Sesame soy vinegarette

Question

There is a restaurant called Merci Mon Ami in Toronto and they had a really good salad dressing. I don't live in the area anymore, so I want to try to make it myself.

The only thing I know about it is really just the name. It was a bit sweet and tangy. I don't think it had soy sauce in it, because it was light in color (gold). So, I am guessing soy is referring to soybean oil? So, my best guess is toasted sesame seed oil, soybean oil, and some kind of vinegar and possibly honey (sugar?). I would appreciate any suggestions.

Answer

When you are making a vinaigrette you essentially make an emulsion from a liquid and an oil. That this liquid is also acidic does help with the formation of the emulsion and does wonders for the taste, but is not necessary.

The reason I am mentioning this is that emulsions look a lot like long chains of lipids under the microscope, held together by the emulsifier, and keeping the liquid in place. That does a number on the refraction of light and might make your, generally rather dark-ish, soy look golden in the process. Not all soy oil (as opposed to soy sauce) is black, by the way, the taste of soy in oil can be even stronger than that in sauces.

Lastly, if the recipe is anything like the soy vinaigrettes I have done, it's 6 tablespoons of mirin to a cup of tamari, three tablespoons of sugar, four tablespoons of rice vinegar (the unseasoned kind), and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Sometimes I substitute half the honey for the sugar part, since honey is an effective emulsifier above and beyond the tamari.

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