Ashley Nagaoka anchors Hawaii News Now’s “First at Four” newscast and the popular midday round-up show, “This Is Now.”
After graduating from college, Ashley went on to become a news reporter and producer at KGMB, Honolulu’s CBS affiliate. The Kauai-native then moved across the country, to Washington, D.C., where she worked as press secretary and spokeswoman for then-U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
After five years on Capitol Hill, Ashley moved back to Hawaii and in 2017 re-joined KGMB, this time as a member of the Hawaii News Now team.
She serves her community on numerous boards and youth programs and has a very busy schedule so we were thrilled to include her this season where she shares with us very personal recipes that represent her mom, dad and brother.
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Grandmaʻs Taegu Salad by Ashley Nagaoka
Ingredients
- 1 5 oz. bag spinach
- 2 heads baby romaine lettuce
- 1 Japanese cucumber
- 2 bell peppers (orange or yellow preferred for color)
- Cherry tomatoes
- 1 jar takuan aka Koko (the yellow one)
- 1 block medium to firm tofu
- 1/2 lb. taegu
Dressing:
- 1 cup Shoyu
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 6 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Need to drain the water from the tofu. Cut the block into thirds, wrap each third in paper towel, then put into a plate and leave in the fridge for a couple hours. Once drained, chop into cubes.
- Chop bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes into similar size pieces.
- Squeeze liquid from takuan, then julienne.
- Chop romaine.
For Dressing:
- Put shoyu and oil into a pot.
- Cook on low.
- When it starts bubbling, add whole but smashed garlic.
- Keep an eye on it and consistently stir for about 10 mins on medium heat.
- Put into a heat proof glass bottle to serve.
- Shake before serving.
To Assemble Salad:
- Mix equal parts spinach and romaine in a 13×9 baking pan or similar vessel.
- Layer on the bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, takuan, tofu, and taegu.
How To Serve:
- Serves 6-8.