1. Prepare Vermicelli: Soak rice vermicelli in hot water 5 minutes until soft. Drain, set aside. 2. Blanch Bean Sprouts: Boil water, blanch bean sprouts 30 seconds. Drain, cool. 3. Fry Tofu: Cube tofu, fry until golden and puffed. Drain. 4. Make Peanut Sauce: Blend peanuts, garlic, chilies with 1/2 cup water until coarse. Cook in saucepan with remaining water, palm sugar, tamarind, salt 8-10 minutes until thickened. 5. Assemble: On each plate, layer vermicelli, bean sprouts, tofu. 6. Top: Place egg quarters around edges, sprinkle with crushed rice crackers. 7. Sauce: Pour generous amount of peanut sauce over. 8. Garnish: Sprinkle fried shallots, celery leaves. Drizzle with sweet soy sauce. 9. Serve: Serve immediately with lime wedges on side.
Recipe Category: Salad
-
Sundanese Raw Vegetable Salad
1. Prepare Vegetables: Wash all vegetables thoroughly. Julienne cucumber, thinly slice long beans and cabbage. Leave bean sprouts whole. 2. Make Peanut Sauce: Blend peanuts, chilies, garlic, shrimp paste with 1/4 cup water until smooth. 3. Cook Sauce: Transfer to bowl, add palm sugar, tamarind, salt, remaining water. Mix until smooth sauce forms (no cooking needed). 4. Combine: In large bowl, toss all vegetables together. 5. Dress: Pour peanut sauce over vegetables just before serving. Toss gently to coat. 6. Serve: Garnish with fried shallots. Serve immediately with emping crackers on side.
-
Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)
1. **Prepare papaya:** Peel the green papaya using a vegetable peeler. Using a sharp knife or mandoline, shred the papaya into thin, long strands. Place in a large bowl of cold water with ice cubes to keep crisp while preparing other ingredients.2. **Make dressing:** In a small bowl, combine lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and tamarind juice (if using). Stir until sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust the balance of sour, salty, and sweet to your preference.3. **Pound aromatics:** Using a mortar and pestle (traditional method), pound the garlic and chilies into a rough paste. If you don’t have a mortar, mince finely.4. **Bruise vegetables:** Add long beans to the mortar and pound lightly to bruise them (or use the back of a knife). Add tomato halves and pound gently just until they release some juice but remain intact.5. **Combine in mortar:** Drain the papaya well and add to the mortar along with soaked dried shrimp and peanuts. If your mortar is small, you may need to transfer everything to a large mixing bowl.6. **Mix thoroughly:** Add the prepared dressing. Using two large spoons or salad tongs, toss and mix everything together vigorously for 1-2 minutes to ensure the dressing coats every strand and the flavors meld.7. **Taste and adjust:** Taste and adjust seasoning if needed – more lime for sourness, fish sauce for saltiness, or sugar for sweetness.8. **Serve immediately:** Transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with extra peanuts and Thai basil leaves if using. Serve immediately while fresh and crisp.
-
Papaya Salad with Crab (Som Tum Poo)
1. **Prepare crab:** If using raw crab, clean thoroughly. Lightly pound in mortar.2. **Make dressing:** Pound garlic and chilies. Add tomatoes and beans, pound lightly.3. **Add crab:** Add crab and dried shrimp. Pound gently to combine.4. **Add seasonings:** Add fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, and tamarind. Mix well.5. **Add papaya:** Add shredded papaya and peanuts. Toss vigorously.6. **Taste and adjust:** Adjust seasoning if needed.7. **Serve:** Serve immediately with fresh vegetables.
-
High-Protein Black Bean & Edamame Salad
1. Precise Timing & Temperatures: Blanch edamame 3-4 minutes in boiling water, shock in ice bath. Toast corn in dry skillet 5-7 minutes until lightly charred. Marinate salad 30-60 minutes refrigerated at 40°F (4°C). 2. Chef’s Techniques & Critical Steps: Use cooked-from-dry beans for optimal texture. Char corn for smoky flavor. Dice jicama uniformly (¼-inch) for crunch. Add hemp seeds and ground flax just before serving. 3. Ingredient Preparation Details: Cook beans from dry (soak overnight). Use fresh or frozen edamame. Use fresh corn if in season. Dice bell pepper uniformly. Peel and dice jicama. 4. Serving & Storage Instructions: Serve chilled as main salad. Store in airtight container up to 4 days. Add seeds just before serving. Does not freeze well.
