I mixed miso paste and Japanese mayo, added honey and sesame seed oil, and the result was a thick dressing that coated my broccoli florets beautifully.
What the exact proportion is between the miso paste and mayo depends on the miso paste you use. I used Korean miso paste which is salty. I mixed the miso paste and mayo first using a 1:1 ratio and added more mayo until the balance was just right. It came out to 1:3 — one part miso paste and three parts mayo.
If using a less salty miso paste, just use less. Start with a 1:1 ratio and make adjustments from there. Excess miso mayo sesame seed dressing can be store in a covered jar in the fridge.
As for the broccoli, both the florets and core of the stem are used here. They were boiled for a short time in salted water. The pieces of stem which need to cook longer were given a headstart.
The cooked broccoli florets and stem pieces were drained then shocked in cold water to stop the cooking immediately. That way, they retained their lovely crispness.
If you need more information on prepping broccoli stem for cooking, see the post below. There is a technique in identifying which part of the stem is edible.
Broccoli stems are edible and nutritious
Facebook feeds of friends are filled these days with snapshots of price tags of vegetables in the market. Per kilo, yard-long beans cost more than pork belly. Broccoli is more expensive than sirloin beef.
Broccoli salad with miso mayo dressing
Ingredients
For the miso mayo sesame dressing
- ¼ cup miso paste
- ¾ cup Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon sesame seed oil
To garnish
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut the broccoli into florets. Skin the stem and dice the core. Rinse well.
- Boil about half a gallon of water in a pot with a tablespoon of salt.
- When the water is boiling profusely, drop in the diced broccoli stem and leave for a minute. Do not lower the heat.
- Add the florets to the diced stem and leave in the boiling water for another minute.
- Drain the broccoli in a strainer. Bathe in cold water under the tap until cool or plunge in a bowl of iced water. Drain completely.
- Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together until smooth.
- Transfer the drained broccoli to a platter or bowl, drizzle in the dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- For those who like more dressing, serve the remaining dressing on the side.
