Buzz
I can't get enough of side salads at sushi spots—not for the greens, but for the irresistible ginger dressing. The best part? It's so easy to recreate at home with just three ingredients and five minutes (an immersion blender is a real game changer).
I had previously attempted making ginger dressing at home, but something was always off, until I discovered the key while trying to create a dipping sauce for dumplings. The secret, folks, to perfectly replicating that sweet, spicy, gingery dressing is using pickled ginger—not the fresh kind. Yes, those pink or beige ginger slices you find next to the wasabi.
Pickled ginger already has a natural sweetness, so you won’t need to add any sugar. It also brings a delightful tanginess. When blended and combined with toasted sesame oil and soy sauce, you achieve an uncanny replica of the ginger dressing you’d expect on a classic Japanese side salad. (No wonder I had struggled with this recipe before; I was making it overly complicated.)
Simple Ginger Dressing Inspired by Sushi Restaurants
Ingredients Needed:
50 grams of pickled sushi ginger
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Blend all the ingredients together using an immersion blender, standard blender, or food processor until smooth. That’s it—you're finished. Pour it over your favorite salad, use it as a dipping sauce, or drizzle it on roasted veggies. It’s so tasty, you’ll easily finish off an entire head of iceberg lettuce. (For a more authentic touch, serve with grated carrots.)
