Komatsuna and Shirasu Salad
小松菜としらすのサラダ · Komatsuna to Shirasu no Salada
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Komatsuna, sometimes called Japanese mustard spinach, is a leafy green with a gentle flavor and none of the bitterness that puts children off. Here it is boiled, cooled and tossed with fine carrot strips and shirasu, tiny dried baby sardines that add a soft, savory saltiness kids love. The dressing is briefly heated to cook off the sharp edge of the vinegar, so what is left is a mild sweet-and-sour taste that even little ones take to. It is a quick, calcium-rich side dish from our preschool lunch menu.
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
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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
- 54 gkomatsunaA mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
- 16.5 gcarrot
- 4.5 gshirasu (dried baby sardines)Tiny, lightly salted and dried whole baby sardines that add gentle saltiness and calcium. Substitute: A small amount of flaked canned sardines, or omit.
Seasonings
- 3.8 gvinegar
- 3.8 gvegetable oil
- 1.5 gsoy sauce
- 1.2 gsugar
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- komatsuna (こまつな)
- A mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
- shirasu (dried baby sardines) (しらす干し)
- Tiny, lightly salted and dried whole baby sardines that add gentle saltiness and calcium. Substitute: A small amount of flaked canned sardines, or omit.
Directions
- 1
Cut the komatsuna into 2 cm lengths and cut the carrot into short, thin strips. Boil each separately, then rinse under running water to cool.
- 2
Blanch the shirasu briefly in boiling water for about 1 minute to remove excess salt.
- 3
Combine all the dressing ingredients and heat them to cook off the sharpness of the vinegar.
- 4
Squeeze the vegetables from step 1 to remove excess water, then toss with the shirasu from step 2 and the dressing from step 3.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 58.5 kcal | 117 kcal | 58.5 kcal |
| Protein | 2.1 g | 4.2 g | 2.1 g |
| Fat | 4.1 g | 8.1 g | 4.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.4 g | 8.7 g | 4.4 g |
| Fiber | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 108 mg | 216 mg | 108 mg |
| Iron | 1.5 mg | 3 mg | 1.5 mg |
| Potassium | 333 mg | 666 mg | 333 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 58.5 kcal | 2.1 g | 4.1 g | 4.4 g | 1.5 g | 0.3 g | 108 mg | 1.5 mg | 333 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 117 kcal | 4.2 g | 8.1 g | 8.7 g | 3 g | 0.6 g | 216 mg | 3 mg | 666 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.
