Japanese Salad Bowls with a Miso Tahini Dressing and Brown Rice

I love the shift of household staples with the changing season. As the weather warms up, in comes the salads and salad bowls. I’ve already shared Baked Tofu Kale Quinoa Salad with Glory Bowl Dressing and then I followed that up with the lighter alternative Light Summer Salad with a Garlic and Tahini Dressing. Now my love of Asian flavours has inspired this Japanese Salad Bowl served with a Miso Tahini Dressing and Brown Rice, just in time to see summer to its end.

Ingredients for Japanese Salad Bowls: Kale, carrot, cabbage, eggs, slivered almonds and brown rice

Nutrition

Miso

Miso contains live active cultures, also known as probiotics. There is some evidence to suggest that these friendly bacteria can support our gut health, which in turn supports a healthy metabolism, including insulin resistance, an important component of type 2 diabetes.

Tahini

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are particularly high in magnesium and zinc. Zinc is a mineral that many of us may not be getting enough of, and is essential in a healthy immune system. Other good sources of zinc include seafood (clams, mussels, oysters) and legumes (chickpeas, black beans)

Ingredients for Miso Tahini Dressing: Ginger, tahini, red miso paste, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil

Tips For Making This Miso Tahini Dressing

Which Miso Should I Use?

I like using red miso which is more traditional and robust, and less sweet. If you use a white miso, such as Shiro miso, try using less honey or maple syrup in the dressing and add to taste.

How To Boil The Perfect Egg

Place your eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil on the stovetop with the lid on. Once boiling, let the eggs boil on medium heat for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, turn off the stove and remove the eggs from the heat, keeping the lid on the pot. Let the eggs sit, covered in the saucepan and water, for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove eggs from the hot water and cool under running cold water to stop the cooking process. This results in perfect hard-boiled eggs, with a slightly softer yolk.

How Long Can I Store This Dressing For

The miso tahini dressing will stay good in the fridge for up to one week. Store it in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Stir to reconstitute before serving.

Notes For Making This Miso Tahini Dressing

Dressing Variations

Use It As A Marinade

To make a miso tahini marinated tofu, take a block of x-firm tofu (preferably already pressed). Slice the tofu into 1/2″ rectangles. Place tofu on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prepare the miso tahini dressing as per recipe instructions, and layer it on the tofu. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use It in a Stir-Fry

To make a miso tahini stir-fry, sautee up your vegetables until they are cooked to your liking. Prepare the miso tahini dressing as per recipe instructions. Finally, add the miso tahini dressing to the vegetables, making sure to heat only moderately so not to kill off the beneficial bacteria in the miso.

Make This Dressing Gluten-Free

To make the dressing glute-free, make sure to not use Mugi Miso which is made from fermenting barley.

Making It Soy Free

Use a chickpea-based miso which is made from fermenting chickpeas instead of soybeans, instead of traditional miso to make this dressing soy-free.

Add ingredients for miso tahini dressing to a blender, add water, and blend until smooth.

Print Recipe

Japanese Salad Bowls with a Miso Tahini Dressing and Brown Rice

This dressing is a great way to incorporate live-active culture-rich miso into your diet. This dressing will stay good for up to 5 days in the fridge so make a big batch if you wish and have it throughout the week.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Servings: 4

Calories: 400kcal

Author: Rachel @ The Conscious Dietitian

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup brown rice dry
• 8 eggs free range
• 1 bunch kale
• 2 carrots shredded
• 2 cups red cabbage shredded
• 1 bunch radishes finely sliced (optional)
• 1/2 long cucumber thinly sliced (optional)
• 1/4 cup almonds sliced

For the dressing

• 3 tbsp tahini raw
• 2 tbsp red miso
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 1 tbsp honey unpasteurized
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup water + 2 tbsp. optional

Instructions

• Start by preparing the rice as per package directions. Brown rice usually takes about 30 minutes to cook.
• For a slightly soft yoked boiled egg, place the eggs in a large saucepan and fill with water ensuring that the eggs are covered. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium and continue to let the eggs boil for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for another 5 minutes, covered. Drain and run the eggs under cold water to stop the cooking process.
• To prepare the salad, first, wash the vegetables. Remove the kale leaves from the stem and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces, discarding the stem. Add the kale to a salad bowl along with the shredded cabbage, shredded carrot, and sliced cucumber and sliced radishes if using.
• Option to toast the sliced almonds in a frying pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds before adding to the salad to intensify the flavour (I like to leave mine raw).
• To prepare the dressing mix all ingredients in a blender until well combined. Add the extra 2 tablespoons of water if you prefer a more runny dressing.
• Remove the shells from the eggs and slice. Serve the salad on top of a serving of brown rice, add the sliced eggs and sliced almonds to the salad bowl. Serve with the dressing on the side.