French Radishes with a Lemon Vinegar Dressing

This dish accompanies the all-meat japchae favoured by City Hunter and Junior Three.

Besides French radishes, you can use any other type of small radishes.

The dressing calls for lemon vinegar, which I found in my local Korean supermarket. It is similar to the apple vinegar used in this salad.

I only made a small bowl of these radishes, as a side dish. It doesn’t last long so just make as much as you think you need.

 

IMG_2460

 

For the Radish Salad:

A bunch of French radishes.

Black sesame seeds

 

For the Dressing:

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soya sauce

1 tablespoon lemon vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

 

How to Make:

Slice the radish leaves off and wash the radishes.

Cut each radish in half and place in a bowl.

Make the dressing by whisking the oil, soya sauce, vinegar and maple syrup together.

Pour as much of the dressing as you need over the radishes.

Sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

Serve immediately.

 

IMG_2466

IMG_2467

Tomatofu (토마토푸)

This dish accompanies the all-meat japchae favoured by City Hunter and Junior Three.

Tomatofu is what you get when you put tomato and tofu together. I think it’s quite a witty word.

Other words I like along these lines are Momofuku, Totoro and Yoku Moku.

The recipe is based on one I found in the Bibigo cookbook, with which I am still struggling. So the strategy continues: look at the pictures, look at the list of ingredients and use lots of common sense to work out how to make it.

The dressing calls for lemony soya sauce*, which I was able to find in my local Korean supermarket.

This recipe is for 4 people and I served it in individual bowls. Ideally it should be served in one large bowl to be shared communally. Eating, as with so many things in life, is much more fun with more people around.

 

IMG_2449

 

For the Tomatofu:

24 cherry tomatoes

1 x 400 g pack of soft tofu**

½ stick of celery

 

For the Dressing:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons lemony soya sauce*

½ teaspoon caster sugar

 

IMG_2453

 

How to Make:

Prepare 4 small salad bowls.

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place 12 halves in each bowl.

Using a melon baller, scoop out 24 balls of tofu and place 6 in each bowl.

Shred the celery and place on top of the tomato and tofu.

Make the dressing by whisking the oil, soya sauce and sugar together.

Divide the dressing between the 4 bowls of salad.

Serve immediately.

 

IMG_2454

 

* If you can’t find this at your local Korean supermarket, then for the 2 tablespoons lemony soya sauce required in the recipe, substitute with 1 tablespoon light soya sauce, ½ tablespoon water and ½ tablespoon lemon juice.

** There will be lots of tofu left over, however a large block is needed in order to scoop out enough perfect balls for the salad. Wrap the tofu and store in the fridge and use in sundubu jiggae.