VEGETABLES: A Simple & Delicious Pressed Salad
A Simple & Delicious Pressed Salad
Chinese Cabbage (napa cabbage), shredded or sliced thin
Red Radishes, cut into thin rounds
Sea salt
1. Wash and slice vegetables into very thin slices.
2. In a large bowl, mix vegetables and add about 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt per cup of chopped vegetables.
3. Mix gently by hand.
4
Transfer to a salad press and apply pressure to the press. If a press is not available, leave in a bowl and
place a small plate that fits inside the bowl, adding a weight on top of the plate.
5. Let the vegetables sit for 30?60minutes or more (depending on the vegetables, harder vegetables take
longer, leafy vegetables take less time) or until water is expelled from the vegetables.
6. If the vegetables taste too salty, quickly rinse under water.
7. Serve plain, with lemon juice, rice vinegar, or umeboshi vinegar.
• Nice pressed salads include: mustard greens or radish greens, chopped finely and pressed for 30 minutes; cabbage leaves, finely chopped, layered with sea salt, and pressed for 30 minutes; carrots, grated, shredded, or cut into matchsticks, pressed for 30 minutes.
• Ingredients may be pressed longer, up to a couple of days, to make light pickles.
• Brown rice vinegar, umeboshi vinegar, or shoyu may be used for variety in the pressing instead of salt.
VEGETABLES: Watercress with Sesame & Shiso
2 bunches of watercress
1 Tablespoon minced pickled shiso (the dark leaves in the umeboshi jar)
2 Tablespoons chopped roasted sesame seeds
1 sheet of nori, torn in 1/2 inch pieces
Pot of boiling water
1. Bring about 2 to 3 inches of water to boil in a cooking pot.
2. Wash, clean and drain watercress.
3. Place 1 bunch of watercress in the pot of rapidly boiling water
4. Cook about 5 to 7 minutes until watercress is tender but still bright green.
5. Remove from water, drain and allow to cool. Cook the second bunch of watercress.
6. Squeeze out some of the extra water from the cooked watercress.
7. Cut in 1/2 inch pieces and toss with the chopped shiso and half of the sesame seeds.
8. Arrange in a mound on a serving dish. Garnish with the remaining chopped, toasted sesame seeds and the pieces of nori. Eat immediately.
VEGETABLES: Turnips with Miso & Snowpeas
Turnips with Miso & Snowpeas
3 – 5 small firm turnips cut from top to bottom into 1″ thick wedges
Handful of snow peas
2-3 teaspoons barley miso
Water
1. Place turnips in a saucepan, adding about 1/2″ water to the bottom of the pot
2. Cover with a lid.
3. Bring to a high boil, and then reduce flame to a medium low.
4. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until just tender.
4. Snap off stem end of each snow pea and remove “strings”.
5. Dilute miso in a little water and spoon over the top of the turnips.
6. Place snow peas on top of turnips.
7. Shut off the flame and cover with the lid, allowing the heat from the turnips to cook the snow peas
just until they turn bright green, but are still a little crunchy. Remove the lid.
8.Serve immediately.
SALADS: Crispy Cooked Watercress Salad with Shiso & Minced Ginger Pickle
Crispy Cooked Watercress Salad with Shiso & Minced Ginger
Ingredients
• 2 bunches fresh watercress
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger pickle
• 1 tablespoon shiso (from the umeboshi jar), minced
Preparation
Wash watercress
Bring about 2 inches of water to rapid boil in a medium-size pot. Place one good handful of
watercress in the boiling water. After the water returns to a boil, continue boiling for about 3-4 minutes.
Remove from pot and spread out on a bamboo basket or hang over the sides of a colander to cool. Repeat the
process until all the watercress is cooked. Chop the watercress and place in a bowl. Mix in the minced shiso and
ginger pickle.
