Saveur

At the Chinos' mochi-tsuki, Toshimori Kawasaki, then the chef at Taka Sushi in San Diego, served this salad—made with Chino-grown greens—as a bed for chopped spicy tuna. The salad, with its make-way-ahead dressing, was so good on its own, though, that we offer it that way here.

1 cup bottled ponzu sauce
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
5" piece konbu (dried sea kelp)
1 tbsp. katsuobushi (dried, smoked bonito flakes)
Juice from 1/2 orange
1 tsp. Asian chile oil
1 tsp. sriracha chile sauce
12 oz. small leaves from mixed greens, such as radicchio and bibb, lola rosa, oak leaf, or romaine lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried

1. Combine ponzu sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar, sea kelp, bonito flakes, and orange juice in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to let mature for 2 weeks.

2. Strain ponzu mixture through a fine sieve into a clean 24-oz. glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and discard solids. (Dressing will keep, tightly sealed, for up to 3 months in the refrigerator.)

3. Put chili oil, chili sauce, and 1/3 cup of ponzu dressing into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add greens and toss until well coated. 

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #63