Carrot & Tuna Salad

"This recipe is by Harumi Kurihara, who is reportedly sort of the Japanese parallel to Martha Stewart or Delia Smith. She says it is one of the most popular dishes she has ever developed. Though it is from a Japanese cook, it's not a traditionally Japanese dish, but more international. I wasn't sure what to make of it - The carrots are fairly sweet, and the dressing quite tangy, so the effect is sweet-tart in the way that coleslaw often is (it doesn't really taste like coleslaw; I'm just trying to explain an aspect of the flavor). I have never been a big fan of that flavor, but I know a lot of people love it, so I thought I'd post this. Her method of quickly steaming the carrots in the microwave is definitely good. Ms. Kurihara pictures this served with Japanese dishes, but I think it would be good served with American picnic barbecue foods like hamburgers and barbecued chicken! The cookbook was translated from Japanese to English in England, so the measurements are British-style. I have tried to give American measurement equivalents where I could; these are approximations. I bought the carrots pre-slivered in the salad section; that made it quite easy."
 
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photo by a food.com user photo by a food.com user
Ready In:
21mins
Ingredients:
10
Serves:
4
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ingredients

  • 200 g carrots, peeled and cut in 5 to 6 centimeter thin julienne strips (about 3.5 cups)
  • 90 g canned tuna (half a 6.5 oz can)
  • 50 g onions, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil or 1 tablespoon other vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon mustard, preferably french grain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce, to taste
  • salt
  • pepper
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directions

  • Put the carrots in a microwave-safe bowl or dish.
  • Mix in the onions, garlic, and oil.
  • Cover and microwave for 1- 1 1/2 minutes at 600 watts (power lever setting will vary by the wattage of your microwave).
  • Drain the tuna.
  • Mix the vinegar, mustard, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste to make a dressing.
  • Once the carrots are lightly cooked but still crisp, add the tuna and then the dressing and mix well.
  • Serve warm or cold.
  • She notes that you can increase the amounts of the recipe, but that she has found it best to only microwave this amount of carrots at one time.

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Reviews

  1. Different and suprising. Liked the flavor. I grated the carrots instead of jullianning them. So it was a different texture, I'm sure. Could definately see this as an accompianment to asian or middle eastern foods. Maybe not so much as a "salad" though. I gave it to my one year old on bread like a sandwich. He ate it and seemed to like it. I ate mine spread over some foccocia bread as a side dish to some soup. I could also see it being kind of like a "dip" with crackers.
     
  2. I love it.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I live in Los Angeles, and there are really great farmer's markets here, and corner stores featuring foods of many nations. I try to take advantage of these resources by using fresh seasonal produce and trying foods from different cultures. I don't exactly have the problem of not being able to find exotic ingredients; more often, I see things in the local stores (lotus root! passionfruit! chayote!) that turn out to be delicious when I finally learn how to prepare them. Interested in expanding my repertoire of techniques and cuisines, I finally took up my sister - Recipezaar member Roosie - on her recommendation to visit this site. I hear our parents use it too sometimes, but they don't seem to have figured out how to write reviews. My culinary pet peeve is when people stir rice while it's cooking, thereby making it gummy.
 
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