Charred Spring Vegetables With Sesame

20 mins Prep Time

20 mins Cook Time

Written By

Vicky Tran

Miso paste is such a great flavouring agent and multi-purpose ingredient. I use it in soups, sauces, vinaigrettes, stir-fries and I love it paired with roasted or charred vegetables. This dish consists of a trio of spring vegetables charred and blistered in a hot pan and then tossed with a flavourful miso-based sauce to finish, but just about any preferred vegetable can be substituted here. If you have never worked with runner beans before, they are extremely bright and crunchy; if you can't find them substitute with sugar snap peas, snow peas or even wax beans. I also use red miso paste, which is fermented for longer than white miso, so it is more salty, pungent and flavorful. If you have trouble sourcing it or prefer white miso, go ahead and substitute it for the red miso.

Ingredients

Charred Spring Vegetables With Sesame

1 pound heirloom carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
1/2 pound runner beans, ends trimmed and cut in half
1/4 pound red radishes, halved (quartered if large)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red miso paste
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon Korean chili flakes (optional)

Directions

Charred Spring Vegetables With Sesame

4 Steps

Step 1

Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the red miso paste, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and Dijon mustard, mix until even, set aside.
Step 2

Set up an ice bath for the carrots by combining 4 cups of ice with 12 cups of water in a large bowl, set aside. Bring a pot of salted boiling water to a boil, add the heirloom carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes until they soften and are just beginning to get pliable, they should not be softened all the way through. Use a spider or slotted spoon to strain off into the ice bath. In the same pot of boiling water, cook the radishes for 1 minute, strain off and add to the ice bath as well. Allow the carrots and radishes to cool in the ice bath for 5 minutes, then strain off and dry on a plate lined with paper towels.
Step 3

Preheat a large cast iron skillet on medium-high heat, add in half of the vegetable oil, and then the blanched carrots. Turn the carrots so that they are all lying in the pan cut side down, allow the carrots to cook for about 3 minutes until nice and charred. Flip and cook the remaining side, remove from the pan and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add in the remainder of the vegetable oil to the pan, repeat this charring process with both the radishes as well as the runner beans.
Step 4

Once all of the vegetables have been cooked, toss them with the pre-made sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and top with toasted sesame seeds as well as Korean chili flakes.