Have you ever come across the Japanese term, "sappari suru"? It means "refreshing" or "cleansing" as in when you come home after a hot day and you take a shower and then maybe enjoy a cold beer.
"Sappari suru" describes this dish of salted turnip, onion and smoked salmon perfectly - it has a lovely combination of salty and smoky flavours and the crunch of raw turnip and onion. The onion is pre-soaked in water to extract any bitterness. In Japan, I'd usually make this dish using daikon but I've discovered you can also make it in winter using turnip - yes! Raw turnip! If you haven't tried turnip raw before, I can't think of a better way to start than this - the turnip is one of the world's oldest vegetables and has been on the earth a lot longer than we have - should you eat turnip simply because it is ancient - of course not! But it is loaded with Vitamin A & C as well as folate and trace elements such as calcium and magnesium. Does that sound more like it? As part of a diet or simply if you wish to eat well in the truest sense of that expression, the turnip makes a lot of sense. You could enjoy this recipe as a side dish or as a light lunch or supper served with a bowl of steamed rice.
So if you're feeling in a "sappari" sort of mood, why not try this one out? You can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Salted Turnip and Smoked Salmon salad or just scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below.
Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX.
I'm a bit of a fan of the turnip. Here's one of my other turnip recipes - Marinated Turnip and Choysum.
Salted Turnip and Smoked Salmon salad
ingredients:
makes (2 servings as a side dish)
1 small turnip (170g)
1/4 red turnip
3/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
2 slices of smoked salmon
how to:
peel the turnip, quarter and thinly slice
peel the onion and thinly slice
soak the onion in water for 10 mins then rinse and squeeze out with your fingers
put the turnip & onion in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and leave for 15 mins
cut the smoked salmon into bite sized pieces
squeeze the turnip & onion and drain any excess liquid
add the salmon and mix well
serve as a side dish with a bowl of rice
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