forThose of You Have Made the Mandarin Salad...

[angmillar]

For some reason, I CANNOT get this right. The first time I made it, I used apple vinegar instead of the rice vinegar. So, I thought that was the problem. But, I just now made it following all the instructions, and it still doesn't taste right. Even my husband doesn't like it. It tastes... weird. icky.

So, here are my questions for you that have successfully made this. 1st- Did you use sesame oil? I used this on both my attempts. 2nd- Did you use the entire bag of the soup mix in the dressing?

I'm making this for a show on Friday evening, and it's too late to change the recipe. So, I've gotta get it right. I guess if worse comes to worse, I'll just toss the salad with a touch of dressing, and leave more on the side for folks to help themselves!

 

[chefann]

I haven't made this in a while, but I remember following the recipe exactly and having it turn out.

Rice vinegar is milder than other vinegar, so using something else will definitely affect the flavor. And the sesame oil also has a very distinctive taste that can't be replicated with another oil. If your oil isn't new, check that it hasn't gone bad. Sesame oil can turn rancid pretty suddenly if it's old.

 

[angmillar]

Thanks, Ann. You've got me thinking about the sesame oil... I just bought it the other day, so I know it's good. BUT, I bought it in the Japanese food section, and everything on the bottle is written in Japanese. I assumed it was sesame oil, since the English tag in front of it said so. Now, I'm wondering if it really is the real thing!!

Maybe I'll try it again and just leave out the sesame oil.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[chefann]

Toasted sesame oil will be dark brown, and will smell like sesame seeds when you sniff it. It adds a wonderful flavor to salad dressing and asian dishes. (And you can use it in one of the Theme Show recipes for the fall - end of hint).

 

[Ginger428]

I have made this recipe often & I do change it around a bit. I make it early in the day or even overnight ( to let all the flavor come out of the mix) I always use ricde vinegar & sesame oil. I do use fresh oranges & I use ground ginger from a jar....I'm making this for my 2 shows this weekend because they asked me to. 1 more thing I bring the salad already made, but add the dressing at the last minute, also I try to drain it as well as possible ( leaving the large pieces of onion off the salad....HTH

 

[Evelynt]

I have gotten my Sesame Oil at Wal Mart. It has a yellow label and cap. It is very strong so only use the 1 teaspoon.

 

[KellyTheChef]

Thanks, Ann. You've got me thinking about the sesame oil... I just bought it the other day, so I know it's good.

Just a thought...who knows how long it was sitting on the shelf. I would smell it and/or taste it. If it is rancid it would be NASTY!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Another thought - it's possible that the sesame oil, because it is an authentic Japanese Sesame Oil, may be stronger tasting than what you would purchase here in the States at a local grocery store. You don't want to leave out the sesame oil completely - that's what gives it the "Oriental" flavor......but you might try using just a drop or two, tasting it, and adjusting the flavor from there.

 

[LisaAnn]

It could also be the Rice Vinegar. There are several different varieties at my grocery store. I like the flavor of the "Seasoned" Rice Vinegar.

 

[sarahmarie]

sesame oil is nasty in my opinion. Just use a little. Too much gives you a burnt taste. Does your salad have a burnt taste?

 

[jlevernier]

The rice vinegar I use is the garlic flavored one.

--Jenny L

 

[angmillar]

I'm sure this is sesame oil, since it smells like it. (Based upon the sesame dressing I get at the McDonald's here.) And, it smells okay. Maybe I'll just use a little, instead of a full teaspoon.

I just have plain rice vinegar. We're so limited on our shopping here.... there's the commissary on base, then Japanese grocery stores off base. And, it's SO HARD to shop off base. Virutally nothing is in English, and some of the workers do speak English, but it's really hard to find something. =)

 

[angmillar]

BTW, thanks for all the help!!

I'll try it again tomorrow (it's almost 11 PM here), and I'll let you all know how it turns out.

 

[chefann]

Ang- you're going to LOVE the new theme shows, then. They are a return to "PC-style" recipes that use "normal" ingredients. Not a lot of fancy, hard-to-find items.

 

[angmillar]

WOOHOO!! That's what I need... normal ingredients!!

I've lived overseas since 2002 (England and now Okinawa), and I'll be here until 2009 at the very least, so I'm used to just regular, plain ingredients.

However, I can definitely use some authentic Asian ingredients... if I could only read the labels!!

 

[beepampered]

I have made it successfully without sesame oil.

 

[pamperdawn]

Mandarin Salad changesI go between white wine vinegar and rice wine vinegar and only use 1/2 the packet of Lipton onion soup mix. Otherwise I keep it the same as the directions.

For some reason, I CANNOT get this right. The first time I made it, I used apple vinegar instead of the rice vinegar. So, I thought that was the problem. But, I just now made it following all the instructions, and it still doesn't taste right. Even my husband doesn't like it. It tastes... weird. icky.

So, here are my questions for you that have successfully made this. 1st- Did you use sesame oil? I used this on both my attempts. 2nd- Did you use the entire bag of the soup mix in the dressing?

I'm making this for a show on Friday evening, and it's too late to change the recipe. So, I've gotta get it right. I guess if worse comes to worse, I'll just toss the salad with a touch of dressing, and leave more on the side for folks to help themselves!