Pages

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Appetizing Ribbon Salad - Salad Week # 2


Recipe created in July 2011

I admit, I didn't do a good job making ribbons. In a rush for dinner and photography, LOL!

This salad is beautiful when eaten with a cloying meal, because of the sourish and spicy dressing.
I prefer to pickle the onions in the dressing so that the flavour will mellow and be less pungent, but I like the pungency of onions, but it's definitely more pleasant when pickled.

If you don't have any toasted peanuts on hand, there's no need to crank up the oven to toast just some. I put some oil into my wok, heat it on medium low, and put in 2 Tbsp of peanuts(no skin), slowly frying them until the surface takes on a beautiful beige colour. Drain the peanuts on paper towels and then crush them with a mortar.

Dress the salad just before serving, because if not, you will see them softening right before you eyes. They will look wilted, but still taste crunchy.




Appetizing Ribbon Salad
Recipe source: Wendyywy

2 japanese cucumbers
1 long slim carrot, peeled
1 red onion
4 calamansi limes (mine were rather big, use more if yours are smaller)
1.5-2 Tbsp sugar
1/3 tsp salt
2 bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced
2 heaped Tbsp crushed toasted peanuts

1. Slice cucumber and carrots lengthwise using a vegetable peeler.
2. Soak cucumber and carrot ribbons in iced water for at least 30 minutes. (You can do this few hours in advance and soak the ribbons in water and chill it)
3. Prepare dressing. Juice calamansi limes, discard seeds. Put in salt and add in 1 Tbsp of sugar. Mix and taste, adding more sugar as you adjust the taste.
4. Add in bird’s eye chilli.
5. Slice onions and toss them in the dressing. Leave it until it’s almost time to serve.
6. 10 minutes before serving, drain ribbons and shake them in colander to remove excess water.
7. Just before serving, toss ribbons with half the peanuts and the onions and dressing.
8. Sprinkle with balance of peanuts.

12 comments:

  1. This is such a simply salad yet you make it standout and tempting! Oh my! toasted penuats and limes in the salad...I'm drooling!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah Tze,
    If you like Vietnamese food, you may like this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. i personally prefer thinner ribbons, but anything with lime and peanuts = i definitely like! seems very thai-inspired too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This salad, my oh my, is really appetizing. Love the sweet and sour taste and sure boost up my intake of rice (will go great with it, right?)

    I notice that you didn't peel the cucumber's skin. The dark and light green colors enhance this dish. I usually peel the skin, and my salad turns out... unattractive :(

    Learned new tips here - leave the skin alone.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Janine,
    Hmmm, you can still half it, then make ribbons with half the cucumber, that'll be thinner.
    More Vietnamese, I feel


    Yvonne,
    Oh yes, the skin always lend a beautiful contrast of colours, just get some organic ones and leave the skin on :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I definitely like da crunchiness of this salad

    ReplyDelete
  7. hi, i like the way you shaved the cucumber..infact i wanted to try shaving these cucumbers one day to make something like cucumber roll( sushi). NOw you remind of the the ribbon pancakes that you made for the masterchef competition, that's really pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wendy, you are very skillful in slicing those cucumber. I am a clutz, I can never slice them neat and long enough. Your salad looks refreshing and pretty. I think I can eat the whole plate of salad by myself.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mmmm, anything sour is up my alley. Very appetizing.

    I have never tried peeling the vegetables all the way down. Mine are just half the length of the vege. Any longer, it will break. No kungfu yet.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just dropping by to say congrats on winning the 'masterchef'. after go thru ur blog, i can say, obviously, u deserved it. :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. angeline,
    Yeah me too


    lena,
    eh, that will be nice. Hope to see ur sushi soon.


    QP,
    that's not very neat ler, that is if it's being sliced with a fruit peeler. If knife work you can praise me ler, but it's with a tool and haha, fat and thin ones, lop sided, all also have.


    Poh Lin,
    I think it has to do with the thinness of your peeler.


    Sonia,
    yup


    eikieyn,
    thanks :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for dropping by my blog.
All comments are greatly appreciated.

If you have tried any of the recipes and blogged about it, please provide a link so that others may have a look at it too :)

FOR NON BLOGGERS:
Please select profile and click "Name/URL" if u do not have any profiles on any of those listed, type in the name (leave the URL empty)

It's not nice to call you ANONYMOUS, so please leave a name.
From 15/11/13 onwards, I will NOT reply comments with no name.

Only comments on posts older than 24 hours will be moderated :)
You won't see them appearing immediately if it's not a fresh post.