Author Notes
This recipe came to me when i was trying to figure out a hearty salad dish to cater for both vegetarians and nonvegetarians. I love Shiso, which is a japanese herb, people call it 'japanese basil', even though i think it tastes and smells completely different.Growing up, I was fortunate to have shiso leaves growing wild in our yard. It will always remind of summer. Ume is japanese salted/preserved plum that is amazingly tart and makes your mouth water. i was at whole foods a few months ago and saw dandelion leaves which i hadn't eaten since i was a little kid. I bought it and threw it into the mix and ended up loving the combination. This salad dish is perfect for a summer day. I suggest pairing it with grilled shrimp to make this meal complete! —Lei
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Ingredients
- 'for the salad'- english cucumbers, dandelion leaves, daikon radish, pearl barley, grape tomatoes
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2
english cucumbers
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1
Daikon radish
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1 bunch
Dandelion leaves
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1 cup
pearl barley (uncooked)
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1 cup
grape tomatoes
- 'for the dressing'
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3 tablespoons
mirin (japanese cooking wine)
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2 tablespoons
rice vinegar (unsweetened)
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2 teaspoons
umeboshi plum vinegar
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2 teaspoons
soy sauce
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1 teaspoon
packed light brown sugar
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1 teaspoon
sesame oil
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2 teaspoons
extra virgin olive oil
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1 bunch
shiso leaves
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3 tablespoons
umeboshi plum paste
Directions
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in a pot, pour 3 cups of water and 1 cup of barley. bring to a boil. reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 45 minutes.
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cut the cucumbers in cubes and add into a big bowl.
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peel the skin of the daikon radish and cut into cubes. add into the bowl with cucumbers
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cut the grape tomatoes in halves and add to the bowl with cucumbers and daikon.
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cut the stems off the dandelion leaves and roughly chop the leaves into smaller pieces. add into the bowl with the rest of the vegetables
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after the barley is cooked, wait about 15 minutes to cool, then add the barley to the bowl of vegetables
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take the shiso leaves and roughly chop them. set aside in a separate bowl.
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add all the 'dressing ingredients' into the bowl with the shiso leaves. use a hand blender to blend all the ingredients (if you dont own a hand blender, a regular blender is also fine to use).
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pour the dressing over the salad and toss to make sure the salad is coated all around. plate and serve!
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