Tatsoi Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
Tatsoi Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing is a fun way to use the interesting Asian greens called Tatsoi and you’ll love the spicy dressing. This is an interesting type of greens to look for at the Asian market or the Farmers Market!
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This recipe for Tatsoi Salad started when I went to the Salt Lake Downtown Alliance Farmer’s Market and got some Tatsoi. I had only vaguely heard of it before that, but it’s a type of Asian greens that can be eaten raw or cooked. Tatsoi is becoming popular and now it’s grown around the world, and I thought it would be fun to try.
Interestingly, the plant is resistant to cold, and several sources mentioned it can be harvested from underneath the snow. Apparently Tatsoi grows as a lovely plant like this. But what I got at the Farmers Market was a bag of leaves. More searching revealed that you can harvest the whole plant or individual leaves.
Some people compare the flavor of Tatsoi to mustard greens, but I found it to be milder, more like Swiss Chard, and quite pleasant. I had fun adapting a recipe from The New York Times into this slightly-spicy Tatsoi Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing. I hope you enjoy trying the salad if you find some Tatsoi!
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What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- Tatsoi leaves
- sesame seeds
- Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link)
- grated ginger root
- Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link)
- Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link)
- fresh ground black pepper
What is Tatsoi?
Tatsoi is an Asian plant that’s grown for the greens. It is also called Tat Choy and is similar to the more common Bok Choy. It is good both cooked and raw, and is used in salads, stir fries, and soup. It’s a nutritious type of greens, and according to Wikipedia Tatsoi contains vitamin C, carotenoids, folic acid, calcium and potassium.
How low in carbs is this Tatsoi Salad?
This flavorful salad has only 2 net carbs per serving, with 2 grams of protein.
How to Make Tatsoi Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- This first photo is how my Tatsoi leaves looked when I dumped them out of the bag, and after I washed the leaves, I sliced them into strips.
- I consulted a recipe that called for blanching the Tatsoi for a minute in boiling water, then draining it quickly.
- Then the drained Tatsoi should be plunged into ice water to stop the cooking process. I used the salad spinner (affiliate link) for this step.
- I mixed the asian dressing right in the bowl I was going to use for the salad, which eliminated dirtying another dish.
- Then the wilted Tatsoi is added to the dressing and chilled for an hour or more before serving.
- I ate this on a very hot day, and it was a refreshing treat and a change from more traditional hot-weather salads.
Make it for a Low-Carb Meal:
The Tatsoi salad would be a fun side dish for one of these main dishes with Asian flavors:
- Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops
- Spicy Asian Chicken
- Korean Salmon with Dipping Sauce
- Asian Marinated Chicken Kabobs
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Tatsoi Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
Tatsoi Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing is a fun way to use the interesting Asian greens called Tatsoi, and this chilled salad is refreshing on a hot day.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces Tatsoi leaves
- 1 T sesame seeds, for garnish (see notes)
Dressing Ingredients:
- 2 T soy sauce (see notes)
- 1 T rice vinegar (not seasoned)
- 1 tsp. grated ginger root
- 1 tsp. Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp. Sriracha Sauce (see notes)
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and fill another bowl with cold water and a handful of ice cubes.
- Wash Tatsoi leaves and cut into thick strips. I used a salad spinner (affiliate link) for this.
- Dump Tatsoi into boiling water, time for exactly one minutes, then drain immediately into colander and dump into bowl with ice water. (I used the salad spinner again for the ice water.)
- While Tatsoi is cooling in ice water, get a plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid that’s large enough to hold all the Tatsoi.
- Mix dressing ingredients in this bowl, then drain Tatsoi well and add to dressing.
- Chill in the refrigerator an hour or more, turning bowl over a few times so Tatsoi remains coated with the dressing.
- To serve, use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove Tatsoi from bowl and arrange on serving plates.
- Toast sesame seeds for 1-2 minutes in a dry pan and sprinkle over salad. (If using a mixture, the black seeds burn more quickly than the white ones.)
- Serve immediately.
- I ate half of this Tatsoi Salad and kept the other half in the fridge for a day. It was still okay the second day, but much better freshly made.
Notes
I used a mix of black and white sesame seeds, but you can use whichever type you have.
Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) if needed.
I love Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) but use any sweetener you prefer.
I used Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link) but any type of spicy Asian sauce would work.
