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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
1 minute
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Serves
2
Author Notes
Shiro Ae (White Dressing) is a delicious, savory side dish served at Japanese inns. Usually, not-too-sweet tofu dresses spinach or squash. Here I've combined walnuts with honeydew and grapes to add extra crunch with great flavor.
The Super Secret: South Beach/ Low Carb Diets look down on soft fruits with a high sugar content. But by adding protein (here walnuts & tofu) the glucose enters the blood stream more slowly, meaning a lower glycemic count. For years, I've made Persimmon Walnut Shiro Ae, but since persimmons weren't in season, and that Honeydew was winking at me from the sideboard.... —BoulderGalinTokyo
Ingredients
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1/4 cup
Walnuts
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100 grams
Silken Tofu (1/3 cup), drained
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1 teaspoon
Soy sauce (I used white shoyu)
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1 teaspoon
granulated sugar
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1/4
Honeydew Melon (generous 1 cup melon balls)
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10
Green Beans, tops and strings removed
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1/2 cup
Seedless Grapes (mixed red, green or black
Directions
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Crumble the walnuts in a mortar with a pestle or in a Japanese tsuribachi but not too fine.
This can be made in a food processor, but pulse the walnuts, stopping when the nuts are about in 1/4 inch-size.
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Add the smashed tofu to the walnuts. This is the Shiro Ae (White Dressing)
(In food processor, mix but stop before it becomes a paste, leave some texture to the walnuts.)
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Add soy sauce and sugar (or sweetener) to the walnut tofu mixture.
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Microwave green beans until soft (about 1 minute) on high (depends on your microwave). Put beans in ice water.
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Cut the melon. I make melon balls, but squares are fine.
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Section the grapes (removing seeds) into fourths or eights depending on their size.
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Mix and serve.
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Note--Grapes: I used Crimson from Australia, they are like Red Globe but without the seeds. Any grapes are fine if you have the time to pick the seeds out.
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Sweetener is a matter of choice. Keep the flavor proportion of sweet to soy sauce at 1 to 1. Agave and honey will add some liquid, so mix just before serving to prevent the tofu from separating.
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