Crispy, juicy mouthfuls of fresh raw daikon and asparagus layered with aromatic Japanese sesame dressing and wispy savoury bonito flakes. This is a refreshing Asian side salad worth trying.
Peel and slice cucumber in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon and scoop the seeds out of the middle. Place the cucumber cut side down and then thinly slice in half moon shapes.
Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus. Lay the asparagus flat on a chopping board and use a wide peeler to shave asparagus lengthwise. Keep shaving until you can no longer shave. With the middle sections of the asparagus you can no longer shave, thinly slice into long strips. Peel daikon and cut in half. Use a mandoline and thinly slice daikon into rounds.
Wash and trim radish. Take 4 small radishes and cut into quarters. For the remaining radishes, use mandoline and thinly slice into rounds.
Salad Dressing
Over medium heat, toast sesame seeds in fry pan until golden brown. Remove from heat.
Place 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle. Leave 1 tablespoon for salad later.
Grind until a fine powder forms. Remove sesame seeds from mortar and pestle.
In a mixing bowl, add grounded sesame seeds, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and brown sugar.
Mix well until combined.
Assembly
In a large mixing bowl, place asparagus, cucumber, daikon and radish together.
Add sesame dressing and toss well.
Transfer the dressed salad to a large serving bowl. Scatter remaining toasted sesame seeds on top.
Finish with a generous amount of bonito flakes on top.
Serve immediately.
Notes
You can serve this salad in a large bowl to share or present the salad individually with your own creative plated version. There are additional instructions above on how to serve individually.
If asparagus is not in season, zucchini ribbons will work as a replacement.
You can purchase dried bonito flakes at Japanese or large Asian grocery stores. Otherwise, try online at Amazon or speciality stores.