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Beige plate piled with trimmed pieces of green romaine lettuce leaves coated in a brown dressing made out of chinese sesame paste and sprinkled with toasted white sesame seeds

Romaine Lettuce with a Sesame Dipping Sauce (Phoenix Tails)

Crunchy romaine lettuce leaves paired with a nutty, peanut butter-like dressing made out of Chinese tahini.
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Total Time 8 minutes
Course Appetizer, Salad, Sauce, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Chinese, Healthy
Servings 4

Ingredients
 

  • 1 head romaine lettuce
  • 2 tbsp premium (aka light soy sauce)
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chili oil (optional)
  • 2 tbsp sesame paste
  • 2 tsp white granulated sugar
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 4 tbsp filtered water
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • Prep | Place one head of romaine lettuce on the cutting board. If it is fastened with a band or twist, keep it on when trimming off the hard base off with a knife. Discard the stem and band. Unravel the lettuce piece by piece and soak all of the leaves in an extra large bowl filled with cold sink water. Soak for two minutes to loosen the dirt.
    Under running water, rinse and gently scrub the surface of each leave with your fingers until the visible dirt is removed. If there is stubborn dirt, remove by making gentle strokes with use a culinary brush.
    Dry thoroughly in a salad spinner or pat between sheets of paper towels. Any excess moisture will make the dish soggy and make it difficult for the dressing to adhere.
  • Dressing | Add the premium/light soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sesame paste, sugar, and salt into a bowl. Gradually add in the water 1 tbsp at a time until the sauce is as runny as Elmer's glue.
  • Assemble | Plate the lettuce in one pile, then top with dressing, and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Light soy sauce and premium soy sauce are essentially the same thing except that the latter is bottled with premium soy beans.
2. To thoroughly wash romaine lettuce hearts, soak it in a large bowl, coaxing the dirt to loosen. Then use your fingers to rub any stubborn dirt off under running cold water.
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