Crunchy Thai Salad
Crisp Oriental Style Vegetables with Deep Fried Noodles
This exciting salad with it's spicy dressing brings a cool, refreshing taste of the East to a hot summer day.
It seems an contradiction that very spicy food is actually cooling in hot weather,but this has been proved to be quite true . So this crisp salad with it's chilli dressing is perfect on a hot day. If you're a chilli fiend you can fire up the dressing by adding as many chillis as you like, but the given quantities in the recipe still produce a mouth- tingling result.
The dressing (without the sesame seeds )can be also used as a marinade for barbecued chicken, pork or prawns.
The addition of bean sprouts and water chestnuts lifts the usual salad ingredients to Oriental flavour -heights and is bound to get your guests asking for the recipe.
First make the dressing:
For this you will need;
- 2 red chiilies
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp. grated ginger
- 2tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2tsp. caster sugar
- 2tbsp white rice or sherry vinegar
- 4tbsp light soy sauce
- 3tbsp sesame oil
- 3tbsp water
De-seed and finely chop the chillies. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and sauté the chillies, the grated ginger and the crushed garlic for about half a minute. Do not allow to become over- browned, as garlic burns easily and then imparts a bitter flavour to the finished dressing.
Add all the rest of the ingredients except the sesame seeds (these will be added to the finished salad right at the last minute), simmer for about another minute and set aside to cool.
For the salad you will need:
- 2-3 spring onions(scallions)
- 3 tomatoes
- 1/2 small cucumber
- 125g (4 oz) fresh bean sprouts
- 125g (4oz) canned water chestnuts well drained
- 1/2 bunch radishes
- 1/2 chinese lettuce
- 1/2 red oak -leafed lettuce
- 1/2 pkt fine, dried Chinese egg noodles
Peel the carrots, and using the peeler pare into thin ribbons.
Slice the spring onions in half lengthways.
Peel the cucumber and thinly slice, slanting the knife diagonally to create nice oval shapes.
Slice the radish in a similar fashion.
Skin, de-seed and slice the tomatoes
Slice the water chestnuts
Place the prepared salad vegetables in a large bowl together with the bean sprouts and stir gently to mix well.
To finish:
Soak the noodles following the packet instructions, drain and remove as much excess moisture as possible with several layers of kitchen paper.Half fill a heavy based saucepan with vegetable oil and heat until a cube of bread browns in approx. 30 seconds. Deep fry the noodles in batches until crisp and golden. Immediately remove each batch from the oil and drain on more kitchen paper.
Whisk up the cooled dressing and pour over the salad. Toss well, preferably with your hands, and transfer to a large shallow serving bowl. Scatter the sesame seeds on top and add the crispy noodles.
Serve immediately.
This salad is just great with mildly spicy food or as part of a eastern-style buffet. or barbecue
