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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