I can't think of a more refreshing way to finish off a hot day. Last night I decided to make a Thai salad.
The ingredients:
Cherry tomatoes
Cucumber
Lettuce
Shallots
Green beans, chopped, boiled for 5 minutes then plunged into ice water
A handful of toasted peanuts, chopped and only added in before eating. Otherwise they get soggy.
The dressing is a typical Thai one, which consist of:
Juice of half a Lime
Palm sugar- about one tablespoon
Fish sauce One Tablespoon
Fresh chillies, chopped (I used three because I like it fiery)
Coriander, chopped
About 4 kaffir lime leaves, sliced really tiny. I usually keep a bag in the freezer with these, as they are not easy to find in your regular supermarket. Unless you live in Thailand :)
If you have lemon grass handy, add it to the mortar too.
I bashed up all the dressing ingredients in a mortar, as opposed to just mixing it in a bowl. I also added a few more cherry tomatoes in the mortar to help with the juices. I find that there is much more flavour released if I prepare it this way.
This salad can be enjoyed on its own, but I prefer it with steamed Jasmine rice topped with nice soy sauce.
Bon Apetit!
