Power Dressing

DEAR SOS: I would love the recipe for the wonderful salad dressing from the Minami Japanese restaurant formerly at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel.

--BARBARA

DEAR BARBARA: We get numerous requests for this dressing served on a typical green salad that usually accompanies teppan (grill) meals. It’s a deceptively simple dressing with powerful flavor.

MINAMI SALAD DRESSING (30 MINUTES OR LESS)

1 1/2 cups oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 egg yolk (See COOK’S TIP)

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons paprika

Combine oil, vinegar, soy sauce, egg yolk, salt, pepper, mustard and paprika. Beat well until smooth and syrupy. Taste and add additional salt if desired.

1 2/3 cups. Each 1-tablespoon serving:

116 calories; 325 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 0 carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.10 gram fiber.

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COOK’S TIP

When raw eggs are called for in a recipe, such as the Minami salad dressing, there are a couple of methods a cook can use to make the eggs safer. Here are two methods The Times Test Kitchen uses to heat egg yolks before using them in recipes that traditionally use raw yolks.

Microwave Method: Heat egg yolks on HIGH 30 seconds. Now heat the egg yolks on HIGH at 10-second intervals, up to 60 seconds total cooking time, watching through window to see if yolks begin to move. As soon as movement is detected in yolks, heat on HIGH 8 to 10 seconds more. Beat yolks until smooth with clean fork or whisk. Return to microwave and heat on HIGH until yolks again begin to move, up to 10 seconds. Remove yolks from microwave, cover and let stand 1 minute. If using extra-large eggs, stir in 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water before microwaving.

Stove-top Method: Heat 2 egg yolks over very low heat in saucepan with 1/4 cup of the most acidic liquid called for in the recipe. The acidity in vinegars and lemon or lime juice helps prevent the yolks from curdling. Stir the yolks constantly until they thicken like lemon curd, 3 to 4 minutes. If using cooking thermometer, check that yolks are heated to 160 degrees or to 140 for 3 1/2 minutes.