Vegetable Salad with Miso Dressing

One of my favourite Indonesian dishes is gado- gado, the vegetable salad smothered with a spiced peanut dressing. With so many people allergic to nuts these days, this Japanese inspired recipe makes a great alternative. The dressing can also be used as a glaze for barbecued salmon. 1 ½ cups ( 375 ml) awase or saikyo white miso ½ cup ( 125 ml) sake 1 cup ( 250 ml) mirin

1/ cup ( 80 ml) sugar

3 1 teaspoon ( 5 ml) minced ginger 2 tablespoons ( 30 ml) toasted sesame seeds 1 tablespoon ( 15 ml) sesame oil 1 cup ( 250 ml) green beans, trimmed and cut on bias, 3- inch ( 8- cm) lengths 1 ½ cups ( 375 ml) cauliflower florets 1 ½ cups ( 375 ml) broccoli florets 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced ¼ - inch thick on bias Japanese chili pepper or shichimi togarashi, to taste Combine miso, sake, mirin, sugar and ginger in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boiling point, reduce heat and continue to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove and cool. Stir in sesame seeds and sesame oil. Refrigerate covered until chilled. This can be kept in an air- tight container for two to three weeks. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and add broccoli, then cauliflower and finally green beans and quickly blanch until crunch- tender. Do not overcook. Drain under running cold water and drain well. Lightly dry the vegetables and place into a mixing bowl with the celery. Toss with ¼ cup ( 60 ml) of the dressing and sprinkle with togarashi, to taste. Makes 4 servings