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For today’s recipe, I prepared a very refreshing Daikon Salad because it’s been a while since I’ve shared a Japanese-style salad. Daikon Salad is a popular Japanese salad menu at traditional Japanese restaurants and Izakaya, and I hope you enjoy making this easy salad at home.
Daikon is mild-flavored, very large, white Japanese radish, and it’s often used as garnishing for sashimi or grated and served with Agedashi Tofu or Tempura. For this salad, I shredded daikon into long thin strips so that it gives a nice crunchy texture while you eat. Daikon is widely available at Asian markets and sometimes even in Western supermarkets in the US. To pick a good daikon, just make sure the inside looks juicy and not dry. If you are also able to get organic daikon, I highly recommend it since the flavor is much better than regular ones.
As for the salad dressing, I combined my favorite sesame ponzu vinaigrette and umeboshi. Ponzu is a citrus-based soy sauce and it’s used as a dip for Shabu Shabu and sashimi, or used as a dressing. Umeboshi is a salted pickled Japanese ume (plums). They are a common ingredient for Onigiri (rice ball) and you might have also seen a single umeboshi placed in the center of the rice inside a bento (Japanese lunchbox). The salty-sour flavor from umeboshi adds a nice kick to the dressing. If you cannot find umeboshi, don’t worry, this sesame ponzu vinaigrette for the recipe is still very delicious.
With this recipe, I’m guest posting at my blogger friend Charle’s Five Euro Food. You might remember Charles, who’s English and currently living in France, shared his delectable Flambéed Pear Purses with Caramel Sauce and Ganâche on Just One Cookbook last December when I was in Taiwan. I hope you will stop by his wonderful site. Have a wonderful week ahead!
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Daikon Salad with Ume Plum Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 inch daikon radish
- 7 oz mizuna (Japanese mustard green) (substitute it with cucumber or microgreens)
- 3 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) (optional)
Japanese Plum Dressing:
- 1 umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums)
- 3 Tbsp ponzu (for my homemade recipe, click here)
- 1 Tbsp roasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp sugar
For Garnish
- 2 Tbsp katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (optional)
- 2 Tbsp ikura (salmon roe) (optional)
Instructions
- Using a mandoline slicer, shred daikon into thin stick pieces.
- Soak shredded daikon in cold water for 5-10 minutes to get the crunchy texture and get rid of the bitter flavor.
- Cut mizuna into 2 inches (5 cm).
- Chiffonade shiso leaves.
- Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss it all together.
- Remove the seed from umeboshi and chop it into small pieces.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them all together.
- Serve chilled. Sprinkle katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and ikura (salmon roe) if you like. Pour the dressing when you are ready to serve.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Add the toppings and dressing before you serve.
Hello Nami,
Do you need to grate or cut the umeboshi into smaller pieces, or does it go into the dressing whole?
Thanks!
Hi Michelle, Yes, you need to cut them into smaller pieces. Please check step 6. Thank you for trying this recipe!
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