Spice up your salads - recipes

Published Oct 18, 2014

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Johannesburg - With summer on our doorstep, it’s time to dust off the salad servers and dish up some tasty and interesting salads.

When travelling through Asia I never ate a bland or boring salad – they were all bursting with a wonderful spicy flavour. After that I found it hard not to add a touch of chilli to just about every salad dressing I made.

The key ingredients to use when spicing up your salads or dressing are ginger, garlic, chillies and lemongrass. Also include lots of chopped fresh herbs like coriander, mint and basil.

The best oils to use in spicy dressings are sesame, peanut or sunflower.

Salads can be a mixture of ingredients you have on hand and what suits your family’s taste, so use the recipes as a guide and don’t be afraid to add or remove any of the ingredients.

 

THAI BEEF SALAD

Serves 4

600g rump steak

30ml peanut oil

salt and pepper

45ml lime juice

15ml brown sugar

15ml fish sauce

10ml sesame oil

30ml soy sauce

10ml grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, crushed

30ml chopped fresh coriander

30ml chopped fresh mint

1 red chilli, seeded, finely chopped

30ml sweet chilli sauce

200g cherry tomatoes

1 cucumber, halved lengthways, seeded and thinly sliced

1 red onion, halved and cut into thin wedges

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and griddled

150g green beans, halved and blanched

1 yellow pepper, seeded, sliced

Brush the rump with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a griddle pan until very hot and fry the steak until cooked to your liking.

Transfer to a plate, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice the meat and place in a glass bowl.

Whisk together the lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, herbs, chilli and sweet chilli sauce in a jug.

Pour half the dressing over the sliced meat and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Combine the meat with the rest of the ingredients, pour over the remaining dressing and serve.

 

VIETNAMESE CHICKEN SALAD

Serves 4-6

500g chicken breast fillets

375ml chicken stock

1 red chilli, seeded, sliced

5ml chopped fresh ginger

4 cups green cabbage, shredded

3 carrots, grated

4 spring onions, chopped

1 tart apple, cored and grated

10ml sesame oil

60ml apple cider vinegar

15ml fish sauce

45ml lime juice

15ml brown sugar

2ml salt

45ml chopped chives

60ml chopped basil

DRESSING

125ml sweet chilli sauce

60ml rice vinegar

5ml fish sauce

finely-grated zest and juice of 1 lime

In a medium saucepan, poach the chicken fillets in the chicken stock on low for 10-15 minutes, until cooked.

Remove, cool and shred. Set aside.

In a large glass bowl, combine the chilli, ginger, cabbage, carrots, spring onions and apple with the sesame oil, vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and salt. Toss and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, chives and basil.

Pour over the dressing and serve.

DRESSING: Whisk the ingredients together.

 

SPICY PORK SALAD CUPS

Serves 4-6

15ml peanut oil

500g lean pork mince

1 stem lemongrass, pale section only, finely sliced

1 long green chilli, seeded and finely chopped

15ml fish sauce

30ml sweet chilli sauce

5ml lime zest

60ml fresh lime juice

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

180ml fresh coriander leaves

30ml chopped fresh mint

TO SERVE

baby cos lettuce leaves

60ml chopped and roasted peanuts

sliced cucumber

Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add half the mince, lemongrass and chilli and stir fry, breaking up any lumps, for 5 minutes, until the mince is well browned.

Transfer to a heatproof bowl.

Repeat with the remaining oil, pork, lemongrass and chilli. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk together the fish sauce, sweet chilli, lime zest and juice until well combined.

Drizzle the pork mixture with the dressing.

Add the onion and herbs and stir well.

Spoon the pork mixture into lettuce leaves and sprinkle with peanuts.

Serve with sliced cucumber.

 

SPICY MOROCCAN CARROT SALAD

Serves 8-10

1kg carrots, cut julienne

1 red onion, finely chopped

125ml dried cranberries

15ml preserved lemon skin, finely chopped

60ml pomegranate rubies

1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped

45ml white wine vinegar

80ml sunflower oil

5ml ground cumin

5ml castor sugar

125ml chopped fresh coriander

DRESSING

250ml Greek yoghurt, chilled

15ml harissa paste

5ml salt

Combine the carrots, onion, cranberries, preserved lemon, pomegranate rubies and chilli in a bowl.

In a jug, whisk together the vinegar, oil, cumin and sugar.

Pour it over the carrot mixture and mix well. Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the coriander.

Pour over the dressing and serve.

DRESSING: In a jug, whisk together all the ingredients.

 

INDONESIAN-STYLE CHICKEN SALAD

Serves 4-6

500g chicken breast fillets

375ml chicken stock

1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced

60ml slivered fresh mint leaves

60ml chopped fresh coriander

1 red pepper, cut in thin strips

100g bean sprouts

60ml chopped roasted peanuts

2ml salt

PEANUT DRESSING

60ml freshly squeezed lime juice

10ml grated fresh ginger

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

5ml fish sauce

a pinch of cayenne pepper

15ml peanut butter

15ml honey

15ml soy sauce

30ml buttermilk

In a saucepan, poach the chicken in the stock over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, until cooked.

Remove, cool slightly and shred.

Combine with the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the dressing and serve.

DRESSING: Combine the lime juice, ginger, garlic, chilli, fish sauce and cayenne. Stir together.

Add the peanut butter, honey and soy sauce and combine well.

Whisk in the buttermilk. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Angela Day, The Star

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