Salad days are summer days. Crunchy vegetable salads are delicious topped with lashings of good mayo, but they are even healthier when sprinkled with lemon juice, verjuice or a fruit vinegar.
Salads are a great way to use up leftover roast meats, baked ham, turkey or chicken. However, you can also add protein by opening a can of beans such as cannellini, kidney, chick peas (also called garbanzo beans) or black beans. Or try roasted nuts, such as cashews, Brazils, almonds or pine nuts. Add carbohydrate to a salad with cooked pasta such as macaroni, spirals, bow ties or orzo.
Refresh salad greens before use. Carefully wash in cold water, then shake or pat dry gently with a paper towel. Place loosely in a plastic bag. Do not pack tightly or squash. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Sambal
| 6 | Shallots |
| 1 tsp | Salt |
| 2 tsp | Fresh ginger, grated |
| 2 tsp | Lemongrass, chopped (Main) |
| 2 | Kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded |
| 4 small | Chillies, use up to 8, seeded and chopped |
| 1 tsp | Fish sauce |
| 2 Tbsp | Canola oil |
Salad
| 4 | Shallots |
| 1 tsp | Canola oil |
| ¼ | Cabbages (Main) |
| 1 | Carrot, juilenned |
| 250 g | Beans, fresh or frozen |
| 120 g | Baby spinach |
| 100 g | Bean sprouts (Main) |
| 2 Tbsp | Coconut threads |
Directions
- To prepare the sambal, finely slice the shallots. Combine well with the salt then squeeze. Wash and pat dry.Place in a food processor with the ginger, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chillies and fish sauce. Process until fairly smooth adding sufficient oil to bind.
- To prepare the salad, thinly slice the shallots or onion and fry in oil, until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.
- Cut the cabbage into 2.5cm x 1cm pieces. Quickly blanch in boiling water then refresh in icy cold water. Drain well and pat dry. Blanch the carrot and trimmed beans, until crisp tender. Stack the vegetables — including the spinach — on a platter and top with the sprouts and coconut. Sprinkle with the fried shallots.
- Serve at room temperature. Take servings of the salad and combine with a little of the sambal. Add a squeeze of lime juice, if preferred.
