2/16/16

Carrot Ginger Showstopper a.k.a. Grain Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing (and a Fried Egg)

I can't talk long! (This is how most phone conversations start these days.) But I did want to tell you about this meal we've been eating a lot of lately. I also want to say thank you for all of your thoughtful (and often encouraging) comments on the past couple of posts. Ready for it? Thank you!
I was introduced to this salad dressing a long time ago via a coworker. She’d brought it into work and was dipping carrot sticks into it. I loved it immediately—it was bright with ginger and rice vinegar and yet umami-ish and satisfying. I asked about the recipe and was told it came from Goop. I’m loath to share that information because as much as I love Gwyneth’s hair, seemingly very genuine/unforced smile, and makeup-free-looking makeup and sometimes find myself staring at photos of her, wondering about how her specific brand of perfection, I’m usually not a fan of her detox-heavy, $$$, and trendsetting approach to food. On that note: I'd originally made this dressing just as it appeared on her site, but one day I was out of miso and decided to sub in a combination of shoyu and sour cream. Yes, I added something from the much-maligned (at least in the diet world) major-food-group category known as dairy! But it was perfect and it’s definitely how I make it now.

Point being, this is one of those healthy (at least to me) vegetarian meals that the whole family likes and that comes together fairly quickly. Also, go ahead and make a lot of this dressing as it keeps well in the fridge and you'll probably want to eat it for a couple of meals anyway.

Lastly: if you want to see a video of Teddy and me making this meal, go here!
Grain Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing (and a Fried Egg) inspired by this recipe by Goop
serves 4

for dressing:
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons shoyu or soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup grapeseed oil, plus more for frying the eggs
¼ cup sour cream

for salad:
8 oz. mesclun salad greens
1 hothouse cucumber or 2-3 Persian cucumbers, sliced into thin half-moons
1 avocado, diced

don't forget:
2 cups brown rice (uncooked)
4 eggs

Rinse the rice, and then cook it—either according to the package instructions or preferably, in your trusty rice cooker.

While the rice cooks, make the dressing by pulsing the carrot, shallot and ginger in a food processor until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, add the shoyu, vinegar, sesame oil, and sour cream, and whiz together. While the processor is going, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil.

Divide the lettuce, cucumber, and avocado into four wide bowls. In each bowl, add a cup of the cooked rice right next to the salad.

Fry your eggs in a bit of the grapeseed oil until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. (I like to cover the pan with a lid to help the whites set.)

Add an egg to the top of the rice. Drizzle over a few heaping spoonfuls of the dressing onto the greens. Eat.

18 comments:

Matthew said...

In college I went to a restaurant all the time called DOJO on St. Marks street. They had the best dressing. I think Carmen Epstein actually bought it from them sometimes -- like she would bring a jar from home and they would fill it with dressing for money, though I could be way wrong about that memory. Anyway, this is that dressing!

Sarah said...

I think your blog posts are cosmically aligned with the contents of my fridge. I have all these carrots and knobs of ginger in the fridge, and no idea what to do with them. Now I know! There also happens to be three Persian cucumbers lying on the bottom shelf. Kismet! Oh, and I love rice bowls.

HAILEY said...

Yum! This looks delish! I have GOT to finally buckle down and get a food processor. I've put it off for years and finagle using an immersion blender instead, but it's not ideal. What kind of food processor do you recommend? I want one thats easy peasy to clean!

p.s. I was SO excited for a video! Teddy is adorable! (but you knew that.) ;)

Sara said...

Love this dressing! I made it a couple weeks ago based on Smitten Kitchen's write up. But I'm intrigued by sour cream...need to try that. Loved the video--you look great!

sara said...

If this is the Dojo dressing I need to make it asap (and then eat it on a cheddar cheese avocado melt for old times sake.)

And then you need to fly here and tell me how to get my children to eat salad?

sarah said...

I also would like some tips on how you get Teddy to eat this salad? You are a genius! Hang in there---those first few months with both kiddos are hard! I'm sure you are doing great!

jjk84 said...

Long time reader here but first time commenter...Amelia, you are amazing!! So impressed that you filmed this 'in the kitchen' video 12 days after having your second baby!! And also congrats on his healthy arrival! I'm expecting my first in May, and women like you give me hope that I will be able to carve out even a little bit of balance. Thanks for the always honest words (my thoughts, unsurprisingly, frequently come back to your post on being a good host!). Xx

Amelia Morris said...

1. Hi to all of the saras/sarahs!

2. re: Teddy eating salad--OOOOPS. Looks like I misled you all. Sorry! NO, my 2-year-old definitely does not eat salad! He eats the avocado and maybe a few bites of cucumber, but mostly rice and egg IF he's hungry at all. :) :)

3. @jjk84 Thank you so much! To (continue to) be honest though, I'd love it if I could have taken a longer break before shooting that video. The truth is that those videos are a needed source of income for me/us. Unfortunately, since I'm self-employed, I don't get a paid maternity leave (unlike in Germany, a country that takes care of their young families and where if you're self-employed, the govt. pays you a portion of what you made the previous year.) Not that the videos aren't fun... it's just, if given the choice, I would've preferred to stay in bed, nurse, and watch The Great British Baking show. :) xoxx

Amelia Morris said...

also: @sarah (from Pittsburgh) --thank you for the encouragement! I had a rough day with the two of them the other day, but I guess we are, indeed, hanging in there. al;dlkadfdkljafdlk :)

jjk84 said...

Amelia, again thank you for your honesty, and I'M WITH YOU: it is beyond incomprehensible, frustrating and sad that it is 2016 and we still don't have any kind of federal, paid maternity leave!! The stakes for this upcoming election (not to mention the now vacant SCOTUS seat) are Just. So. High. (I'm also with you on the Great British Baking Show -- so good!) take good care xx

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your new baby, Amelia! I had my first baby 18 days ago :) I'll be making this recipe soon. Just curious - which rice cooker do you own? I'm planning to buy one, so would love to know.

Love the video!

Amelia Morris said...

@Christine T Thank you! And great decision re: rice cooker. Get a ZOJIRUSHI! It's the best. (I need a sponsorship deal!) :)

sarah said...

I can't find your model for ZOJIRUSHI....

ElizSeg said...

I think it's this model because it looks like the one my mom owns:

http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-NS-PC10-Electric-Uncooked-1-0-Liter/dp/B00005OBC3

Amelia Morris said...

Hi @ElizSeg -- I think you're right... For some reason, I got this super giant one that can cook a ton of rice even though I usually don't cook that much at a time.

@Sarah I think any Zojirushi model will do--someone definitely just recommended that brand to me and I've been really happy with it.

DebC said...

Be very easy and delicious to make this dairy free (dairy sends me to the hospital) by subbing coconut milk or coconut cream for the sour cream.

Hilarious that Matthew remembers the Dojos dressing - I do too!

Unknown said...

Thank you! Keep up the great work, I adore your work :-)

meghan said...

Showstopper is right! Now I’m feeling like I should scrap the meal plan for next week and get this in my belly asap. The original Goop salad is a go-to for me, so I know I’m going to love this play on it!