Plum & Cucumber Salad with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette

This healthy and complex roasted ginger dressing is smoky, spicy, aromatic, funky and sweet and makes for a very extraordinary plum salad recipe!

This ginger vinaigrette absolutely, positively blew my mind. Let me explain just a little. I’ve been a long-time fan of fresh ginger and have enjoyed this healthy and delicious plant oh so very many ways. Chopped and added to sautés or dressings, steeped in boiling water for tea, grated to add some spice to desserts….but broiled whole with the skin on and put just like that into the food processor?!?! This option had never even crossed my mind. Ever. Until I came across this salad on Bon Appetit that totally blew my mind away!

Whole ginger, peel and all, is put under the broiler for 45 min until it’s blackened all over (it ain’t pretty folks) and then put just like that into the food processor. Whoa!!! Mind blowing. See what I mean?! The possibilities for this charred ginger paste are endless and it definitely got my wheels turning. It’s smoky and spicy and aromatic and funky and sweet. There’s a whole lot going on flavor wise in there…it’s a ginger flavor party!

The first thang I did with this brand new ginger vinaigrette idea was to develop this salad and dressing. Plums are at the peak of their season in Cali and I wanted to play with a fruity, seasonal, Asian-fusion inspired dish and…voila….said salad was born! Let’s get our broiled ginger game on friends! Would love to hear your thoughts on this ginger vinaigrette recipe.

A bit of info on the rest of the ingredients. Mizuna, also called Japanese Mustard Green, has a mild peppery flavor, slightly similar to arugula but is less spicy. If you can’t find any just sub in arugula instead. I like to use a mandolin to cut the cucumbers as thin as possible but a knife also works (and if using a mandolin watch those fingers! As I say to my students: we’re cutting our food today and not our fingers!) Crip shallots until crunchy as they really are fantastic sprinkled over salads. If you’ve never made them before I’d suggest making some extra to try over other savory dishes. They’re reminiscent of teeny tiny onion rings. And on that note…

Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #wavesinthekitchen. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!

Lets make waves in the kitchen!

Plum & Mizuna Salad with Roasted Ginger Vinaigrette

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Daniela
• Prep Time: 20 min
• Total Time: 20 min
• Yield: 4-6 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

Salad

• 4 plums, pitted and cut into 1” wedges sliced
• Mizuna (or sub arugula)
• 3 thinly sliced shallots
• 2 tbsp canola oil (to cook shallots)
• 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup cilantro (loosely packed)
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Vinaigrette

• 8 ounces fresh ginger
• 1 green or red Thai chili
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (omit and use 2 tbsp of Worcestershire or Soy sauce if vegan/vegetarian)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Juice of 2 limes
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon of water

Instructions

1. Heat broiler. Broil ginger, skin and all, until blackened and beginning to scorch in places and a paring knife passes through the center with relative ease, 40–50 minutes.
2. Slice ginger (yep the skin is still on) and pulse in a food processor with… ginger, chili, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, oil, and 2 Tbsp. water in a food processor, adding additional water by tablespoonful’s if needed, until a smooth paste forms.
3. Thinly slice shallots. Combine shallots and oil in a saucepan over high heat and cook, stirring constantly, as shallots fry. When shallots are a light golden brown, transfer to a paper towel lined plate and season with salt. Shallots will continue cooking a bit after you remove them from the pan so don’t let them get to dark before doing so. Allow to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months.
4. Arrange Mizuna (or arugula) in a large salad bowl or tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing (to taste). I like to first toss the greens and then add the sliced cucumbers, plums and cilantro tossing again gently with your hands.
5. Top with crispy shallots and black sesame seeds over the salad and enjoy!

Notes

Do Ahead:Dressing can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.