Asian Holiday Salads
Asian Holiday Salads: a refreshing slaw and a pineapple salad
There's more to life than potato or macaroni salad. Try out these refreshing Asian salads using fruit or splashes of sesame oil and soy sauce.
Holiday meals in Asia are a polyglot of flavours and colours. Veggies and fruit are often thrown together to offset heavier dishes such as curries or noodles dishes.
Instead of holding to traditional sides for your turkey, ham or roast, try out this Asian Slaw and the even more adventurous Cucumber and Pineapple Salad (adapted from A Cook's Guide to Asian Vegetables by Wendy Hutton).
My other festive recipes include Pineapple Tarts, Festive Asian Appetizers, Exotic Drinks, and Celebratory Sweets.
ASIAN SLAW
Mix together in a bowl:
- 1 head green cabbage, thinly sliced and crosscut
- 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into thin strips
- 3 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Make the sauce by blending the following ingredients:
- 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup sesame oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp of fish sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 to 3 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss.
- Mix in toasted sesame seeds (optional).
- Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Serves 6.
CUCUMBER AND PINEAPPLE SALAD
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 slices of pineapple, diced (fresh or canned)
Dressing:
- 4 tbsp dried prawns, dry-roasted in a wok for 4 minutes
- 2 red chilis, sliced
- 1 tsp dried shrimp paste, toasted
- 1-2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt.
- Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a blender or grinder and make into a paste.
- Rake the skin of the cucumber with a fork and rub it with the salt. Rinse under running water, squeeze the cucumber.
- Dice the cucumber and place in a bowl with the pineapple. Add the dressing and toss.
Serves 4.
Watch this space for more holiday recipes. By the way, the wonderful food writers at Suite 101 can help you with your festive needs, peruse some of their offerings:
- Michael Vysokil's Spritz Cookies
- Champagne Cocktail Recipes from Carries Grovesnor
- Orange Bourbon Sweet Potatoes from Jacqueline Church
The copyright of the article Asian Holiday Salads in Asian Cuisine is owned by June Chua. Permission to republish Asian Holiday Salads must be granted by the author in writing.
