Ingredients
Japanese sesame dressing
Salad
Miso and lemon-glazed chicken
Method
1.To make the Japanese sesame dressing, toast sesame seeds in a dry frypan, moving the pan around frequently, for about 2 minutes or until light golden. Set aside about ½ teaspoon for garnish, then crush the rest of the sesame seedsin a mortar and pestle to form a paste. Combine sesame paste with remaining dressing ingredients and whisk until smooth (I just do this in the bowl of the mortar and pestle). Set dressing aside.
2.For the salad, cut cucumber in half lengthways, scooping out seeds with a teaspoon and thinly slicing into half-moons. Thinly slice baby radishes, spring onions and avocado. Place in a large bowl with spinach and edamame.
3.Mix miso, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, ginger and water together in a small bowl.
4.Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into steaks – to do this, place one hand flat on top of a chicken breast and use a knife in the other hand to carefully slice through horizontally to make 2 thin steaks.
5.Heat oil in a large nonstick frypan on medium-high heat. Cook chicken steaks for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Set chicken aside and keep pan on the heat. Add miso mixture to pan, bring to a rapid bubble and squeeze in lemon juice. Let it bubble for a minute, then turn off the heat. Return chicken steaks to the pan and toss to coat.
6.To serve, toss salad with dressing and divide between plates. Top with chicken steak (or slices of chicken) and spoon over any remaining glaze from pan. Garnish with a sprinkle of reserved toasted sesame seeds.
If you can’t be bothered making the sesame dressing, you can buy Japanese goma (sesame) dressing from the international section at the supermarket.
Note