Japanese ginger and carrot salad dressing is one of our favorites. We love the combination of sweetness from the carrot and fresh tang of ginger and decided to create a sauce for cooked vegetables that made use of the same flavors.
Here we roast purple heirloom carrots with a little brown sugar before puréeing with ginger and other ingredients for a sauce that works well with steamed or roasted green beans, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts. If you can’t find purple carrots, regular orange ones work just as well. For a milder carrot flavor try parsnips.
1 cup (240 ml)
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large purple carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch (25-mm) pieces
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) sesame oil, divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp (8 g) sugar, divided
- 2 tbsp (18 g) grated fresh ginger
- 1 shallot
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) rice wine vinegar or more as needed
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Arrange the carrot slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet or baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon (4 g) of sugar. Mix well and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the carrots are fork tender.
- When the carrots are cooked, scrape them into the bowl of a food processor along with the remaining sugar, sesame oil, ginger, shallot, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Process into a smooth, loose paste, adding rice wine vinegar as needed to achieve this consistency.
- Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes for the flavors to combine.
- Serve over vegetables or even as a salad dressing. Sauce may be stored, refrigerated, in a well-sealed container for up to 1 week.
