Japanese Kale Salad with Shiitake Mushrooms
- Yield 8 servings
This delicious and healthy salad stars kale and mushrooms and is dressed with a light tamari dressing.
Ingredients
- Tamari Dressing:
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- Kale Salad:
- 1 cup packed dry arame*
- Water
- 2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps sliced (2 cups)
- 6 to 8 cups chopped kale (2 bunches)
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/2 cup grated daikon radish
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- To make dressing: In a nonreactive bowl, combine all ingredients well; set aside.
- To make salad: Cover arame with 2 cups boiling water and let soak 30 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Meanwhile, heat oils over high heat in a small saute pan or skillet. Add shiitake mushrooms and saute until golden; set aside to cool.
- In a covered pot place a steamer basket over 1/4 cup water. Add kale and steam 3 minutes until bright green. (Alternatively you can steam it in microwave.) Drain and plunge kale into ice-water bath to stop cooking. Gently squeeze water out of kale and fluff it in a nonreactive bowl.
- Add arame, carrots, radish, mushrooms and sesame seeds. Just before serving, toss with dressing.
*Arame is a mild-flavored sea vegetable available in natural food stores. To toast sesame seeds: Place in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, shaking pan periodically, until golden.
Recipe adapted from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook (Potter, 2002) by Steve Petusevsky.
