Tat Soi and Radish Salad with Carrot-Miso-Sesame Dressing

Photo by Sergio Salvador www.salvadorphoto.com

Tat soi is a tender Asian green with a delicate mustardy flavor, much like bok choy. It makes great salad when the spoon-shaped leaves are tiny, but it's better lightly cooked later in the season when it gets bigger. If you can't find it, just use any kind of tender greens. The spicy flavors of radishes and tat soi marry perfectly with this carrot dressing, adapted from a Sunset Magazine article.

3 C. carrot juice 

1/2 T. finely shredded fresh ginger

1 1/2 T. red or white miso

3 T. rice vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

½ t. sesame oil (preferably the good stuff, from an Asian grocery)

1 large bunch tat soi

4 radishes, thinly sliced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

Boil the carrot juice in a wide pot over medium-high heat, until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 25 minutes (if you don't have carrot juice and don't want to go out and buy it, see below.*) Let this cool, then whisk in the remaining ingredients. If desired, wilt the tat soi by steaming or microwaving for a minute or two, with just the water that clings to the leaves after washing. Arrange with the radishes and green onion, and drizzle with carrot dressing. Serves 2.

*To make carrot juice, you can chop and boil a few carrots until they are tender, then puree them with enough water to get a smooth texture. Squeeze the puree through a clean flour sack type dish towel to get the juice out. Lay the towel (just 1 layer) inside a strainer and pour the puree in, then take up the corners of the towel and twist to make a sack with the puree inside. You should be able to squeeze the juice out slowly by twisting it tighter. Or if you have patience, you can leave it in the fridge overnight and see how much drips out. This technique also comes in handy for making cantaloupe juice!