keeping in mind that western-style brown or white mushrooms, or really any kind of mushrooms can be substituted.

fresh shiitake and enoki mushrooms

500g beef or pork finely sliced, or chicken cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons cooking oil

½ cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
small cluster of shimeji mushrooms, divided

small cluster of enoki mushrooms, divided

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sake

1.       Boil the mushrooms in the soy sauce, mirin and sake, until mushrooms are tender. Set aside.

2.       Pan fry the meat quickly in the oil. Add the mushrooms, stir through and serve, with blanched snowpeas and sesame seeds if desired. 

The yakiniku and mushrooms can be served on a separate plate, as part of a  traditional Japanese meal, which features many small plates of food. Or, over rice in a domburi bowl, in which case you’d call it “yakinikudon”.