Chilled Wilted Tatsoi Salad Recipe with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

A few weeks ago I went to the Salt Lake Downtown Alliance Farmer's Market for the first time this year and got some Tatsoi. I had only vaguely heard of Tatsoi, but I thought it would be fun to try. Apparently it's a type of Asian greens related to bok choy that can be eaten raw or cooked. It's becoming popular and is now grown around the world. Interestingly, the plant is resistant to cold, and several sources mentioned it can be harvested from underneath snow. Apparently Tatsoi grows in a lovely bunch like this, but what I got was a bag of leaves, and more searching revealed that you can harvest the whole plant or individual leaves. I did find a few other bloggers talking about Tatsoi (mostly people who had received it in their CSA box and were wondering what to do with it!) Some people compare the flavor to mustard greens, but I found it to be milder, more like swiss chard, and very pleasant. Since there are new rules for Weekend Herb Blogging which request focusing on herbs or unusual plant ingredients, I thought Tatsoi would be a fun thing to feature. This week's host is Simona from Briciole, and here is where to send your entry if you'd like to participate.

This is how my Tatsoi leaves looked when I finally dumped them out of the bag a few days after I bought them. After I washed the leaves, I sliced them into strips.

I used a recipe adapted from Big Oven which called for blanching the Tatsoi for a minute in boiling water, then draining it quickly.

Then the drained Tatsoi should be plunged into ice water to stop the cooking process. (I used the salad spinner for this step.)

You're going to love this part. I mixed the asian dressing right in the bowl I was going to use for the salad, which eliminated dirtying another dish.>

Then the wilted Tatsoi is added to the dressing and chilled for an hour or more before serving. I ate this on a very hot day, and it was a refreshing change from more traditional salad.

Chilled Wilted Tatsoi Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
(Makes about 2 servings, recipe adapted from Big Oven, who got it from the New York Times.)

10-12 ounces Tatsoi leaves
sesame seeds, for garnish (I used a mix of black and white sesame seeds, but you can use whichever type you have)

Dressing:
2 T soy sauce (I used Tamari)
1 T rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tsp. grated ginger root
1 tsp. sugar or Splenda (use Splenda for the South Beach Diet)
1/2 tsp. Sriracha (or other types of Asian hot chile sauce would work)
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and fill another bowl with cold water and a handful of ice cubes. Wash Tatsoi leaves (I used a salad spinner) and cut into thick strips. Dump Tatsoi into boiling water, time for exactly one minutes, then drain immediately into colander and dump into bowl with ice water. (I used used the salad spinner again for the ice water.)

While Tatsoi is cooling in ice water, get a plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid that's large enough to hold all the Tatsoi. Mix dressing ingredients in this bowl, then drain Tatsoi well and add to dressing. Chill in the refrigerator an hour or more, turning bowl over a few times so Tatsoi remains coated with the dressing.

To serve, use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove Tatsoi from bowl and arrange on serving plates. Toast sesame seeds for 1-2 minutes in a dry pan and sprinkle over salad. (If using a mixture, the black seeds burn more quickly than the white ones.) Serve immediately.

I ate half of this and kept the other half in the fridge for a day. It was still okay the second day, but much better freshly made.

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South Beach Suggestions:

Made with Splenda, this is a perfect side dish for any phase of the South Beach Diet, and would be great for any type of low-glycemic eating plan. This would be great to accompany something like Grilled Chicken with Asian Marinade or Stir-Fried Tofu.

More Bloggers Who've Discovered Tatsoi:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Char Sui Lo Mein from Tigers and Strawberries
Tatsoi with Mushrooms and Indian Spices from The Crispy Cook
Brown Butter Pasta with Tatsoi from Appetite for China
Unusual Vegetables from Tea And Cookies
Fennel, Lime, and Tatsoi Risotto with Backstrap of Lamb from Abstract Gourmet
Tatsoi Sauteed with Mushrooms and Garlic from Anna's Cool Finds

Want even more recipes?
I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There's a great way to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
It's easy to find out who's hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week.
There are new rules for Weekend Herb Blogging.
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