Sweet “New” Onion Dressing
Many Japanese salad dressings incorporate some kind of vegetable or fruit in the recipe. They act as natural seasonings and flavorings, provide additional nutritional benefits, and make the dressing a component of the dish rather than just a topping. In addition, it’s another way to cook with the seasons. Sweet “New” Onion Dressing is a spring dressing. In season in the Setouchi from March through May, new onions (shin-tamanegi / 新玉ねぎ) are yellow onions harvested early when the onions are juicier, sweeter, and milder than mature yellow onions. They’re one of the prized vegetables at this time of year, with their brilliant porcelain white color adding to their charm.
Awaji Island produces some of the best-tasting new onions in Japan.
New onions make a great salad dressing because of onions’ flavor affinity with all foods and because they have lots of natural umami, which enhances the elegant richness of the dressing as well as anything it dresses. Sweet “New” Onion Dressing is incredibly versatile. It’s a great complement drizzled on winter’s sweet, earthy root vegetables. It’s a great contrast to the slightly bitter fresh leafy greens and other vegetables of spring. In fact, it works well with almost everything, and can be used as a dipping sauce or dressing for steamed and grilled seafood, chicken, and pork and also as a marinade for them.
If you don’t have new onions, use some type of sweet onion, like Walla Walla, Maui, and Vidalia.
Sweet “New” Onion Dressing
Shin-Tamanegi Doressingu : 新玉ねぎドレッシング
Makes 1 cup (250 ml)
Main Foods
New Onion or Any Variety of Sweet Onion, 1/2 large (about 125 g)
Seasonings
Canola or Other Neutral-Flavored Vegetable Oil, 6 tablespoons
Mirin, 2 tablespoons
Sea Salt, 1 teaspoon
Lemon Juice, 1 teaspoon
Rice Vinegar, 6 tablespoons
Aromatics / Flavorings
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, 1/4 teaspoon to taste (optional)
Directions
Lightly rinse the onion, if needed, to remove any dirt, pat dry, and take off the outer layer of papery skin. Grate the onion finely on a box grater, making sure you capture all of the onion’s juice. When you get to the end of the onion, mince the last bits with a knife.
Mix the grated onion and its juice with all of the seasonings and refrigerate. Let the flavors meld for a few hours, preferably overnight, before using.
You can also make the dressing in a blender. It gives the same results in terms of the grated texture of the onion. But I more often use a box grater, the kind you use to grate daikon radish, because it goes just as quickly and is easier to clean up. The dressing will keep for about 4-5 days refrigerated.
Variations
Instead of or in addition to ground black pepper, you can use other aromatics and flavorings, but limit those to one or two and small amounts, just enough to add an accent of flavor. For example, a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder or 1/2 teaspoon of oregano or za’atar, which can be nice when using the dressing for Greek and Middle Eastern salads and dishes.
Substitutions
The seasonings are key to the recipe. Canola or another neutral-flavored vegetable oil keeps the focus on the delicate flavor of the onions. The mirin and rice vinegar add layers of umami. However, the oil and mirin can be varied and replaced, so long as their substitutions are kept light.
Oil — Light sesame oil or extra-virgin olive oil. If using extra-virgin olive oil , use no more than 1/2 of the total amount of oil called for in the recipe, with the other half being a neutral-tasting vegetable oil.
Mirin — 1 tablespoon of a clover or similar mild-tasting honey or 1 tablespoon of sugar.