Recipe adapted from Big Oven, who got it from the New York Times.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 38Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 914mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Tatsoi Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing is a great dish for low-carb diet plans, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes for more Salads like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The recipe for a salad made with Tatsoi was first posted for an event called Weekend Herb Blogging which focused on herbs or unusual plant ingredients. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2026.
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29 Comments on “Tatsoi Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing”
For a salad that is similar to the way Japanese handle greens, blanch and chill the vegetables without slicing. Squeeze out the excess water and in the process make a “log” of greens, which can then be sliced into sections and dressed.
Interesting!
I loved this recipe. I thought I was growing the most common form of bok choy and to my surprise it wasn’t. So I looked on pinterest and this lovely recipe turned up. I am eating it as we speak. The only thing I would recommend is taking of the stove in 30 seconds because it take a minute to drain and put it in the cold water. I’m going to try that next time since I have a boat load of tatsoi now lol. Nice to try something new! So is this mustard greens? Or called any other under cover names?
Glad you enjoyed it! I’m afraid that was the one and only time I cooked Tatsoi so I don’t know much about it, but I bet Google has some information for you.
I was looking for a way to use the tatsoi I got in my CSA box. This was perfect! I added some garlic and tahini and served it with salmon.
How fun, so glad you enjoyed it!
Bonnie, thanks for the nice feedback and for sharing the link. So glad you liked the salad.
Kalyn, I tried your tatsoi recipe this evening with some tatsoi I got at the farmer's market. This is a lovely recipe. I have shared a link to your site with the farmer's market and all its patrons…and hopefully they will visit here and browse around. Thanks for sharing! The pix are inviting. Bonnie Deahl
Otehlia, thanks. Glad you liked the post.
It is a gorgeous plant! Nice to meet your blog!
That looks so tasty and healthy. I haven’t seen tatsoi yet but will keep an eye out for it.
Kalyn, this looks like just the perfect thing for tatsoi, and thanks so much for remembering my picture. It is one of my favorites!
Simona, I think I’m going to order some seeds because I didn’t find it in Salt Lake. I do really want to grow it!
Jude, I highly recommend it!
Karen, thanks. Loved it!
Jaime, thank you! Food styling is definitely not my best skill, but I’m trying to improve!
i wish my husband would eat more veggies. this looks delicious though, beautiful plating.
I really love tatsoi, but rarely find it anywhere.
This looks delicious!
Never heard nor seen Tatsoi before… Will have to keep an eye out for this.
I actually planted a couple of tatsoi seedlings last year and they did well in my garden. I liked their flavor too, when I cooked them. A nice shade of dark green for a healthy salad.
Mallika, not sure what choi sum is, but I think this would taste good on most any type of greens.
I haven’t seen this in our Chinese supermarket but I’ll keep my eyes peeled next time I go. Presumably the marinade would work with Choi Sum too?
Tanna, I wanted to try this for a couple of years now. Loved it!
Jeanne, I thought the flavor was very similar to what we call bok choy here, maybe a cross between that and swiss chard.
Joanna, good luck finding it.
TBTAM – Chinese vegetable! Love it!
KP – thanks.
Anh, I really, really liked it. Do hope you’ll like the grilled chicken.
Kalyn, this is such a neat recipe. 🙂
I am trying your grilled chicken breast today for dinner. Hopefully it will work out!
Just wanna say you have got a nice blog up here nice work.
I remember years ago having something simlar at the home of a Chinese friend – I think she called it “Chinese vegetable”, and I’ve been wondering what it was ever since.
Thanks!
I haven’t heard of tatsoi either, but I do love greens… will keep an eye out for it at the farmer’s market!
Never heard of tatsoi but at Chez Cooksister we are huge fans of pak choi (had some baby pak choi last night, yum!). I do love my greens and these look like no exception 🙂
Tatsoi sounds excellent. Always you onto this things Kalyn! I’ll be looking for it now. Hope you can find seeds, that should be really interesting but all your garden space.
Thanks Dhanggit. And Lydia, actually I read that it can be planted spring through fall, and I’m going to try planting it this year if I can find some seeds!
Now I wonder… are you thinking about growing tatsoi in your beautiful garden next summer? This is one of my favorite Asian greens, and I think it is easy to grow, though I don’t have it in my garden.
this is what i need to put me in good shape!! this looks gorgeous!