I first had Japanese carrot-ginger salad dressing at a sushi place in New Haven maybe 20 years ago. When we don’t mind dirtying up the food processor, this style of dressing has become a staple in our kitchen. The recipe below is for a simplified version that requires fewer “exotic” ingredients, but there are some variations listed as well – it’s a versatile dressing, so if you’re not too much of a purist, any of these variations can be enacted depending on what’s in your pantry and still with positive results.

– 2 Tbsp (about a 1 1/2 inch chunk, peeled) fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
– 1 large or 2 small carrots, chopped
– 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
– 1/4 cup onion, scallion, chive or shallot, chopped (we prefer scallion, but they’re all effective)
– 1 cup neutrally-flavored vegetable oil (peanut, corn, canola, etc.)
– 1 tsp sesame oil
– 1 tsp prepared mustard (Dijon, yellow, stone-ground, etc.) or 1/2 tsp powdered mustard
– 1/2 cup rice vinegar (or 1/2 cup cider vinegar plus 1/4 cup apple juice/cider)
– 2 Tbsp apple cider (optional, and omit if using the variation above)
– 2 tsp tamari (or other high-quality soy sauce)
– salt and pepper to taste

1) Put the ginger, carrot, garlic and onion (or variation) in food processor and process until well-blended.

2) Add other ingredients and blend well, about a minute to 90 seconds, tasting for salt/pepper balance.

3) Dump onto your salad and eat up.

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *