Japanese Carrot Salad Dressing

I've seen a number of versions of this dressing around, and have been interested in trying it for a while. I didn't quite do any of the recipes I saw, but picked out the features I thought most appealing from several different ones. Some of the recipes called for up to a cup of oil, but I was interested in the ones that didn't call for any, except a little sesame oil for flavour.

The light miso is fairly important; otherwise the dressing will be a dreary brown instead of a reasonably good orange colour. (If you want an even brighter orange, omit the soy sauce and add a bit of salt instead.) Other ingredients that you could add include a bit of lemon zest, a bit of mustard and honey, or green onions or chives. I don't know that I would add all of them; one at a time maybe.

If covered, this should keep for a few days in the fridge, which is good; it makes a fair bit of dressing.

8 servings (about 1 cup)
15 minutes prep time


1 cup grated carrot
1 cubic inch peeled fresh ginger root
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons light miso
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Peel and grate the carrot. Peel the ginger root, and slice thinly across the grain.

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until very smooth.

Um, that's it. Serve it on a nice light green salad. I used hydroponic lettuce, savoy and red cabbage, and mushrooms.