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–+ servings

Japanese Yamitsuki Lettuce Salad

Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2

Ingredients  

  • 150 g lettuce leaves I recommend iceberg lettuce
  • 1 sheet roasted seaweed for sushi (nori) topping, or Korean seaweed, torn by hand

Yamitsuki Dressing

Instructions 

  • Rip 150 g lettuce leaves into rough pieces and place them in a bowl of cold water while you mix the sauce.
    lettuce leaves soaking in a bowl of water on a white background
  • Add all of the sauce ingredients to a bowl (1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp dashi granules, ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, ½ tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp yellow miso paste (awase), ½ tsp rice vinegar, ⅛ tsp salt, and ground black pepper) and mix.
    Sauce for yamitsuki lettuce mixed in a steel mixing bowl on a white background
  • Drain the lettuce and dry thoroughly, either using a salad spinner or kitchen paper. It's important the lettuce leaves aren't wet as any remaining water will dilute the sauce. Then add them to the bowl of sauce and mix by hand until evenly coated.
    Mixing lettuce leaves with dressing in a mixing bowl to make yamitsuki lettuce
  • Transfer to a serving bowl. Tear 1 sheet roasted seaweed for sushi (nori) into rough pieces and sprinkle it over the top.
    sprinkling torn nori over yamitsuki lettuce on a white and blue striped bowl
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!
    yamitsuki lettuce and nori held up with black chopsticks

Notes

Chicken bouillon powder varies by brand. My brand is 1 tsp per 200 ml, so if yours is more concentrated (e.g., 1 tsp per 300 ml), use less to avoid oversalting.
Soak lettuce in cold water to ensure maximum crunchiness and crisp texture.
Tear lettuce by hand rather than cutting with a knife to prevent discoloration and maintain fiber structure. Hand-torn edges also hold dressing better than knife-cut edges.
Mix dressing with hands to make sure even coating on all lettuce leaves. Use gentle massaging motions when mixing to help flavors combine thoroughly.
Store the dressing in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep dressing and lettuce stored separately.