Recipe help, Asian flavor pasta salad

[Javamama]

I had a fantastic pasta salad at a wedding Saturday and I'm trying to find something similar online, but no luck. It was different than the typical recipe I am finding.
I'm not normally a pasta salad eater, but this was divine.

It had spinach, oranges, dried cranberries and peanuts. It was lightly dressed and I think I detected soy sauce and balsamic, maybe some other Asian flavor. I just can't figure it out. The dressing was very mild but tasty. Not oily either.

Anybody have a recipe that fits?

 

[keljonma]

I think I would just start experimenting. Or go to your local libray for some additional ideas. Here are some oriental style dressings we make that are good on salads, rice or pasta.

***
1/3 c rice vinegar
1/4 c honey
2 T peanut butter
2 T soy sauce
2 T veg oil
1 T sesame oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger

***

1/2 c honey
1/4 c peanut butter
2 T soy sauce
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

***

4 T tahini paste (sesame paste)
2 T dark soy sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T honey
1 T olive oil
1 T sesame seeds, optional

 

[Dace]

Typically an Asian based salad dressing will be rice vinegar based with a sesame oil and a little sweetener...honey, brown or white sugar. If it had any sort of a kick, add a little Asian chili paste. Often there will be green onion and cilantro and maybe some freshly grated ginger. Those should be the basic ingredients you will want to play with the amounts.

Here is a suggestion:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar


Here is a more complex one but it is one of my faves:

Ingredients
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons celery, minced
2 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender.
Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all of the ginger is well pureed.

 

[Javamama]

Ah, rice vinegar! I do have all the ingredients to experiment so I guess that's what I'll be doing. I swear I tasted balsamic, which is what caught my attention. But now I' thinking it might have had rice vinegar too. Odd combination.

 

[Dace]

Ah, rice vinegar! I do have all the ingredients to experiment so I guess that's what I'll be doing. I swear I tasted balsamic, which is what caught my attention. But now I' thinking it might have had rice vinegar too. Odd combination.

Typically, one would not use 2 different vinegars...especially a caterer who is going to try to minimize the ingredients they use, but who knows!

You could call the caterer and ask for the ingredients.

 

[patandchickens]

Is it possible that what you registered as balsamic vinegar was actually a sweetener such as honey?

Miso would be another common ingredient in a japanese-style salad dressing, so that's another thing to consider.

Good luck, it's challenging but fun to try to recreate a very mixed-ingredient dish you've tasted once, good project ,

Pat