PROJECT Tomato Salad

Jul 17, 2023 | Kitchen PROJECTS, Summer

TOMATOES combine well with both land and sea vegetables, and with cold noodles too, to make a variety of SALADS. This PROJECT Tomato Salad is about creating your own “house” salad featuring tomatoes.

To start you off, here is a recipe for enjoying tomatoes OHITASHI-style

TOMATOES and COLD NOODLES

Tomatoes and cold noodles are a winning combination. Find information and inspiration in the posts devoted to:

TOMATO, CORN and WAKAMÉ

This combination of land and sea veggies makes a terrific salad, a summertime favorite in Japan.

Here is a primer on using fresh and/or dried calcium-rich wakamé (Undaria pinnatifida; a type of algae). DOWNLOAD Anatomy of Wakamé.

 

TOMATO, TŌFU, OKRA, BONITO FLAKES and NORI

In Japan, tomatoes are often paired with tōfu in a dish known as hiya yakko.

Bonito flakes (katsuo-bushi also known as okaka) are often used to garnish fresh or briefly blanched vegetables. The fish flakes will be more smoky-aromatic if roasted in a dry skillet before crushing them.

Use this post devoted to okra to help you prepare it well.

Plain, or flavored (aji-tsuke) nori can be crumpled and sprinkled on top of tomatoes — a tart sesame-soy dressing goes well with this. Or, make nori tsukudani and use it as a sauce or dressing.

For more about Tomatoes in Japan visit my Kitchen Culture blog

and read my July 2021 newsletter

PROJECT Biwa (loquats)

PROJECT Biwa (loquats)

This project is about enjoying biwa (loquat fruits) in a variety of ways:  Loquat fruits are delicious raw. Just rinse the fruits and gently wipe dry; the slight friction from doing this enables the fruit to be peeled easily. The loquat fruit is also used to make...

Osozai Side Dishes

Osozai Side Dishes

Modern households everywhere are challenged with balancing a desire to eat healthfully with limited time to prepare meals. In Japan, the food industry’s response has been to offer a vast assortment of prepared foods for sale through various outlets: convenience...

PROJECT Osozai Side Dishes

PROJECT Osozai Side Dishes

Food halls located in the basement level of Japan’s leading department stores carry an incredible array of fresh foods, packaged grocery items, and prepared take-out items. Japan's food halls are justly famous for their extensive, high-end comestibles. The savory...

Using Food Fully

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Meals planned around a single ingredient prepared in many ways are referred to as tsukushi (or zukushi) 尽くし menus. The verb tsukusu means "to use, or consume, entirely." This no-waste approach is both a frugal and practical way to cook, making the most of what is...

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