Japanese Kale Salad
This one is a wonderful addition to your ‘raw-centric’ winter repertoire. You can make and assemble the whole multi-layered salad, or just make parts of it and use them as sides to brighten up your usual dishes.
It is a firm favourite on our menus at Wild Food Cafe, and it is also one of the recipes we teach at the plant-based chef and integral wellbeing leadership programmes where we study in depth the method of assembly and the art of flavour.
Let’s tuck in.
Japanese Kale Salad
Ingredients (serves 1)
40g kale, well massaged
2 tbsp kimchi [prep earlier or purchase from a health food store]
2 tbsp marinated shiitake mushroom & oyster mushroom
2 tbsp diced cucumber
2 tbsp diced red pepper
1 tbsp hemp seed
half cup of sunflower sour cream
1 tbsp of soaked wakame seaweed
2 tbsp pre-cooked chestnut [optional]
garnish: thin slices of spring onion and activated mixed seeds
Fermented Kimchi:
2 large carrot
1 large Chinese cabbage
250 g mooli
1 tsp probiotics (optional)
1 shallot
Chop all the veg and put it aside.
In the meantime, in the Vitamix blend:
20g spring onion
20g ginger
20g garlic
one-fourth cup of tamari 1 and a half tbsp olive oil half tbsp sea salt
half tsp white pepper
one-fourth cup of water
1 tbsp Korean red pepper
[2 tsp toasted sesame oil optional]
Blend all together. Once well blended, add the mix into the vegetables and mix well with your hands. Put in a container/jar, cover and leave it in room temperature overnight. Next day place in the fridge to stop further fermentation.
Sour Cream Sauce:
1 cup of sunflower seeds
half cup of tahini
3 cups of water
Blend until smooth.
Flavourings:
2 lemon juice
2 tsp salt
7 tbsp N/Y
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
half cup apple cider vinegar half cup olive oil
2 tbsp agave
Method
Blend until smooth, if it is too thick add water slowly, and blend again. Taste and add more or less sourness and saltness.
To assemble, massage the sour cream into the kale, add chopped veggies, top with kimchi and optional nori piece and hulled hemp.
With Celebration & Appreciation,
Joel & Aiste
