Drawing Inspiration
Today’s recipe is a Winter Harvest Kale Salad! This salad is inspired by a dish at Yangban Society located in the Arts District of Downtown LA. The restaurant utilizes seasonal produce grown in California and has a modern take on Korean-American foods. As an Asian American, I feel really inspired by restaurants like Yangban Society because I also love incorporating hints of my culture into American dishes as a representation of my own upbringing.
The specific dish that inspired this salad was Yangban Society’s Fall Kale Salad. It was a delicious mixture of kale, little gem lettuce, roasted Korean Sweet Potato, fried shallots, fuyu persimmons, maple balsamic vinaigrette, butter toasted crumbs and grated pecorino.
In the colder seasons, salad isn’t necessarily what I crave since it’s so chilly, but this salad was absolutely delicious! It had a perfect variation of textures and balance of sweetness and tanginess. The dish reminded me that even though it is colder, salads can still shine, showcasing the delicious fruits and vegetables that thrive during this time of year.
The Perfect Winter Salad
As a result, I had to create my own variation of Yangban Society’s Fall Harvest Salad. This Winter Harvest Kale Salad features kale tossed together with roasted hazelnuts, maple roasted Murasaki and Yaki Imo Japanese sweet potatoes, sliced persimmons, and pomegranate arils. It’s finished off with crispy fried shallots, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and a pomegranate balsamic glaze. Just like the Fall Harvest Salad, this Winter Harvest Kale Salad has a variety of textures and the perfect sweet and tangy bite! I decided to use purple and yellow Japanese sweet potatoes because the pop of purple is just really beautiful and ties into the winter vibe. Then the pomegranate balsamic glaze adds a tangy bite to give the salad a bit of a zing!
So if you’re looking for a new go-to winter salad, definitely try this recipe out! I’ve honestly never been more excited to eat a salad at work for lunch. And if you want to explore a new restaurant, reserve a spot at Yangban Society. As always, let me know if you try this recipe out and I’ll talk to you in my next post!
Winter Harvest Kale Salad
Ingredients
For the Pomegranate Glaze
- 3 cups 100% Pomegranate juice from concentrate
- 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
For the Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 1 Murasaki Purple Japanese Sweet Potato (peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes)
- 1 Yaki Imo Yellow Japanese Sweet Potato (peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes)
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
For the Crispy Shallots
- 2 Shallots (thinly sliced, about 1/16 inch thick)
- 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- As Needed Vegetable Oil (for frying)
For the Salad
- 1 1/4 cups Raw Hazelnuts
- 6 cups De-stemmed Chopped Kale
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Toasted White Sesame Seeds
- 2 Persimmons (thinly sliced into semicircles)
- 1 cup Pomegranate Arils
- 1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
For the Pomegranate Balsamic Glaze
- Add all the ingredients into a sauce pot. Heat it over medium high heat until it starts bubbling. Reduce the heat to low or medium low so that the mixture is gently simmering. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring frequently, until the juice reduces down enough to coat the back of a metal spoon and develops a syrupy consistency. Remove it from heat and allow it to cool to room tempertature. The glaze with continue to thicken as it cools.
For the Maple Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Add both kinds of the Japanese sweet potatoes, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Toss the ingredients together until evenly combined. Spread the sweet potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and roast for 45-50 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and set them aside to cool.
For the Crispy Shallots
- Add the flour, salt and pepper to a shallow dish. Whisk to combine the seasonings. Pour the milk into a separate shallow dish.
- Separate the sliced shallots into rings. Working in batches, dredge the shallot rings in the flour. Dust off any excess flour. Dip the shallots into the milk until the flour has been absorbed. Allow any excess liquid to drip off. Add the shallots back into the flour to dredge and dust off any excess flour. Repeat this process to coat the remaining shallots.
- Fill a pan with vegetable oil until it's about a 1/2 inch deep. Heat it over medium high heat until it reaches 350˚F. When the oil is hot, add some of the the shallot rings to the oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the shallots from the oil and allow them to drain on a wire rack. Continue to fry the shallots in batches then set them aside.
For the Salad
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Add the hazelnuts to the baking sheet and bake them for 10-12 minutes until they are roasted then remove them from the oven. Roughly chop the hazelnuts.
- Optional step: if you want to remove the hazelnut skins, while the hazelnuts are still hot, wrap them in a kitchen towel and allow them to steam for a few minutes. Then rub the towel against the hazelnuts to help rub off the skin.
- Add the kale to a large bowl along with the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Use your hands to scrunch handfuls of the kale, massaging it, until the leaves are slightly wilted. Add in the roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, persimmons, and pomegranate arils. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, crispy shallots and a drizzle of the pomegranate balsamic glaze. Enjoy!
