A Trio of Japanese Vegetable Side Dishes

Loren made these…
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Daikon-Carrot Salad
Am easy recipe from FoodNetwork.com
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds daikon, peeled
Kosher salt
1 pound carrots
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
1/8 of a Napa cabbage (optional)
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 3/4 teaspoons black sesame seeds
Directions:
Shave the daikon into ribbons with a vegetable peeler. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a colander; let drain in the sink, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, shave the carrots into ribbons with the peeler and slice cabbage into thin pieces.
Make the dressing: Whisk the ginger, vinegar, lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the vegetable oil and sesame oil until blended. Toast the sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until the white seeds are golden, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon seeds to the dressing. Toss the daikon, cabbage and carrots with the dressing and season with salt. Top with the remaining sesame seeds.
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Cucumber Sunomono
Ingredients
2 large cucumbers, peeled
1/3 cup rice vinegar
4 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
Directions
  1. Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out any large seeds. Slice crosswise into very thin slices.
  2. In a small bowl combine vinegar, sugar, salt and ginger. Mix well. Place cucumbers inside of the bowl, stir so that cucumbers are coated with the mixture. Refrigerate the bowl of cucumbers for at least 1 hour before serving.
SPINACH WITH SESAME SEED DRESSING #2 (HORENSO NO GOMA AE)
PREP TIME: 10 mins TOTAL TIME: 12 mins
SERVES: 4
ABOUT THIS RECIPE
“The first version of this salad that I ever made, from “The Japanese Cooking Class Cookbook”. I think it’s still my favorite version. If you don’t have 2 tbsp. of dashi on hand (and who does?), or want a vegan version, use vegetable stock or water instead. NOTE: Sesame seeds love to pop right out of the skillet; I’d recommend using one with high sides or even a medium saucepan for toasting them.”
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dashi
1 quart water
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces spinach
DIRECTIONS
Heat sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat, stirring or shaking pan constantly, until seeds are light brown and first popping sound occurs, about 2 minutes.
Reserve 1 teaspoons (5 ml.) of the toasted sesame seeds. Grind remaining seeds in a mortar and pestle or grinder until smooth. Combine ground seeds, sugar, soy sauce, and dashi in a small bowl to make dressing. Set aside.
Heat 1 quart (1 liter) water and the salt to boiling in a 2-quart saucepan; add spinach. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until spinach is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain spinach. Rinse undeer cold running water; drain. Squeeze spinach to remove excess moisture. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
Combine spinach and dressing in a medium bowl and toss lightly until thoroughly mixed. Divide evenly into 4 small bowls and garnish with reserved sesame seeds.