♯12 Mashed Taro Salad

The combination of Shiso and pickled plum is just perfect not only in the taste but also the color.
Smooth taro with nice and crunchy dried radish will delight your mouth.

[ingredients] serves 4
500g Japanese Taro
a handful sun-dried Daikon radish
3 to 4 pickled plum (Umeboshi), stoned and chopped
4 leaves Shiso (Green Perilla), finely chopped
1 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted
soy sauce, to taste

Sun-dried Daikon radish is a popular dry ingredient in Japan. The water after soaking is quite sweet and full of flavour. So I sometimes use it as a substitution for Mirin.

[direction]
1. Peel and boil the taroes in salted water until tender.
2. Mash the taro while they are still hot with the back of a spoon.
3. Soak the sun-dried radish with as little water as possible to prevent diluting the flavour. When it becomes soft enough, chop it.
4. Add the chopped radish, pickled plum, Shiso and sasame seeds to the mashed Taro and mix together. Season with a little soy sauce to your taste.

The bowl in this photo is from Hakusan Porcelain, which is one of my favourite table ware maker. Some produts may be available at following shops.
■common
Laivurinrinne 1, 00120 Helsinki FINLAND
http://www.common-helsinki.com/
■TeaSmith Limited
6 Lamb Street London E16EA United Kingdom
http://www.teasmith.co.uk/