Garlic and Sesame Oil Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove medium size
- 1 tbsp Japanese dark soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar (komezu)
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tbsp bonito flakes (katsuobushi) crushed into a powder (you can do this by crushing it in your hand)
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
- Grate 1 garlic clove with a microplane grater or Japanese-style grater (oroshi-gane).
- Place the grated garlic in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Whisk until well combined. Alternatively, put everything in a mason jar and shake vigorously until combined.
- Whisk or shake right before pouring and enjoy with your favorite salad!
Notes
Mix it fully or it splits: This dressing has no emulsifier, so a quick fork stir leaves the oil apart from the soy sauce and vinegar. Seal it in a jar and shake hard, or run a milk frother through it, until it turns glossy.
Dry the greens before dressing: Water clinging to the leaves repels the oil, so the dressing slides to the bottom of the bowl instead of coating anything. Spin or pat the vegetables until they are properly dry, then toss.
Dress it at the last moment: Toss the salad right before it goes to the table. Sitting in the dressing softens the leaves, and the garlic and aroma are at their brightest fresh.
The olive oil is on purpose: I cut the toasted sesame oil with a little olive oil, 1 part olive to 2 parts sesame, so it sits lighter on the leaves. This blend is my own, not the standard formula.
Tame a fierce garlic clove: Some bulbs run much sharper than others. If yours is aggressive, grate a little less than the recipe says, or let the mixed dressing rest 10 to 15 minutes so the raw edge settles before it hits the salad.
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