This Easy 3-Ingredient Dressing Is a Pacific Northwest Staple

It takes five minutes to make.

Teriyaki shops, much like coffee shops, are in every neighborhood in Seattle. When I first moved here, I became completely enamored with the smoky, sliced chicken thighs covered in sticky, sweet glaze. A cold iceberg salad provides a welcome crunch and counterpoint to the warm chicken and rice. You get a lot of food for a reasonable price, and I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t dive into their plate.

Thanks to J. Kenji López-Alt, the shops are getting the attention they deserve. The renowned chef and author moved to Seattle a couple of years ago and recently started a series of videos reviewing teriyaki. I’ve watched each one so far and learned that this style of teriyaki chicken started in Seattle! Toshi’s Teriyaki began serving teriyaki chicken in 1976 and it took off from there.

Because it’s such a crowd-pleaser, I started making teriyaki chicken at home. As my husband grills the chicken, I make the white rice and salad. The classic salad is cold iceberg lettuce, shaved carrots, and a sweetened mayo dressing.

The creamy dressing uses only three ingredients: rice vinegar, sugar, and mayonnaise. Sometimes you’ll find sesame oil or poppy seeds added. I add salt, but again, you could skip it if you want to. This dressing also works well on cabbage for coleslaw.

How To Make My 3-Ingredient Salad Dressing

This recipe makes 1/2 cup, enough dressing to coat a head of iceberg lettuce and serve four people.

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)

• 1/4 cup full-fat mayonnaise

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)

Stir the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt (if using) in a small bowl or spouted measuring cup until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Whisk in the mayonnaise until the dressing is smooth. Whisk in the sesame oil and poppy seeds, if using.

Toss the dressing with chopped iceberg lettuce and shredded carrots and serve.

Tips for Making My 3-Ingredient Salad Dressing

• Adjust the sweetness: I like my dressing more tangy than sweet, but if you want more sweetness, increase the sugar 1 teaspoon at a time.

• Use the best mayonnaise: Stick with full-fat mayonnaise to make sure that the dressing doesn’t curdle.

• Optional ingredients: It’s common to add sesame oil and poppy seeds to the dressing. You could also add spices such as black pepper or replace the salt with soy sauce.

• Make it ahead: You can make this dressing a day or two in advance because it doesn’t harden or separate in the refrigerator. The iceberg will get soggy if it’s dressed too long before serving, so wait to add the dressing until you’re ready to eat.

• Add the dressing slowly: Heads of iceberg (like all lettuces) will vary in size. The dressing is very thin and excess dressing will pool at the bottom of the bowl. I recommend adding half the dressing, tossing, and then adding additional dressing only until the lettuce is coated.

Read the original article on Simply Recipes.