If you’re following along, and cooking up some of the recipes I’ve been featuring, the next essential ingredient to add to your Asian pantry is the rich, salty, Japanese seasoning paste – Miso.
The explosion in popularity of miso has not only led to a wide variety of miso flavors, but also in how it is used. Once a staple in making Japanese soups, miso has now become a favorite in giving a punch to fusion dishes, where it’s added into everything from marinades to sauces to salad dressings.
For a taste of its versatility and savory, distinctive flavor, choose a yellow or white miso from the grocery store, and whip up this Red Cabbage Salad with Spicy Miso Dressing.
In this Red Cabbage Salad with Spicy Miso Dressing, I combined a yellow miso with Greek yogurt, rice vinegar, mirin, honey, toasted sesame oil, and our Spicy Korean Chili Seasoning. The creamy dressing is then tossed together with a bed of red cabbage, julienned carrot, red onion slices, shredded chicken, fresh scallion and mint leaves.
It makes a lively fusion salad that is bursting with colors and flavors.
I used chicken in the recipe, but you can certainly switch it up with grilled tofu or crispy tofu cubes. Either serve the tofu on the side or place it on top of the salad. Drizzle in a little more toasted sesame oil and extra sprinkles of our Spicy Korean Chili Seasoning to give it a little extra zing.
To make it a meal, we love the salad in a pita wrap, but you can definitely go without a carb, and enjoy the salad as is for lunch on these hot July days.
Red Cabbage Salad with Spicy Miso Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 small red cabbage – shredded
- 1/2 medium red onion – sliced thinly
- 2 medium carrots – julienned
- About 1.5 cups of shredded chicken poached or grilled, or tofu for vegetarian version
- 1/3 cup loosely packed mint leaves – julienned save some for garnishing
- 2 scallions – sliced thinly
- Squeeze of lemon juice
For the spicy miso dressing:
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 1/2 tbsp white or yellow miso
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp mirin sweetened Japanese rice wine [optional]
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil or more to taste
- 2-3 tsp Season with Spice’s Spicy Korean Chili Seasoning plus more for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, red onion, shredded chicken or tofu, and julienned mint.
- In a small bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, miso, rice vinegar, mirin (if using), honey, and toasted sesame oil. Add in Spicy Korean Chili Seasoning and stir everything together. Taste and adjust the ingredients if needed.
- Add dressing into the salad, and toss well to combine. Squeeze in lemon juice and top with fresh mint and scallion. Sprinkle with more Spicy Korean Chili Seasoning and a few drizzles of toasted sesame oil.