I made this carrot radish salad a few years ago when I received a bottle of ponzu. New to me at the time, I was an instant fan and it made a delicious peanut dressing for this seasonal side dish.
The thing that draws me to food the most is that I’m always learning something. No matter how much I travel, cook or eat, I will never know everything.
A good example — I learned of ponzu just last year when I was in the Seattle for the International Food Bloggers Conference. Considering my love of all types of Asian food, I’m not sure how this one got past me.
Ponzu is a Japanese citrus-based sauce often mixed with soy sauce. It was on my list to try when Marukan offered to send me a bottle earlier this year. I already use their rice vinegars so I gladly accepted the offer.
Marukan’s version of ponzu is made with sudachi juice, a sour Japanese citrus fruit used to flavor foods. The result is a tangy, salty sauce that makes an excellent dressing for summer vegetables.
With some carrots in the fridge and radishes I picked up at the market this week, I set out to see what I could come up with using this new-to-me ingredient.
I must admit that carrots are not my favorite vegetable. I kind of eat them like cookies — in moderation. I’m not sure what it is. It’s not that I dislike them. It’s more because their flavor quickly overpowers other foods to me.
That being said, I love this salad! The combination of the carrot with crunchy radishes and the tangy, nutty dressing is really delicious.
Don’t feel like you have to cut the carrots in ribbons, although it makes for a pretty presentation. You can shred or chop them if you like. If you decide on ribbons, it’s really easy. Just use a vegetable peeler to peel off thin strips. You’ll eventually reach a point where you have a thin piece of the center of the carrot. At that point, just reserve it as a carrot stick snack for later.
I’m still on the lookout for more ways to use ponzu so if you have any ideas, please share!
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ribbons
- 6 radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (unsweetened)
- 1 tablespoon ponzu
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon sugar (I use mascavo)
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 3 tablespoons lightly salted peanuts
- Place the carrots, radishes, and green onions in a medium bowl.
- Whisk together the peanut butter, ponzu, sesame oil, and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk well until a smooth, thick dressing forms. Whisk vigorously as you add the warm water. This will thin and lighten the dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well to coat all ingredients. Stir in the peanuts just before serving.
Disclosure: The ponzu in this post was sent to me for review purposes. I was not required to post about it and received no compensation for doing so.
