Monday, July 30, 2012

Sesame & Soy Dressing

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Well look who is still around.
First of all, sorry for the unannounced hiatus (AGAIN). And sorry for me still being on it. Meaning: There still won’t be any new posts for at least two months. Before I will tell you the reason for that, I feel  like explaining a little why I haven’t been blogging for so long. I’ll keep it short, I promise.


It all comes down to one factor: time. The same thing that had me going on hiatus the first time.

I am a University student. I work part time. I’ve sometimes worked for days, even weeks, in other cities. If you cannot cut down on your duties, you have to on your hobbies. And that’s what blogging is to me: A dear, yet time consuming hobby. As other bloggers – foodbloggers in particular – know, you can’t just sit down, type a few paragraphs, press send and BOOYA. All done. It’s an active, creative, social and beautiful process. The writing, the cooking, the photography, the inspiration seeking.
So, with no time on hand, what did I do? A clean (temporary) cut. No emails checking, no reading of other blogs, no  contact with the blogosphere what-so-ever. In fact, this is the first time I have checked my OWN blog since MONTHS. I am a bit of a perfectionist and not being able to keep my blog running feels like a huge personal failure. So this complete negligence was necessary for me to make it less painful.

YADDA YADDA YADDA. More words that I wanted to write, already. So why back now and gone again for at least two months? Easy. The main reason I needed to work so hard and much: I am going on a two month trip to East and Southeast Asia! Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand (in that order), to be precise. Most of the first month is going to be dedicated to Korea, as I will enroll in a “Summer School” at a University in Daejon.
I am THRILLED! If you want to know what is going on with me there, I have created a Twitter account where I will write about the whole experience: 




What will be on there? I don’t know yet. Probably something about sights, trips, culture and food.  Possibly just me moaning about the heat and mosquito bites.
Anyway. My trip starts on TOMORROW with a one week stay in Seoul and you cannot imagine how excited I am! Will I be alone? No. Two dear friends of mine - K and C – will accompany me. Two girls. Lucky me, right?

I will continue blogging. Eventually. Hopefully wiser, with a lax attitude and with the pace I can afford. :)
Now comes another surprise: A recipe! This one has been sitting on my desk for ages. The first pictures I took turned out horrible. And these new ones are months old by now already. But the dressing to this salad is so finger- and plate licking good, I am so happy to finally be able to share it with you! It obviously is inspired by Asian/Oriental cuisine, without any specific country of origin. It is from a phase where I was obsessed with roasted sesame.  This dressing. Is. Amazing. No seriously. Every time I went to the Asian grocery shop, I came back with the ingredients for this exact salad. I have always served it exactly the way shown here, but I am sure some shredded carrots and cabbage would be great additions, too. Or just simple iceberg lettuce. 



Sesame & Soy Dressing (Kai-Lan & Mungo Bean Sprout Salad)

  • 1 Clove of garlic (maybe a half more if you like it extra garlicky)
  • 2 tsps. roasted sesame seeds
  • 6 tbsps.  Thai sweet soy sauce (the syrupy kind. The brand I use is Thai and is called “Healthy Boy”)
  • 2 tsps. chili flakes (or to taste)
  • 2 tbsps. rice vinegare
  • 2 tbsps. light sesame oil
  • Extra roasted sesame seeds for garnish
  • 300g Kai-Lan
  • 250g mungo bean sprouts
 
  1. Wash and dry kai-lan and sprouts
  2. Cut the stems of the kai-lan (and the less pretty leaves) into thin slices. Leave the leaves longer.
  3. For the dressing
  4. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
 
Salad presentation:
  1. On a plate or in a bowl, arrange longer leaves in a half circle.
  2. Combine stem slices and mungo bean sprouts, toss with dressing, leaving a bit aside.
  3. Place salad mixure in the centre of bowl/plate.
  4. Drizzle with remaining dressing
  5. Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds.


And off I go. See you soon and lots of love. :)

10 comments:

  1. That sounds really good! I missed your posts; I only found your blog after you'd posted your last recipe (sesame muffins?) and was looking forward to seeing more.

    Have fun on your trip! You'll find that in Japan, sesame seeds are pretty much always roasted. You buy them that way in the supermarket; no need to roast them yourself.

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  2. Glad to get your update - was wondering if you have left for Asia. Have a great trip! If you need any tip in Japan, let me know - although I'm not the best person to ask questions (since I'm over here in the US now), but I might be helpful. :-) I love your another sesame recipe! You will enjoy more once you go to Asia! Keep us posted about your adventure!

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  3. Love this dressing. I love Asian inspired dressings and salads. Don't feel bad about posting regularly. I does take a lot of time! You do what you have to do and your readers will be here when you get back!! Cheers and good luck with your studies!

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  4. Oh finally you're back but then you are leaving again. Have fun in Asia! And enjoy the different cuisines there. I am sure you will be inspired by everything you smell, see and taste. If ever you find yourself in the islands of the Philippines, just toss me an email and I can help you which ones to choose. Have and and stay safe!

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  5. Glad to see you back! Have a great trip in Asia!

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  6. Glad to see you back momentarily and totally understand the break! Blogging is a time sucker! And when you work, go to school, live life and everything else, it's sometimes hard to squeeze in a post. So good for you! Take the time off, so to Asia and have fun! We'll be here when you get back looking forward to hearing about your experience and see some new recipes that you'll create from your travels. Now to the salad - YUM! Love the sesame seeds, the bean sprouts and the light dressing! Great salad!

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  7. This dressing looks so amazing. Soya sauce + sesame oil + rice wine vinegar tastes amazing together. Good luck with everything! I'm only in high school, I don't have a job, and I'm already freaking out. I can't imagine how hard it is in university.

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  8. The dressing does sound amazing :)
    Glad to hear from you if even just for a bit, and sounds like an amazing journey you are undertaking. Wishing you much joy and enrichment during your travels!

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  9. Omg omg I live in Vietnam where are you now?

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