Thai Cucumber Carrot Salad →

Slightly sweet and sour with a bit of briney heat, this versatile, colorful Thai inspired salad pairs with meat, fish, or poultry. Try it as a flavorful alternative to your usual tossed salad. It might become a regular feature in your salad repertoire.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

Photo c. foodblogchef 2020

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (if you don’t have rice wine vinegar, substitute 1 tablespoon more of lime juice)

• 1 clove garlic finely grated

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon lime zest

• 1⁄2-1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced

• 1 cucumber seeded cut into ¼ thick half-rounds

• 4 tablespoons red bell pepper coarsely chopped (optional)

• 1 medium carrot peeled and julienned (or sliced diagonally into thin slices)

• thinly sliced red onion for garnish, or two tablespoons chopped red onion tossed in the salad with dressing (optional)

• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro

• 1⁄4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Whisk the first 7 ingredients (fish sauce through jalapeño) in a large bowl.

2. Cut off the ends of the cucumber and slice in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds. Peel the cucumber halves and cut each half into ¼ inch half-rounds; toss in the dressing.

3. Add the chopped red pepper to the dressing and toss.

4. Peel the carrot and trim off the ends. Julienne or slice the carrot diagonally into thin slices; toss with the rest of the salad.

5. Either chop the red onion and add to the salad and dressing, or alternatively, cut a red onion lengthwise in half and then in half again horizontally. Cut very thin slices off the onion for a garnish.

6. Set aside the dressed salad for about an hour, stirring occasionally; refrigerate if marinating for longer than 2 hours.

7. Transfer to a serving bowl, or plate individually. (Optional presentation: place a leaf of lettuce on individual plates and top with the Thai salad, or toss the Thai salad with crisp baby green leaf lettuce and drizzle with leftover dressing.)

8. Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts.

Adapted from: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/thai-cucumber-salad-peanuts

Japanese Salad Dressing →

This authentic Japanese salad dressing comes from Goten of Japan in Sunderland, Massachusetts. Years ago they shared the recipe with the New York Times and had it posted on a wall at the restaurant. I copied it onto my napkin and have been using it ever since. Gingery, savory, subtly sweet-and-sour, if you are a fan of the Japanese salad dressing frequently served with the small crunchy salad before your main entree, this is the real deal! Tanoshime!

Pictured: crunchy green salad with avocado and pickled Asian Pear.

Ingredients:

• Baby Crispy Green Leaf lettuce

• Sliced radish

• Shredded carrot

• Sliced avocado

• Pickled Asian Pear

• Japanese Salad Dressing

Japanese Salad Dressing
Yield dressing for 4 salads

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup ginger

• 1/4 cup onion

• 1/4 cup celery

• 1/4 cup water

• 3 tablespoons Rice wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoons canola oil

• 2 tablespoons lemon zest

• 2 tablespoons catsup

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• salt, pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate for up to three days.