Hiroi’s Broccoli Salad with Tahini Dressing
Serves : 4
Cooking Time : 20 mins
I first tasted this at lunch with a Japanese artist friend of mine, who had prepared an exquisite meal for me, including this simple salad. I’ve since seen versions in cook books by Susan Jane White and Ottolenghi, but Hiroi tells me that it is a traditional Japanese dish, so I’m giving her the credit here!
Ingredients:
Salad:
1/2 a head of broccoli (the fancy purple sprouting kind is nice when in season)
a good handful of French beans
a good handful of mange tout
a good handful of baby spinach leaves, or tender regular spinach leaves finely chopped
2 tbsp tasted sesame seeds (I like to mix the white and black kind together as it looks very pretty)
Dressing:
50g / approx 1 cup of tahini
3-4 tbsp water
1 small garlic clove
1 tsp tamari soya sauce
2 tsp honey
3/4 tbsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp rice mirin
pinch of salt
Method
Trim the beans and mange tout, trim leaves off broccoli, and cut lengthways into bite sized pieces if using regular broccoli. I like to leave the long stalks intact as they bring a lovely peppery flavour to the dish.
Blanch the broccoli, French beans and mange tout for 2 minutes and then submerge in cold water to stop cooking. spread out on a tea towel and pat to remove excess water.
To make the dressing whisk all the ingredients together, leaving the water until last. Add the water slowly, mixing as you go. The dressing should be pourable but not too runny, so go slow with the adding!
Pop the veg in a bowl (I find a wide flat bowl is best for this salad, although Hiroi served it to me in delicate portion in a bowl which was also lovely). Dress the vegetables with the tahini sauce and mix gently but well. Then add in the spinach and mix again. Top with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and serve.