Watercress, Asian Pear, and Radish Salad with Black Vinegar-Ginger Vinaigrette

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 15 min

Cook 5 min

Total 20 min

Ingredients

4 cups (120 g) watercress, thick stems trimmed
1 Asian pear, cored and thinly sliced
1 small English cucumber, thinly sliced
6 radishes, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
1/4 cup (15 g) fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup (10 g) fresh mint leaves, torn
2 tbsp (18 g) toasted sesame seeds
1 1/2 tbsp (22 ml) Chinese black vinegar (Zhenjiang)
1 tbsp (15 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lime juice
1 tsp (5 ml) light soy sauce
1 tsp (7 g) honey
1 tsp (2 g) finely grated fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1–2 tsp chili crisp or chili oil, to taste
2 tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil (grapeseed or peanut)
1 tsp (5 ml) toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. If your sesame seeds aren’t toasted, toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Cool.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together black vinegar, rice vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, chili crisp, neutral oil, and toasted sesame oil until emulsified. Taste and adjust heat or acidity to preference.
3. In a large bowl, combine watercress, Asian pear, cucumber, radishes, scallions, cilantro, and mint.
4. Drizzle about two-thirds of the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat. Add more dressing as needed to lightly gloss the ingredients without weighing them down.
5. Scatter toasted sesame seeds over the top. Taste and adjust with a squeeze of lime or a splash of black vinegar if needed.
6. Serve immediately.