chilled greens ginger sesame

Chilled Greens with Ginger & Sesame

Tatsoi, pak choi and other Asian greens, which are a bit tough and chewy, a bit assertive in flavor – what can you do with them? As it turns out, lots of quick and delicious things. They’re wonderful in a stir-fry, where they hold up to cooking. They’re also perfect for a quick Japanese-style cold salad – let’s call it chilled greens with ginger & sesame.

This particular salad scales up and down quite well: I’ve used a half of a small head of tatsoi with 1/2 the dressing amount, or you can use quite a large amount of the greens. This tastes wonderful as a side dish, and is cool and refreshing.

adapted from the NY Times

  • 1 head tatsoi leaves, cut crosswise into 1 inch slices – about 1/2 lb

For dressing:

  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (not seasoned)
  • 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Sriracha sauce or to taste (optional)

To garnish:

  • 1-2 Tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and fill a large bowl with ice and water. Cut the tatsoi leaves in thick strips, and dump them all at once into the boiling water. Time – exactly 1 minute – then remove the leaves to the ice water to stop the cooking.

While the tatsoi cools, assemble the dressing – simply mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, sugar, and Sriracha in a large bowl. Drain the tatsoi leaves, squeeze them dry, and add them to the dressing. Toss vigorously to mix well. Chill at least 1/2 hour and up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.

At serving time, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

 

chilled greens ginger sesame

Chilled Greens with Ginger & Sesame

Course: Salad
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: tatsoi, summer, cold salad, hot weather, pak choi
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2
A Japanese-style cold salad
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 small head tatsoi, or pak choi, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices (about ½ lb)
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (not seasoned)
  • 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp Sriracha sauce, or to taste
  • 1-2 Tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and fill a large bowl with ice and water. Cut the tatsoi leaves in thick strips, and dump them all at once into the boiling water. Time – exactly 1 minute – then remove the leaves to the ice water to stop the cooking.
  • While the tatsoi cools, assemble the dressing – simply mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, sugar, and Sriracha in a large bowl. 
  • Drain the tatsoi leaves, squeeze them dry, and add them to the dressing. Toss vigorously to mix well. Chill at least 1/2 hour and up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
  • At serving time, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.