Tempuna Salad Recipes

Steps:

• For the tempura batter, place 1 1/4 cups of the club soda in a medium mixing bowl and sift the flour and cornstarch over it. Add the salt and whisk until evenly blended. The batter should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. If necessary, add additional soda water 1 tablespoon at a time to reach correct consistency. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the asparagus, blanch for 6 minutes, then shock in ice water and drain.
• Place a bamboo sushi mat on a work surface with the slats crosswise. Center 1 sheet of nori on the sushi mat. Place a sheet of salmon on top of the nori, leaving a 1-inch border of nori uncovered along the top. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of black sesame seeds evenly over the salmon and season with salt and black pepper. Place 3 shiso leaves side by side, then add 4 asparagus spears side by side horizontally about 1-inch above the bottom edge.
• Grasping the bamboo mat, the nori, and the edge of the salmon on the bottom, tightly roll up, enclosing the asparagus. Firmly press the 1-inch border at the top to create a seal. (The moisture from the salmon will be enough to make the 2 pieces of nori adhere to each other.) The roll should be about 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Carefully remove the bamboo mat, transfer the salmon roll to a plate, and refrigerate.
• Repeat with the remaining ingredients, making 2 more salmon rolls. The rolls can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours at this point.
• With a serrated knife, cut each of the 3 salmon rolls in half crosswise so that you have 6 (4-inch) rolls.
• In a large heavy saucepan, heat 4 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F.
• Insert 1 long bamboo skewer crosswise through 1 end of a salmon roll, then insert another skewer through the other end. Using the ends of the skewers as handles, dip the roll into the tempura batter so that it is completely coated, letting the excess batter drip back into the bowl. Carefully immerse the roll in the hot oil, and after 10 seconds, gently push it off the skewers to float free in the oil. Fry until batter is crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
• With a skimmer, transfer the first roll to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in a very low oven. With the skimmer, remove any leftover bits of batter from the oil so that they don't burn and smoke.
• Repeat with the remaining 5 rolls. With a serrated knife, quickly trim off the ends of the rolls and cut each into 5 (3/4-inch-long) rounds.
• Make a tall mound of the salad in the center of each of 6 serving plates. Lean 5 pieces of roll against the salad around the base. Dot the remaining 1/2 cup of honey mustard dressing (from the salad recipe) around the outer edge of the plates. Garnish the salad on each plate with a pinch of daikon sprouts.
• In a medium mixing bowl, toss the julienned vegetables with the salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the dressing. Reserve remaining dressing for garnish.
• **Chef's Note for preparing salmon slices: Either ask your fishmonger to cut the salmon sheets for you, or buy a fillet of salmon cut from the tail section (where it is the thinnest) and proceed as follows. Make a guide for your knife by placing large wooden chopsticks about 6 inches apart on a cutting board. Place the salmon fillet between them lengthwise and rest the chopsticks against the long edges of the fish. Holding a very long, sharp filleting knife so that 1 flat side of the blade is parallel to the cutting board, slice the salmon horizontally while steadying the top of the salmon with your other hand. When you have cut one sheet, lift it off the fillet and repeat the process a second and a third time, until you have 3 sheets (the blade may end up resting against the guides). Trim the salmon slices to 4 by 8 inches and reserve the trimmings for another use.

Steps:

• For the salad: Boil eggs for about 10 minutes until they are hard-boiled. Rinse with cold water and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel hard-boiled eggs and chill.
• Fry bacon and drain on paper towels.
• For the vinaigrette: Through the feed opening of a running blender add, 1 at a time, the vinegar, pomegranate seeds, honey, salt and pepper. Leaving the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow, thin stream. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and set aside until needed.
• For the tempura and sandwiches: Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F, or as directed in manufacturer's instructions for similar foods.
• In a mixing bowl large enough to accommodate the stuffed sandwiches, combine flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Add seltzer water in a stream while whisking constantly. Dip the stuffed sandwiches in the batter to coat. Add, 1 at a time, to the deep-fryer basket which has been immersed in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels.
• Chop eggs and gently toss with spinach, crumbled bacon, and avocado with enough of the dressing to coat.
• Arrange salad on plates with tempura fried stuffed sandwiches.

Steps:

• Steam tempeh 20 minutes. Place in bowl and add cold water. Mash thoroughly using a fork.
• Stir in carrots, onioins, parsley, kelp, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and dill.
• Place in container, cover and chill in refrigerator befroe serving. Enjoy!
• Will keep up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high until oil begins to glisten, about 1 minute. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and transfer to a plate; set aside.
• Wipe out pot and pour in canola oil to a depth of 2"; fit pot with thermometer. Heat oil over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°F.
• Meanwhile, cut 3 cups kale leaves into 1" pieces. Thinly slice remaining leaves and set aside separately.
• Combine sparkling water, 1/2 cup rice flour, and 3/4 tsp. salt with a fork in a medium bowl. Toss 1" piece kale leaves, 2 1/4 cups kale stems, and remaining 2 Tbsp. rice flour in another medium bowl. Pour sparkling water mixture over kale, then massage into kale with your hands, coating completely.
• Working in batches, fry battered kale until golden, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels and season with salt.
• Blend vinegar, honey, miso, sesame oil, 1/8 tsp. white pepper, 3/4 cup kale stems, and remaining 6 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a blender until smooth.
• Massage three-quarters of the dressing into reserved sliced kale leaves in a large bowl. Add reserved mushrooms, three-quarters of the tempura kale, and half of the raisins and reserved almonds; toss to combine. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Transfer to a platter, then top with remaining raisins, almonds, and tempura kale. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
• Do Ahead
• Dressing can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Kale can be prepped 1 day ahead; store in airtight containers and chill.