April 20, 2008 | Filed under Appetizers & Salads, Dressings & Sauces, Features, On the Side, Vegetarian

Vegetables are one of the great loves of my life, be they raw or cooked. I guess y’all probably think I say that about everything. Well, if you think that, you’re almost right. It’s true that I am extremely fond of a wide variety of veggies, fruit, fish and seafood, meats, grains and legumes, and I probably like more of them than the average person, but I can tell you that I do not like everything. There are some things that I do not like (such as snails from a can, butternut squash soup and Spam — yuck!) and there are others that I either cannot or simply will not allow myself to try (like brains, chicken feet, sweetbreads and fish livers — double yuck!), but most fruit and vegetables are not among these categories.

I enjoy many kinds of salads, but I tend to become bored with the traditional lettuce-based varieties. Being an adventurous, international eater (as I was labeled by a coworker), I prefer experimenting with the unusual. There’s something about salads that showcase unique or nontraditional ingredients that really excites my palate and I prepared just that type of salad for lunch today.

Many of the flavouring agents used in Asian cooking have taken up residence in my kitchen, including, lemon grass, sesame oil, rice vinegar, fish sauce, peanuts, limes, soy sauce, Sriracha chili sauce and Thai chilies. This Thai-inspired salad, one of my favourites, features many of the above ingredients. I’ve made this one a few times, just never got around to posting it here because by the time I thought about photographing it most of it had already been eaten.

Well, that wasn’t the case today. I enjoy this vibrantly coloured mix of carrots, cucumbers and onions so much that I made it a point to share it here. If you’re a raw veggie lover like me who also loves Asian flavours, I believe you’ll enjoy this dish with its expressive, Thai-inspired, sesame-lime-peanut vinaigrette. This salad can be served as an appetizer, side dish or light, vegetarian meal. And for those who prefer it, as I sometimes do, add shredded chicken breast or grilled shrimp for a heartier meal.

Thai Spring Salad & Spicy Vinaigrette Recipe

Source: Own creation
Serves 4 to 6 | Vegetarian

For the salad:

6 or 8 carrots, medium, very thinly sliced
1 large cucumber, English hothouse preferred, thinly sliced
1 red onions, medium, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, fresh, roughly chopped
1 jicama, small, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 4-inch section of daikon, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, red, yellow or orange, very thinly sliced
1 green mango, small peeled and very thinly sliced
1/2 cup peanuts, unsalted, roasted, roughly chopped

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon ginger, fresh, finely minced
1 tablespoon garlic, fresh, finely minced
2 scallions, very thinly sliced
2 limes, medium, juice and zest
1 navel orange, large, juice and zest
3 tablespoons rice vinegar, plain, unseasoned
2 tablespoons sesame oil, dark
2 tablespoons soy sauce, low-sodium, naturally brewed preferred
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter, chunky, natural preferred
2 teaspoons chili sauce, preferrably Sriracha

Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined or shake them vigorously in a glass jar. Refrigerate until needed.

Using a mandolin or vegetable peeler, thinly slice carrots, cucumbers, jicama, daikon, red onion and mango. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice scallions and red pepper.

Toss all salad ingredients in large bowl, serve with chilled dressing.