Locally-grown heirloom tomatoes are key for this salad! A close second, the Yuzu Kosho dressing made from a fermented paste of ground yuzu citrus peel and green chillis. This paste brings a surprising delicious kick to the dressing – it can be found in good Japanese grocery stores. This recipe came about when I was looking for some chilli to spike a tomato salad. With no chilli available, I substituted chilli with a teaspoon of Yuzu Kosho and was thrilled with the result. Yuzu Kosho can also be added to a braise dish to bring it back to life. A small pinch added to a soup or ramen style broth is also worth a try.
Ingredients (serves 4)
500g assorted, perfectly-ripe heirloom tomatoes
1 large red Asian shallot, thinly sliced
1 tsp finely chopped shiso leaf (about 3 leaves)
Sea salt
125g tube of silken tofu
2 Tbsp fried shallots to serve
Torn basil leaves to serve
Yuzu Kosho Dressing
5g yuzu kosho paste
20ml rice wine vinegar
20ml soy sauce
10ml ginger vinegar
20ml grapeseed oil
Method
To make the yuzu kosho dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
To make the salad, first, assess your tomatoes – if the larger tomatoes have thick skin, remove it by plunging the tomatoes into a saucepan of boiling water for 15 seconds. Immediately transfer them to a bowl of iced water to cool, then peel the skin off with a small knife.
Cut the larger tomatoes into 1cm-thick slices or wedges and place them in a bowl. Smaller tomatoes can simply be halved or quartered.
Add the shallot and shiso to the tomatoes and season with a little sea salt. Gently toss 60ml of the dressing through the tomatoes. Taste one of the tomatoes and add a touch more dressing if necessary.
Slice the tofu into 1cm-thick discs and arrange them on a serving plate. Place the tomatoes on and around the tofu. Drizzle over a little more dressing and finish with the fried shallots and torn basil leaves.
