Spring Vegetable & Chicken Salad
Greg Dunmore
Servings
4
This bright, satisfying salad celebrates the flavors of spring, pairing tender vegetables with savory chicken and a tangy karashi mustard dressing. While asparagus and fava beans are wonderful seasonal choices, feel free to adapt the recipe with whatever vegetables look best at the market. It's equally at home as a light lunch, a starter, or alongside food from the grill.
Ingredients
-
¼ cup Dashi
-
3 tablespoons Yamaki Jozo Organic Soy Sauce, divided
- 2 tablespoons sake, divided
-
8 medium fresh shitake mushrooms, whole
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Black pepper to taste
- 4 chicken tenders, left whole or 2 breasts, sliced lengthwise ¼-inch thick
- ½ Ib. asparagus, steamed and sliced into 2 inch pieces
- ½ Ib. fava bean pods, blanched and peeled
- 4 to 6 oz. salad greens (arugula, spring mix, or similar)
-
1 tablespoon prepared Yamasei Organic Karashi Mustard
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
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2 tablespoons Yamaki Jozo Organic Soy Sauce
-
1½ to 2 tablespoons Kono Akasu Red Vinegar (or Iio Jozo Akasu Red Vinegar Premium if available)
- 1 or 2 teaspoons sugar
- Black pepper, to taste
For the salad:
For the dressing:
Directions
Bring the dashi, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the sake to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. When they're cool enough to handle, slice the mushrooms into ¼-inch pieces.
In a frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon sake and 2 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce), the sugar and a couple of grinds of black pepper. Add the chicken and simmer 4 to 8 minutes, or until fully cooked.
To make the dressing, mix the karashi and olive oil. Whisk in the remaining dressing ingredients. Dip a leaf of salad green into the dressing and taste. If needed, add a bit of additional vinegar, sugar or pepper to your taste.
Toss the vegetables, chicken and dressing together, making sure to use a touch of the mushroom and chicken cooking liquids. Place the dressed chicken and vegetables on top of a bed of the salad greens.