- Recipes By Region
- Asian Food
- Japanese Food
By
Setsuko Yoshizuka
Setsuko Yoshizuka
Setsuko Yoshizuka is a freelance food writer and Japanese cookbook author.
Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process
Updated on 05/19/24
(38)
Write a Review
Trending Videos
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 8 servings
38 ratings
Write a Review
Add a comment
Vegetable-based salads are an important part of Japanese cuisine. This popular simple salad dressing is called Wafu, which means “Japanese-style dressing”. It’s similar to a vinaigrette and comes in many different variations but always contains the three key ingredients soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sugar.
Both rice vinegar and soy sauce are staples of Japanese cooking. Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice. It as a slightly sweet, mild taste. It comes seasoned and unseasoned. Seasoned rice vinegar is sweeter than unsweetened rice vinegar, it usually contains sugar or a sweetener. Unseasoned rice vinegar is the better choice for a more neutral dressing but if a tad of sweetness enhances the salad you are making, use sweetened rice vinegar.
Are All Soy Sauces the Same?
Japanese soy sauce called Shoyu is different from Chinese soy sauce both in ingredients and taste. This recipe does not call for a specific type of soy sauce, however, the dressing will be different depending on the soy sauce you use.
Chinese soy sauce is only made with soy, whereas Japanese soy sauce is made with a mix of soy and roasted wheat, usually in equal ratio. The wheat content is an important consideration if you’re gluten-free. Japanese soy sauce has a sweeter, more subtle flavor than their Chinese soy sauce, which tends to be saltier and have a bolder taste.
You can use this dressing for a wide range of Japanese salads with vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, watercress, or seaweed. You can also add it to Asian noodle salad or rice salad. Wafu dressing is also served withside dishes in bento lunch boxes.
Tips for Making Japanese Salad Dressing Recipe
- Choose the right soy sauce - If you use Chinese soy sauce, make sure you use light soy sauce. It is thin, has a light reddish brown in color and opaque. It is different from salt-reduced soy sauce, which might also be labeled as "light" or "lite."
- Just the right taste - Because soy sauce is already salty, no extra salt is added to this dressing. For vegetable oil, a neutral-tasting oil such as vegetable oil, sunflower oil or vegetable oil is best.
What You'll Need to Make This Japanese Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
Mix 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in a bowl.
Add 5 tablespoons vegetable oil gradually and mix well. Serve with lettuces of your choice.
Feeling Adventurous? Try This:
- Spruce it up - add mirin, minced fresh ginger root, wasabi, oryuzuto the dressing.
- Skip the bowl, use a jar - you can also put all the ingredients in a jar, close it tightly, and shake until emulsified. This is also the way to go if you don’t use the entire dressing at once. Store any leftover dressing in a cool, dark place.
- Japanese Food
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
78 | Calories |
8g | Fat |
0g | Carbs |
0g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 8 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 78 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 8g | 11% |
Saturated Fat 1g | 3% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 110mg | 5% |
Total Carbohydrate 0g | 0% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
Total Sugars 0g | |
Protein 0g | |
Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
Calcium 1mg | 0% |
Iron 0mg | 0% |
Potassium 9mg | 0% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Recipe Tags:
- sauce
- simple salad dressing
- salad
- asian
Rate This Recipe
I don't like this at all.It's not the worst.Sure, this will do.I'm a fan—would recommend.Amazing! I love it!Thanks for your rating!