Bok Choy and Tuna Salad
チンゲン菜のツナサラダ · Chingensai no Tsuna Sarada
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
This is one of the simplest side dishes on our preschool menu: blanched bok choy and carrot, tossed with canned tuna and a light soy, vinegar and sugar dressing finished with sesame. Bok choy (chingensai) is a favorite green in Japanese school kitchens because its stems stay juicy and tender rather than stringy, and the tuna makes even reluctant vegetable eaters reach for a second bite. The dressing is warmed briefly to soften the sharpness of the vinegar, so the flavor is gentle enough for the youngest children.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 51 gbok choy
- 18 gcarrot
- 9 gcanned tuna (in oil)
Seasonings
- 1.8 gwhite sesame seeds
- 1 gvinegar
- 2.6 gsoy sauce
- 1 gsugar
Directions
- 1
Cut the carrot into short, thin matchsticks. Cut the bok choy into 2 cm (3/4 inch) wide pieces, and drain the oil from the canned tuna.
- 2
Boil the carrot and bok choy separately. Rinse under cold running water to cool.
- 3
Combine the dressing ingredients and heat them to cook off the sharpness of the vinegar.
- 4
Toast the white sesame seeds (this can be skipped).
- 5
Squeeze the vegetables from step 2 well to remove excess water, then toss with the tuna, the dressing from step 3 and the sesame seeds from step 4.
Toasting the sesame seeds brings out a nutty aroma that makes the vegetables easier for children to eat (it is fine to skip this step to save cooking time).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 51 kcal | 102 kcal | 51 kcal |
| Protein | 2.6 g | 5.1 g | 2.6 g |
| Fat | 3 g | 6 g | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.2 g | 8.4 g | 4.2 g |
| Fiber | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 76.5 mg | 153 mg | 76.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 225 mg | 450 mg | 225 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 51 kcal | 2.6 g | 3 g | 4.2 g | 1.4 g | 0.5 g | 76.5 mg | 0.8 mg | 225 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 102 kcal | 5.1 g | 6 g | 8.4 g | 2.7 g | 0.9 g | 153 mg | 1.5 mg | 450 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
