Broccoli & Bean Sprouts Wafu Salad

This is a simple vegan salad recipe where quickly boiled broccoli and bean sprouts are tossed in a refreshing Japanese style (wafu/和風) soy sauce koji dressing. It's perfect for using up a large amount of broccoli and bean sprouts.

Japanese salad of broccoli and bean sprouts (soy sauce malt dressing)

In this blog, I've mostly introduced Western-style side dishes using broccoli, like stir-fried broccoli with shio koji peperoncino style, broccoli & carrot salad with shio koji in rapé style, and oven-baked broccoli salad (with soy sauce koji sweet chili sauce).

This time, I decided to mix things up and make Japanese-style broccoli salad. This light and refreshing broccoli salad is made with a low-oil Japanese dressing made with soy sauce koji.

If you can, it's best to let the salad rest overnight after making it. This lets the dressing get into the ingredients, making a tasty broccoli salad.

In addition to this recipe, I also recommend authentic bean sprout rice (Kongnamul Bap) and Korean-style salad with bean sprouts & wakame seaweed if you're looking for a recipe using bean sprouts. They're both super tasty with a special homemade sauce. Please give them a try, too.

Japanese-style salad of broccoli and bean sprouts (with soy-sauce koji dressing) that goes well with rice

Also, just so you know, all the recipes on this blog are vegan and vegetarian. It's also great for anyone interested in a plant-based diet. If you've got some extra time, be sure to check out the other pages!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Tools
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes with Broccoli
More Recipes with Soy Sauce Koji
More Recipes with Bean sprouts
Recipe Card

Ingredients

bean sprouts, broccoli, bean curd, soy sauce koji dressing

Main Ingredients

Broccoli: Use broccoli that's been briefly boiled to keep it from turning mushy. For thin stems, cook for one minute. For thick stems, cook for about a minute and 30 seconds. You can adjust them to suit your taste.
Bean sprouts: Boil bean sprouts from water to make them crispy. For detailed instructions on how to cook bean sprouts, click here.
Abura-age: I add toasted and crispy thin fried tofu to the salad. The flavor of the Japanese dressing really does soak in and enhance the taste of the salad.
Nori: I added a sheet of grilled nori. The nori also soaks up the dressing well and adds a nice flavor to the salad.

Japanese-Style Soy Sauce Koji Dressing

Soy sauce koji: I used homemade soy sauce koji. Soy sauce koji is a great seasoning that you can easily make at home. You can also use commercially available soy sauce koji.
Apple cider vinegar: Instead of using rice vinegar, try apple cider vinegar for a refreshing and light feeling.
Ground sesame: Ground sesame adds a great aroma and sweetness to the dressing.
Sesame oil: Add just a little to taste.
Maple syrup: It's great for adding some extra richness and flavor to your dishes. You can also use sugar, but start small and add more if you need to.

For exact amounts, please check the recipe card👇

Instructions

Once the ingredients are prepared, all that remains is to season them. Simple preparation!

boiled broccoli and bean sprouts, toasted thin fried tofu, nori

Preparation: ❶Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and cook in boiling water for 1-1.5 minutes, then drain in a colander.
❷Cook bean sprouts in water and drain in a colander when the water comes to a boil.
❸Toast the thin fried tofu in a toaster until crisp.
❹Tear the nori by hand to the desired size.

Ingredients for broccoli salad mixed with dressing in a bowl

Mix: Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together. Let it sit for at least 1 hour so the flavors can blend. If you can, put it in the refrigerator overnight so the flavors can blend better.

Japanese-style salad of broccoli and bean sprouts (with soy-sauce koji dressing) that has been soaked in flavor overnight.

Tools

cooking chopsticks
pot
clander
kitchen knife
cutting board

Storage

You can refrigerate any leftover parts in a food container — they'll last for about two to three days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I use up soy sauce koji?

You can use soy sauce koji instead of soy sauce to cut down on the salt. So, you can use soy sauce koji in situations where you normally use soy sauce.

For example, chilled tofu(冷奴), takikomi-gohan(炊き込みご飯), and nori-maki sushi(海苔巻き寿司). We also use it in dishes like Vegan beef & green pepper stir fry(青椒肉絲) and Xian Dou Jiang(鹹豆漿/Taiwanese soy milk soup) in this blog.

There are so many ways to use it. You can see the details in a list of recipes that use soy sauce koji.

If you like this recipe or have already made it, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the COMMENTS 🐒. Also feel free to ask any questions or leave any requests!

More Recipes with Broccoli

Vegan recipes use broccoli

More Recipes with Soy Sauce Koji

Vegan recipes use home made soy sauce koji:

More Recipes with Bean sprouts

Vegan recipes use bean sprouts:

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Recipe Card