Japanese Salad Dressing

Vegetable-based salads are an important part of Japanese cuisine. This popular simple salad dressing is called Wafu, which means “Japanese-style dressing”. It’s similar to a vinaigrette and comes in many different variations but always contains the three key ingredients soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sugar. 

Both rice vinegar and soy sauce are staples of Japanese cooking. Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice. It as a slightly sweet, mild taste. It comes seasoned and unseasoned. Seasoned rice vinegar is sweeter than unsweetened rice vinegar, it usually contains sugar or a sweetener. Unseasoned rice vinegar is the better choice for a more neutral dressing but if a tad of sweetness enhances the salad you are making, use sweetened rice vinegar. 

Japanese soy sauce called Shoyu is different from Chinese soy sauce both in ingredients and taste. This recipe does not call for a specific type of soy sauce, however, the dressing will be different depending on the soy sauce you use. 

Chinese soy sauce is only made with soy, whereas Japanese soy sauce is made with a mix of soy and roasted wheat, usually in equal ratio. The wheat content is an important consideration if you’re gluten-free. Japanese soy sauce has a sweeter, more subtle flavor than their Chinese soy sauce, which tends to be saltier and have a bolder taste. 

If you use Chinese soy sauce, make sure you use light soy sauce. It is thin, has a light reddish brown in color and opaque. It is different from salt-reduced soy sauce, which might also be labeled as "light" or "lite." 

Because soy sauce is already salty, no extra salt is added to this dressing. For vegetable oil, a neutral-tasting oil such as vegetable oil, sunflower oil or vegetable oil is best. 

You can use this dressing for a wide range of Japanese salads with vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, watercress, or seaweed. You can also add it to Asian noodle salad or rice salad. Wafu dressing is also served with side dishes in bento lunch boxes. 

For a variation of this basic recipe, add mirin, minced fresh ginger root, wasabi, or yuzu to the dressing. 

Instead of whipping up the dressing in a bowl, you can also put all the ingredients in a jar, close it tightly and shake until emulsified. This is also the way to go if you don’t use the entire dressing at once. Store any leftover dressing in a cool, dark place.

What You'll Need to Make This Japanese Salad Dressing Recipe

A Nice Set of Measuring Spoons

A Mixing Bowl

A Handy Dandy Whisk