Kohlrabi Slivers And Pea Shoots With Sesame Dressing

Food editor Maggie Ruggiero became enamored of a sesame-dressed salad at Donguri, a Japanese home-cooking restaurant in New York City. This is her take on it. Because the sesame seeds are unhulled, they have a richness that flatters the freshness of spring vegetables—here, cool kohlrabi and sweet pea shoots.

Yield:

Serves6

Ingredients

1. 2 oz snow-pea shoots, halved (2 cups)
2. 3/4 lb trimmed kohlrabi bulbs
3. 1/3 cup Japanese-style sesame seeds (not hulled), toasted
4. 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
5. 2 teaspoons sugar
6. 2 teaspoons mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
7. 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil with 2 teaspoons salt, then quickly blanch pea shoots until color brightens, about 10 seconds. Drain immediately and transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.
2. Peel kohlrabi bulbs with a small sharp knife, then cut into matchsticks with slicer. Toss together with shoots in a serving dish.
3. Finely grind sesame seeds in suribachi or grinder, then transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. (Dressing will be thick; thin slightly with additional water if desired.)
4. Serve salad drizzled with some of dressing and serve remainder on the side.

Notes

Salad and dressing can be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately, covered. If dressing is too thick to drizzle, thin with 1 teaspoon water.