Diet Banchan Plate No 4. For this week's low-carb plate, we combine a hodgepodge of ingredients from my childhood. Let's start-off with edamame - my go-to late-night snack as a student in Tokyo. We'll toss it with fresh avocado and dress it with a light but fragrant ginger-oil. Next, we'll use my mom's recipe to make eggplant muchim. Then slice up some delicious beets - which brings back childhood memories of eating lunch buffets at Sizzlers! And top it off with a salmon steak. Sounds amazing no?
More than anything, I was impressed by this edamame salad. (The recipe is from Marc Matsuomoto). It piqued my interest because the salad dressing was so simple - only oil, grated ginger and salt. Yet it works so beautifully with the creamy texture of the avocado and the savory beans. This is a must-try!
As for the other banchans, I'll leave a few cooking notes:
- For the eggplant muchim, try to select male eggplants (they don't have as many seeds). A good reference article here.
- In the video, I used pre-boiled beets. If you buy it raw, boil the beets for at least 30 minutes. Then cool down and cut into thin slices. Another reference video here.
- For the salmon steak, remember to pat-down dry with a paper towel. That way, it gets a nice crispy skin!
That's it for this week. Thanks guys and let me know how you like this plate!
Dan-yul out 🕺🤓
Ingredients
Edamame Avocado Salad
- ½ cup Edamame
- 1 handful of Green Beans
- 2 stalks of Green Onion (or Scallions)
- 1 Avocado
- 1 slice of Lemon
- A handful of Baby Greens
- A sprinkle of Cilantro (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
- ½ Tablespoon of Grated Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon of salt (to taste)
Eggplant Muchim
- 3 Eggplants (Use only 2 if they're large eggplants)
- 1 stalk of Green Onion
- 1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
- ½ Tablespoon of Minced Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil
- ½ Tablespoon of Sesame Seeds
Sliced Beets
- 1-2 whole Beets
Salmon Steak
- 150 grams Salmon Fillet
- A few shakes of Salt
- A few shakes of Black Pepper
- A few slices of Lemon
Instructions
Edamame Avocado Salad
- Cut both ends off the green beans. Boil the green beans for 3 minutes. Then cool down in cold water. Cut into 2 inch pieces. Set aside.
- If you are using frozen, PRE-COOKED edamame, simply defrost them at room temperature (or thaw in the microwave for 1 minute). If you are using UNCOOKED fresh edamame, cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. Then chill in cold water. Set aside.
- Next, we will make a dressing: Grate some ginger (2 Tablespoons worth). Then, chop your green onion stalks into very thin slices. Next, chop 1 avocado into small chunks - squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on the pieces to keep them from oxidizing.
- Take out a mixing bowl. Place in the vegetable oil (2 Tablespoon), grated ginger (2 Tablespoons), green onion and few pinches of salt. Give it a mix and sample it. Add a pinch of more salt if you need.
- Now toss-in the avocado pieces, green beans and edamame into the dressing. Get it mixed evenly.
- Finally, add-in the baby greens (and cilantro) and toss everything.
Eggplant Muchim
- Cut the tops off each eggplant. Then cut the eggplant in half (or into a ¼ if the eggplant is big).
- Put water into a large pot. Bring up to a boil. Place the eggplant pieces into a steaming basket and place it into the pot. Close the lid and steam for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes - poke the eggplant and check to see if it's soft. If not, steam for longer.
- Place the steamed eggplant strips onto a plate and let it fully cool down. Then use a squeeze bag or a cheese cloth. Give a good squeeze and take the water out.
- Then de-tangle the eggplant pieces into a mixing bowl. Now dress with: Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon), Minced Garlic (½ Tablespoon), Sesame Oil (1 Tablespoon), Sesame Seeds (½ Tablespoon). Thoroughly mix the marinade and spread over the eggplant pieces.
- Finally, chop up the green onion and sprinkle into the mix. Give one final mix.
Sliced Beets
- Boil beets for 20-30 minutes. Fully cool down. Then cut into thin slices.
Salmon Steak
- Pat your salmon steak dry with a paper towel - on both sides (This is important to get a crispy skin).
- Place a frying pan on medium-high heat. Place a good amount of oil in. Once the oil is hot, place the salmon in, skin-side down. Sprinkle some salt on. Let it cook until you see that the fillet is cooked 80% through. Then flip it over and let it cook on the other side for a few more minutes.
- Once both sides are cooked to your liking, turn off heat. Sprinkle some black pepper and a few squeezes of lemon. Bon Appetit!
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