-
Quinoa & Lentil Power Salad
1. Precise Timing & Temperatures: Cook quinoa 15-20 minutes. Cook lentils 20-25 minutes until tender but firm. Roast broccoli and Brussels sprouts at 425°F (218°C) for 18-22 minutes. Toast pumpkin seeds at 350°F (177°C) for 5-7 minutes. 2. Chef’s Techniques & Critical Steps: Rinse quinoa and lentils separately. Roast vegetables in single layer for caramelization. Fluff quinoa with fork after cooking. Toss warm grains with dressing for better absorption. 3. Ingredient Preparation Details: Use tri-color quinoa. Sort and rinse lentils. Chop broccoli and Brussels sprouts uniformly. Use raw pumpkin seeds. Have hemp hearts ready. 4. Serving & Storage Instructions: Serve warm or at room temperature. Store components separately up to 5 days. Assemble just before serving or keep dressed salad up to 3 days.
-
Creamy Chickpea & Avocado Smash Salad
1. Precise Timing & Temperatures: Toast seeds at 350°F (177°C) for 5-7 minutes until golden. Marinate chickpeas 30 minutes in refrigerator at 40°F (4°C). Assemble just before serving. 2. Chef’s Techniques & Critical Steps: Mash avocado slightly with chickpeas for creaminess. Toast seeds separately for even browning. Add hemp and flax just before serving. Toss greens with dressing first, then add chickpea mixture. 3. Ingredient Preparation Details: Cook chickpeas from dry. Use ripe but firm avocado. Use raw seeds. Have hemp hearts ready. Grind flaxseed fresh. Wash and dry greens thoroughly. 4. Serving & Storage Instructions: Serve immediately. Store components separately: chickpea mixture 2 days, greens 3 days, dressing 7 days. Assemble just before eating.
-
Gado-Gado (Indonesian Vegetable Salad)
1. Blanch Vegetables: Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Prepare ice bath. Blanch each vegetable separately: cabbage (1 min), carrots (1.5 min), green beans (2 min), bean sprouts (30 sec). Immediately transfer to ice bath to stop cooking, then drain.
2. Prepare Protein: Boil eggs 10 minutes, cool in cold water, peel, quarter. Pan-fry tofu and tempeh until golden, set aside.
3. Make Dressing: Blend peanuts, garlic, chilies, shrimp paste with 1/2 cup water until smooth.
4. Cook Dressing: Transfer paste to saucepan. Add remaining water, palm sugar, tamarind, salt. Cook over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened to creamy consistency. Adjust seasoning.
5. Assemble: On large platter, arrange blanched vegetables, potato slices, cucumber, tofu, tempeh, and egg quarters in separate sections.
6. Serve: Pour warm peanut dressing over salad just before serving, or serve on the side. Top with fried shallots. Serve with emping crackers.
-
Karedok (Raw Sundanese Vegetable Salad)
1. Prepare Vegetables: Wash all vegetables thoroughly. Julienne cucumber, thinly slice long beans and cabbage. Leave bean sprouts whole.
2. Make Peanut Sauce: Blend peanuts, chilies, garlic, shrimp paste with 1/4 cup water until smooth.
3. Cook Sauce: Transfer to bowl, add palm sugar, tamarind, salt, remaining water. Mix until smooth sauce forms (no cooking needed).
4. Combine: In large bowl, toss all vegetables together.
5. Dress: Pour peanut sauce over vegetables just before serving. Toss gently to coat.
6. Serve: Garnish with fried shallots. Serve immediately with emping crackers on side.
-
Larb Gai (Minced Chicken Salad)
1. **Make toasted rice powder:** In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast 1/4 cup uncooked sticky rice, stirring constantly, until deep golden brown (about 8-10 minutes). Let cool completely, then grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Set aside.2. **Cook chicken:** Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until fully cooked and no longer pink (5-7 minutes). If the mixture seems dry, add 2 tablespoons chicken stock or water.3. **Cool chicken:** Transfer cooked chicken to a large mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes (it should be warm, not hot).4. **Add aromatics:** To the warm chicken, add sliced shallots, chopped chilies, mint leaves, cilantro, and spring onions. Toss gently to combine.5. **Make dressing:** In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar until sugar dissolves.6. **Combine:** Pour dressing over the chicken mixture. Toss thoroughly to ensure everything is well coated.7. **Add rice powder:** Add about 3/4 of the toasted rice powder (reserve some for garnish). Toss again.8. **Taste and adjust:** Taste and adjust seasoning if needed – it should be bright, salty, sour, and herbal.9. **Serve:** Arrange lettuce or cabbage leaves on a platter. Spoon the larb into the leaves. Sprinkle with remaining rice powder. Serve immediately while warm or at room temperature.