Kripalu-style Dressing

Working in food media has made me a bit of a cookbook cynic. I’m like the vegetarian butcher. These days, I’m very selective about which books I’ll spend money on. So many cookbooks are produced in a content vacuum with recipes designed to look good on the page or social media rather than actually taste good. Books written by restaurant owners, I tend to give more credence to. Those recipes have lived and breathed, and been served to real people with real palates.

One cookbook I rate highly is The Kripalu Kitchen, which my aunt gave me as a wedding present. Kripalu is a yoga centre in Massachusetts—so think healthy canteen cookbook: food that’s been cooked on repeat over a long period of time and tweaked taking real-world feedback on board. Just the kind of document I trust!

This salad dressing is one of my favourite recipes from the book. It’s creamy, a little spicy, a little sweet, and deeply savoury. I’ve adapted it slightly to suit my pantry and cooking style—hence the “Kripalu-style.” I make it by pouring everything into a big jar (which is why I list everything in gram weights), then blitzing with a stick blender. It keeps in the fridge for several weeks and makes even the most simple salad taste seriously satisfying.

Makes1 jar

Ingredients

100g olive oil

100g tahini

30g soy sauce

10g sesame oil

50g water

1 lemon, juiced

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp smooth Dijon mustard

1 tsp maple syrup, plus more to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

Place all ingredients into a jar with a pinch of salt and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and sweetness to your liking. (The best way to taste a dressing is to dip a leaf or vegetable into it, this gives the most accurate sense for what it will taste like when it’s on your plate).