Persimmon and “Kabu” turnip salad 柿と蕪のマリネ

This is a quick impromptu dish I made one evening. This dish came about since I had a small fresh Japanese “kabu 蕪” turnip from Suzuki Farm, and “Fuyu” persimmon 富有柿 from Weee. In addition, I had leftover “Kabosu miso カボスみそ”. So I made a quick marinated kabu and persimmon with added  wakame わかめ dressed in “Kabosu miso”. This was a refreshing small dish with interesting texture and flavor. The raw kabu turnip has a nice crunch with distinctive flavor (pungent in a good way) combined with the sweetness of persimmon in a dressing made of mixture of home-made sweet vinegar and olive oil. All worked well together. Although wakame is usually dressed with “Sumiso 酢味噌”, “Kabosu miso” worked as well or even better.

Ingredients (2 servings or 4 small servings like the one in the picture).
One small Japanese “kabu” turnip, top removed, skinned, halved and sliced thinly (depending on your preference; the thicker the crunchier)

One “Fuyu” persimmon, (firm one), peeled, halved and sliced similar to the “kabu”
1/2 tsp salt

Marinade/dressing:
1 tbs “amazu” sweet vinegar*
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

*Amazu 甘酢: there are a few variation (see “daikon namasu” section of Norio’s New year dishes”). The one I had was made some time ago and kept in a jar. It was made of equal parts rice vinegar and water as well as sugar equal to half the amount of vinegar used and a pinch of salt.

Directions
Add the salt to the kabu, knead and let stand for 5 minutes and squeeze out any excess moisture.
In a small bowl, add the kabu and persimmon. Add the dressing and mix.
Refrigerate for 5 minutes before serving.

Because of the acidity in the dish, sake is the libation of choice.

Japanese “Kabu” Turnip Simmered in Broth 蕪の煮物

We recently received another order of Japanese vegetables from Suzuki farm which included Japanese “kabu 蕪” turnip with attached greens.  I immediately separated the greens and blanched them in salted water. This way, both the turnips and the greens last longer. (If the greens are left attached they quickly go bad and then make the turnip go bad too.) In any case, I made this classic simmered dish with “kabu 蕪” turnips and “abura-age 油揚げ” fried tofu and garnished it with the blanched turnip greens. This is a very comforting dish with the distinctive but subtle flavor of kabu and the more assertive flavor of the greens. The abura-age also adds a nice texture and flavor, This is good as a side dish or appetizer.

Ingredients (for two servings)
4 small “kabu 蕪” Japanese turnips, peeled and quartered.
1 large or 2 small abura-age 油揚げdeep fried tofu, soaked in hot water to thaw and to remove excess oil, moisture squeezed and cut into small triangles.
Blanched turnip greens as garnish.

Simmering liquid:
1 cup Japanese broth (made of dashi pack which contain bonito flakes and kelp)
2 tbs “shiro-dashi* 白だし” Japanese seasoning sauce (from a bottle).
1 tbs mirin

*”Shiro” means white or clear and “dashi” means broth. This is a universal Japanese seasoning sauce available in a bottle at most Japanese grocery stores. It is made out of dashi broth, white or light colored soy sauce, mirin and sake. Since I usually do not keep white soy sauce or light colored soy sauce in our household, this is very convenient to have especially when you do not want to add dark color to the dish. I often use it to make “chawan-mushi 茶碗蒸し” and a dish like this one when I want to keep the turnip’s light in color.

Directions:
Add, the turnip and abura-age to the simmering liquid and simmer with a lid on for 10-20 minutes or until the turnip is cooked and soft
Garnish with the turnip greens
Serve warm

This is not as elegant as “Kabura-mushi 蕪蒸し” but a very good simple dish laden with umami and unique flavors of “kabu” turnip.