There is just something eternally satisfying in Asian food that for some god forsaken reason doesn’t come after a bowl of the best spaghetti or even a pizza. Maybe that’s why from time immemorial the West has levitated towards the East for its rich spices and unique flavours. Last evening I was craving salad and to be honest I didn’t have the energy nor the time, nor the inclination to make anything complicated or even semi-complicated. I popped open the fridge (in an attempt to figure out what to make) and found: cherry tomatoes, rocket leaves, purple romaine lettuce. To that I added some red onion, pine nuts and these wonderful baby mandarins that were peeking at me from the fruit bowl. And it was the dressing that did wonders. Completely uncomplicated, pop open bottles and tubes and just mix. No salt, no pepper, no herbs, no cheese, no bread— and still a smash hit! And all of this made in less than 5 minutes. I promise!
Asian Salad with Baby Mandarins, Rocket, Red Onion and Pine Nuts (serves 4-5)
Salad Ingredients:
1. 1 packet Rocket Leaves
2. 1 bunch purple lettuce
3. 1 bag cherry tomatoes, halved
4. 1 red onion, cut and separated to make thin rings
5. 50gm pine nuts, slightly toasted
6. 2 baby mandarins, or 1 regular sized mandarin/orange/blood orange
Dressing Ingredients:
1. 1 tbs soy sauce
2. 1 tbs mirin
3. 1 tsp wasabi paste
4. 1 tsp sesame oil
5. 1 tsp orange flavoured extra virgin olive oil (or just use regular extra virgin and a tsp of orange juice)
6. 1 tsp honey
Method:
1. Clean the salad leaves thoroughly and once cleaned and stems removed, tear into palm sized or smaller pieces and leave to sit in an ice bath while you prep the rest of the salad.
2. Carefully remove the wedges of the mandarins and discard the remains. Make sure to keep the wedges whole since you don’t want the salad to be swamped with orange juice.
3. Mix in all the dressing ingredients well for a minute or two- making sure the honey and wasabi are well incorporated.
4. Place the dried salad leaves, cherry tomatoes, mandarin wedges, onion rings and pine nuts in a salad bowl. Throw in the dressing and toss lightly and serve!
