#miso dressing

Chicken katsu with fried rice, side salad with miso dressing, and miso ajitama salad sando

Sweetcorn and kale salad

A simple salad that’s greater than the sum of its parts. The sweetness of mid-summer sweetcorn is amped up with an orange miso dressing, balanced with a generous quantity of dark leafy greens.

Winter Noodle Salad

Miso Sesame Dressing

Note: Great dressing for grain/vegetable bowls

Ingredients

Cabbage Slaw with Miso-Carrot Dressing

Ingredients

1 small head napa (or other) cabbage

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 medium unpeeled carrots, ends trimmed (about 8 oz. once trimmed)

1/4 cup white miso paste

2 cloves garlic, optional, see notes above

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (or vinegar, see notes above)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 cup grapeseed, olive, or neutral oil

1 small head broccoli or cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

6 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

Cut the cabbage into quarters through the core. Thinly slice it, discarding the core. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Using your hands, massage the salt into the cabbage. Let sit for 15 minutes. Fill a bowl with cold water and jostle the cabbage with your hands. Drain into a large colander. Don’t worry about drying the cabbage.

Meanwhile, make the dressing: If you’re using a food processor, run the carrots down the chute with the shredder attachment in place. Then switch to the default blade, and add the miso, garlic, if using, lime juice, sesame oil, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. With the motor running, pour oil slowly down the chute (I pour it into the cavity of the food pusher, which has a little pinhole, which allows for slow, steady streaming), then add 1/4 cup of water in the same manner. Taste the dressing. Add the additional 1/4 cup of water to thin to the right consistency—dressing will be thin— and to correct it if it tastes too tart. Add an additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt if necessary. (Note: miso pastes vary in sweetness—the one I’m using is very sweet—so you’ll have to adjust the dressing to taste.)

Wipe out the food processor. Switch to the slicer attachment. Run the broccoli or cauliflower florets down the chute. Transfer to a large bowl. (It’s now safe to throw your food processor in the dishwasher!)

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds until golden. Transfer to a plate to cool. Wipe out the skillet, and add the pumpkin seeds. Toast until golden, then transfer to a plate to cool.