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Kohlrabi Slivers and Pea Shoots with Sesame Dressing

4.3

(5)

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Photo by Ditte Isager

Food editor Maggie Ruggiero became enamored of a sesame-dressed salad at Donguri, a Japanese home-cooking restaurant in New York City. This is her take on it. Because the sesame seeds are unhulled, they have a richness that flatters the freshness of spring vegetables—here, cool kohlrabi and sweet pea shoots.

Cooks' note:

• Salad and dressing can be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately, covered. If dressing is too thick to drizzle, thin with 1 teaspoon water.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    20 min

  • Yield

    Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

2 ounces snow-pea shoots, halved (2 cups)
3/4 pound trimmed kohlrabi bulbs
1/3 cup Japanese-style sesame seeds (not hulled), toasted
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 tablespoon water

Equipment:

an adjustable-blade slicer (fitted with julienne blade) or a julienne peeler; a suribachi (Japanese sesame-seed-grinding bowl) or an electric coffee/spice grinder

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring 2 quarts water to a boil with 2 teaspoons salt, then quickly blanch pea shoots until color brightens, about 10 seconds. Drain immediately and transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.

    Step 2

    Peel kohlrabi bulbs with a small sharp knife, then cut into matchsticks with slicer. Toss together with shoots in a serving dish.

    Step 3

    Finely grind sesame seeds in suribachi or grinder, then transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. (Dressing will be thick; thin slightly with additional water if desired.)

    Step 4

    Serve salad drizzled with some of dressing and serve remainder on the side.

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