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Kale Salad with Miso Dressing

Kale Salad with Miso Dressing

Kale, hailed as a superfood, has taken the world by storm in recent years, but in Taiwan it's still unfamiliar to most people. Kale is a little bitter, and many people find the taste hard to get used to the first time they make a salad with it. But one super simple step makes kale taste so much better, and paired with my special miso dressing, you'll fall in love with this salad.

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Kale is incredibly nutritious. It’s no exaggeration to say it’s been the A-list star of ingredients worldwide these past few years; it shows up in almost every salad. But in Taiwan kale isn’t easy to find. You basically have to try your luck at imported-goods supermarkets, and it’s expensive too. Also, I like to buy seasonal, local vegetables, so I almost never get the chance to meet this star. But the week before last, Caesar came back from Costco and happily told me, “I found kale today! Will you make me a salad?” (Was I supposed to say no? 😂) So I dutifully carried my kale into the kitchen. Still, getting to eat it once in a while is a happy thing.

How to Make Kale Less Bitter

Kale is naturally a little bitter, and many people don’t like that bitterness. It’s even more noticeable in a salad. But one very simple step reduces the bitterness, and it also gives the leaves a really nice texture.

  1. Cut the salad into small pieces: for any salad, always cut or snip the leaves into small pieces, small enough to eat easily, but not so tiny that they’re hard to pick up with a fork. Also, a salad’s flavor comes from how fresh the ingredients are and how well they go with the dressing. If the leaves are too big, the dressing won’t coat them evenly, and the texture and flavor won’t shine, so always cut your salad into bite-size pieces.
  2. Should you keep the kale stems? This is completely up to you. Kale stems are thick, and many people don’t like chewing on them in a salad, so they remove them. I don’t remove the stems: first, I’m lazy; second, I think it’s a waste to throw them away; and third, the stems add texture and make you chew slowly.
  3. The one-step secret to less bitter kale - give it a salt massage: add half a teaspoon of salt, then slowly massage the kale leaves with your hands, rubbing gently. After about 30 seconds, you’ll notice the leaves turn darker and look a bit wilted, and at that point the bitterness is greatly reduced! Massage the kale gently and for no more than 2 minutes. Trust me, this simple-looking step makes a huge difference to the texture of the leaves!

Kale Salad with Miso Dressing

Servings
2

Ingredients

Salad

Miso Dressing

Instructions

Make the Dressing

  1. In a sealable jar or a bowl, add the 8 dressing ingredients and mix well.

Pan-Fry the Tofu

  1. Cut the tofu into strips. Heat a little oil in a skillet and fry until golden on the outside, then season with salt and pepper.

Salad

  1. Wash and drain the kale, then cut it into bite-size pieces (the stems are tougher, so you can remove them if you like, but I keep them). Add half a teaspoon of salt and gently massage the kale leaves for about 1-2 minutes, until the leaves darken and shrink.

  2. Add the red cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes, and toss everything together with large salad tongs.

  3. Finally, add the pan-fried tofu and drizzle with the dressing. Done!