chinese cabbage salad

Chinese cabbage(hakusai)is a queen of the winter vegetable in Japan. Surprisingly I have never eaten raw chinese cabbage until this winter. I have never tried or never thought about hakusai salad. So this winter I ate a lot of raw chinese cabbage with variety of dressing and enjoyed it's crunchiness and sweetness.

I would like to post chinese cabbage salad with two different type of dressing.







salad 1

chinese cabbage, cut into 1/4 inch wide
carrot, julienned
Bryanna's tofu "feta",crumbled(Vegan Feast Kitchen: Bryanna Clark)
toasted sesame seeds
hot sesame oil


dressing
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon agave nectar
combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Place chinese cabbage, carrot, tofu "feta", in a bowl. Add 1-2 teaspoons or more to taste, dressing over the salad, sprinkle hot sesame oil and sesame seeds, and toss gently.






salad 2
chinese cabbage,cut into 1/4inch wide
carrot, julienned
scallion, finely chopped

sesame sauce
5 table spoons toasted sesame seeds
1 table spoon miso
3 table spoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon agave nectar

Place sesame seeds into suribach (earthenwear mortar) and grind with surikogi(wooden pestle)very well until sesame seeds release the oil. Add miso, vinegar, and agave nectar mix well to make a creamy sauce.

Place chinese cabbage and carrot in a bowl. Add 1-2 table spoons, or more to taste, sesame sauce and toss gently, sprinkle chopped scallion.

mochi and veggetable casserole

When outside temperature is single-digit like today,I recommend this hearty mochi casserole ( no oven using ) to warm you up. This is a great winter meal I like to make often at home.




serves 1-2

1/3 package/4ounce mochi, Grainaissance whole-grain original mochi, cut into 1inch square
2 large collard green leaves, coarsely chopped
4 scallions, cut into 2 inch long
several thin slices of winter squash
1-2 table spoons sesame oil

tahini mixture
2 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons shouyu
1/4 teaspoon chili paste
1 teaspoon mirin or 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
1/3 cup water

To make a tahini mixture, in a small bowl put all ingredients except water and stir well. Add water little at a time, stir, to make thin sauce. Set a side.


Heat sesame oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, place winter squash slices in a single layer and cook until lightly brown. Add collard green and scallion, keep stirring up side down to coat the oil to vegetables. When vegetables become softer and reduce its volume, place mochi squares on top of vegetables, reduce heat and pour tahini mixture over vegetables and mochi.

Cover and simmer 7-10 minutes or until mochi melts and becomes soft.