When I think of Japanese cuisine, one of the words that comes to mind is “simple.” Not all Japanese dishes are simple, but many celebrate flavors and ingredients through simplicity. Some of my favorite dishes have relatively few ingredients and focus on highlighting flavors and celebrating certain seasonal ingredients. Leonardo DaVinci is quoted as having said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” I think that Japanese cuisine exhibits this in abundance.
I have recently fallen in love with this quick and simple carrot sesame salad. It is simplicity at its best–light, flavorful, and good for you too! What’s even better is that it takes about 5 minutes to make and Squirrel eats it like it’s candy. The thin crunchy bits of carrot, nuttiness of the sesame oil, and bit of zing from the citrus combine to make this a refreshing dish. The salad can be made ahead of when you are going to serve it–the flavors just get better as the salad sits and marinates for a bit. It makes a wonderful addition to a meal or bento, but is just as good as a healthy afternoon snack.

Carrot Sesame Salad
From Just Bento
Makes 6 small servings

2 medium carrots
3/4 Tbsp. lemon juice, OR 1 Tbsp. ponzu
1/2 tsp. sugar
pinch of dashi granules or konbu powder (you can leave this out)
pinch of salt (omit if you are using dashi granules)
dash of soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
Optional: some roughly chopped parsley

1. Peel the carrots, and shred them with a coarse grater (see Just Bento for additional information on shredding). Put in a bowl with the chopped parsley.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. The flavor mellows if you can let it rest for an hour or more (overnight is good).

* Drain off some of the juice when packing into a bento box.
* For possible variations see Just Bento.