Her method is to microwave the carrots, onion, garlic, and oil in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for about a minute and a half. Since I don’t have a microwave, I did this in a pan and it worked out great. The tangy dressing goes well with the sweetness of the carrots and the addition of tuna makes it feel substantial. It’s really my kind of salad—great texture and a good amount of protein. I know it’s only January, but with LA weather in the 80s, I’m already thinking this would be perfect to take on a picnic.

Carrot and Tuna Salad
Adapted from Your Japanese Kitchen 2
Makes 4 servings

4 medium carrots (about 7 oz./200g), cut into matchsticks
1/4 small onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 can solid white tuna, drained

1 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp shoyu
ground pepper

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, shoyu, and ground pepper. Mix well and set aside.

In a pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots and stir well. Cook until the carrots are “al dente”—soft, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the tuna and the dressing to the bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Let sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about an hour to let the flavors meld before eating.

Recently my mom sent me this simple recipe for sesame dressing. She suggested mixing it with steamed broccoli, but you could also use it as a dip for sliced cucumbers, or as a dressing for a simple green salad or tofu salad. I like it with the broccoli, though, because the sweet, slightly tangy dressing gets caught in the florets and goes great with the crunchy texture. Did I mention the kick of wasabi? Yes, it has a nice punch. You can also vary it by substituting the wasabi for karashi (Japanese hot mustard) or even miso. If you don’t like it spicy, you could omit the wasabi altogether and it will still be delicious.

The ingredients are few, but one thing you need to have is a suribachi and surikogi (Japanese mortar and pestle). This might work in a small food processor, but mine wiped out recently so I can’t give it a whirl. Maybe even a coffee grinder will pulverize the sesame seeds, which you could then transfer to another bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients. If you try either method, let me know if it works!

Yoko’s Sesame Dressing

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise (I used Best Foods)
1 tsp. wasabi (adjust this according to your preference)

Grind the sesame seeds in the suribachi well. They might get stuck in between the grooves, but don’t worry about trying to get them out. Proceed by adding the sugar and vinegar and grind into a paste. Finally add the mayonnaise and wasabi and mix until incorporated well.

If you are using broccoli, cut florets and stem and steam for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before mixing in the dressing or it will turn watery. Top with ground sesame, if you like, and serve immediately.

The onions are soaked in water for 5 minutes and will mellow out wonderfully. I made this twice in the last couple of days and the onions taste better and soak up more of the dressing if they are finely chopped (more than in the photo). The shiso… well, what can I say about it that I haven’t already said. I love it. The dressing is salty and tart and goes perfectly with a slice of the juicy, sweet tomato. Hope you give it a try.

Tomato and Shiso Salad
Inspired by オレンジテーブル３おつまみになるおかず
Makes 2 servings

1 tomato
1/2 small onion
3 shiso leaves
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 Tbsp. shoyu
1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
fresh ground pepper

Remove the stem from the tomato and slice 3/8″ thick. Finely chop the onion and shiso and place in separate bowls of water and let soak for 5 minutes.

Combine the sesame oil, shoyu, vinegar, and ground pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

Drain the onion and shiso separately and pat dry. Put the tomato on a plate, top with onion, then shiso, and drizzle dressing.

No, something was missing. The recipe was on the right track, but the flavors didn’t come through like I had expected. I was hoping for something close to the American version, but it was nothing like it. But I’m not giving up on it! Maybe next time I’ll take a cue from the Germans and let the hot potatoes soak up some vinegar and shoyu to give it more flavor. Or I’ll use mayonnaise instead of the tofu. Health-wise, cutting out the mayo was a great idea, but who are we kidding? Tofu is never a sufficient substitute for mayo.

Japanese New Potato Salad
Adapted from Japanese Pure and Simple
Makes 4 servings

14 oz. new potatoes, washed and scrubbed
10.5 oz. silken tofu
1/2 Tbsp. sesame paste (or smooth peanut butter)
1 1/2 Tbsp. white miso
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. light shoyu
1 tsp. mirin
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 stalk green onion, chopped

Double up 2 paper towel sheets (or use a kitchen towel) and carefully wrap the tofu. Set in a strainer and let sit for a couple of hours to drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, miso, sugar, shoyu, mirin, vinegar. Add the tofu and with a fork or a whisk, break up the tofu and mix until well incorporated.

Boil the potatoes until a knife easily passes through, about 5-8 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes. Drain and once cool to touch, peel the skin off with your fingers by pinching the skin and slipping off in pieces. Place the potatoes in a bowl and add 5-6 tablespoons of the tofu mixture, sprinkle with green onions and serve.

The tofu mixture is best eaten the day it’s made, but can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also serve this as a dip for vegetables.

The original recipe called for good-quality silken (kinugoshi) tofu, lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, charsiu, green onions, and wonton skins. We used what we had on hand and ended up with a meatless version with asparagus. I used leftover gyoza (instead of wonton) skins I had in the freezer, and that seemed to work fine. I sliced about 10 skins thinly, fried in a lot of oil until golden (stirring constantly so they didn’t stick to each other), then let it sit on paper towels until the ingredients of the salad were being prepared.

The dressing was tart—perfect for a light summer meal. I know we’ll be having more Kari Pari Tofu Salad as the days begin to heat up in Southern California. Oh, the dreadful heat to come that’s to come. . . 

Kari Pari Tofu Salad Dressing
Adapted from クロワッサン (December 10, 2004 issue)
Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup low sodium shoyu
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. ponzu
1 heaping tsp. sugar

Mix ingredients and pour over tofu salad.

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