RECIPE: Beef and Watercress Salad with Oyster Sauce

For a fragrant, unique salad, try making this beef and watercress salad! This salad recipe is the perfect balance of fresh vegetables and juicy beef for a healthy protein source!

Watercress is a main ingredient in this recipe and is a nutritious vegetable commonly used in many Asian cuisines. It is a leafy green cruciferous vegetable that grows in aquatic areas. You can imagine how nutritious and healthy watercress is. It is rich in vitamin K, vitamin C, magnesium, and antioxidants!

Watercress is a versatile food that can be eaten and cooked in many forms. This recipe uses raw watercress, which can be best described as having a slightly spicy flavor and a light crunchy texture. Combined with the marinated beef, this salad is a delicious balance of different tastes and textures! We recommend finding watercress at your local Asian market if you can’t find it in your regular grocery store. If watercress is difficult to incorporate, feel free to use other nutritious leafy greens such as kale or spinach!

A bridge between the beef and watercress is the star ingredient, Kesennuma Bay Oyster Sauce! You may be familiar with oyster sauce being used in stir fried, cooked dishes but we highly recommend you give this ingredient a chance in salad form! The rich, umami flavor will provide this dish with a depth of flavor not typically experienced in most fresh salads.

This oyster sauce in particular gives the beef a distinct, savory oyster flavor because it is made from real oysters! Most oyster sauces would provide you with less flavor because they are typically made from only oyster broth. Paired with the garlic and red chili pepper, this oyster sauce will give this salad a unique twist!

This salad is the perfect recipe to have on hand as your next flavorful appetizer or light meal!

Ingredients (for 2 people):

• 100g of thinly sliced beef marinated in a tsp of olive oil and soy sauce)
• 1 bunch of watercress (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 1 tomato (cut into wedges)
• 1 chopped garlic clove
• 1/2 red chili pepper
• 1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp Kesennuma Bay Oyster Sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine the garlic, chili pepper and olive oil in a frying pan on low heat. When it becomes fragrant, add the beef and cook on medium heat.
2. Once the beef is cooked, add the sake and Kesennuma Bay Oyster Sauce.
3. Remove from heat and place the beef in a bowl.
4. Toss the beef with the tomato, watercress, vinegar and salt and pepper.

Recipe courtesy of Ishiwata Shoten: http://www.ishiwatashoten.co.jp

Introduction courtesy of Kimberlee Laney

As a Japanese-Korean-American, my love for Japanese food first came from my grandmother's kitchen! Japanese food feels like home and I love being able to cook it anywhere in the world to connect with Japan in my own little way. I love diving deep into the layers of Japanese food and always marvel at the food diversity between prefectures. I'm currently eating my way through Tokyo and taking up photography with my Instagram account @capturingkim!