Bean and pea salad with miso dressing

Lightly cooked green beans and peas on a bed of fresh peashoots with walnuts and a miso-sake dressing makes a fresh, healthy lunch.

I go with whatever combination of beans I have to hand – mangetout and podded edamame are both good and give an interesting visual and texture contrast.

The dressing is quite intense and a little goes a long way. Any miso works in the dressing, but I particularly like the earthy depth of flavour that brown rice miso imparts.

Bean and pea salad with miso dressing
(serves 4)

• 2 cups green beans, mangetout, or podded edamame
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 150g fresh peashoots (or butter lettuce, torn into pieces)
• ¼ cup (65ml) sake
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 3 Tb mirin
• 2 Tb brown rice miso
• 3 Tb walnuts, chopped

1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Blanch the beans and peas and refresh under cold water. Pat dry and set aside.
2. In a small pot over a medium flame, combine the sake, brown sugar, soy sauce, mirin and miso.
3. Bring to a simmer, and cook for several minutes until reduced and syrupy. Set aside to cool.
4. Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan, then set aside.
5. To serve, spread the peashoots on a serving platter.
6. Arrange the beans and peas on top, scatter with walnuts, and pour the dressing over top.
7. Enjoy the beauty, then toss well before eating.

Tags: dairy-free, green beans, miso, peas, vegan, vegetarian