I use the flavors that I picked up from salad spots around the Berkeley college-town to construct this asian-inspired salad: massaged kale with ginger-miso dressing and a hint of yuzu. An easy, delicious, and protein-packed bowl.

This is a salad I would love to have for lunch as a student in UC Berkeley. But of course, I couldn’t have it every day because a bowl would easily cost over 15 dollars. Turns out, you can make it at home for a much cheaper price using simple techniques — and even turn the flavors up a notch!
Ginger-Miso-Yuzu Kale Salad
2
servings30
minutes10
minutesAsian-inspired massaged kale salad with ginger-miso dressing and a hint of yuzu. An easy, delicious, and protein-packed bowl.
Ingredients
500 grams kale (stems & leaves included in weight)
1 tablespoon yuzu extract
6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
250 grams Japanese seaweed salad, I used store-bought
200 grams purple cabbage, thinly sliced
12 grape tomatoes, halved
20 grams crispy fried shallots (homemade recipe here)
- Tingly Sweet Potato
1 large sweet potato
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper (more if you love it)
- Teriyaki Tofu
200 grams fried tofu/bean curd
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce (homemade recipe here)
- Five-Spice Roasted Chickpeas
100 grams dry chickpeas*
1 teaspoon yuzu extract
1/2 teaspoon ground five-spice
1 pinch smoked paprika (optional)
1 pinch kosher salt
- Ginger Miso Dressing
2 tablespoons light brown miso
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons warm water
2 cloves garlic
5 grams fresh ginger, peeled
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chili oil (homemade recipe here)
2 tablespoon yuzu extract
1 pinch red chili powder (optional)
Directions
- Roast the Chickpeas. If using dried chickpeas, first soak them overnight in water (or at least 8 hours), then drain them on a paper towel. If using canned chickpeas, pour them out and drain on a paper towel as well. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 C). Spread chickpeas onto a parchment-lined baking tray (single-layer). Add lemon juice to the chickpeas and toss together to coat, then follow with five-spice and kosher salt. Toss everything again to coat completely. Roast chickpeas for around 25 minutes, or until crispy & golden-brown.
- Roast the Sweet Potato. Cut the sweet potato in half, then into equally thick half-moon shaped slices (skin still on). Toss potato slices with vegetable oil, kosher salt and ground Sichuan pepper. Spread sweet potato slices onto a parchment-lined baking tray, then place it to the same oven (400 F or 200 C). Roast for around 30 minutes, or until tender to a parring knife.
- Cook the Shiitake Mushrooms. Heat up a tiny bit of oil in a pan on medium-heat and fry mushroom slices until tender. Season with salt & pepper to taste, and set aside.
- Make Teriyaki Tofu. Cut fried tofu/bean curd into evenly-sized cubes, then add them to a bowl along with 1-2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce. Let the teriyaki sauce flavor soak into the tofu for at least 5 minutes (longer the better). Heat up a pan (no oil) on medium-high heat, and fry the tofu cubes. Let the tofu cubes sit in the pan without disturbing, so they get nicely charred & lightly crispy on the outside. Fry until all sides are evenly browned and set aside.
- Prepare Ginger-Miso Dressing. In a food processor, first combine garlic, ginger, miso, tamari, mirin, yuzu extract (or rice vinegar), and warm water. Blend until everything is combined, then continue to blend while adding toasted sesame oil, vegetable oil, and chili oil through the feed tube. If your blender does not have a feed tube, just add one type of oil at a time and blend in-between each addition. Once emulsified and smooth, taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Add a touch of chili powder if desired.
- Prepare Massaged Kale. Once the kale has been rinsed & dried, run your fingers along the kale stalks to separate green leaves from the stem. Note: you don’t have to remove all parts of the stem, just the extra thick stalks). Cut kale leaves into bite-sized pieces if they aren’t already. Add the leaves to a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Use your hands to massage the kale leaves until they are just slightly wilted and tenderized (but not turned into mush).
- Assembly. Prepare other vegetables as instructed, as well as any additional toppings. In the serving plate of choice, toss kale with the dressing, then arrange all toppings on top. Finish with extra dressing and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Order of Action. In order to minimize time (for college students/interns), the order you prepare everything is as follows: 1) prepare everything that needs roasting. 2) prepare everything that needs cooking (so they have time to cool down). 3) prepare greens and additional toppings.
- Yuzu Extract. For those who do not like the taste of yuzu, you can substitute it 1:1 with lemon juice.
Is the Abura-age same as the tofu curd? I bought them both for 2 different dishes, and kind of look the same diferent package and size, even though I bought a different store, and brand. Anyhow, I’ve been on a roll for a couple weeks 2-3 times x week cooking some of your dishes, which I never cooked something elaborate outside a saturday OR sunday, not both! Everything is so delicious! Before I found you on Tiktok, the only Asian food I ate was from a restaurant or bakery. Crispy Mongolian Tofu.. game changer! So are the sweet bean rolls!… Read more »
Hi Rosa! Abura-age is not the same as tofu curd! Abura-age is like a squishy tofu pocket, whereas tofu curd is just regular tofu but pre-fried. So happy to hear that you are enjoying the recipes!! Feel free to message me or tag me in your creations too, would love to see them x