Salad Days

Hooray! Salad days are with us again.
But what do you think when you think "salad"? Cool green leaves mixed with slices of tomato and cucumber and tossed together with a French or Italian dressing?
Do you ever think Asian? Probably not. Raw vegetable salads as we know them are not common in most Asian countries because food there is usually cooked a little
before it is dressed – as in our warm salads.

The well-known Indonesian salad "gado gado" is a good case in point, the vegetables (cabbage, beans, carrots) being first blanched and then served with peanut sauce. As you will know if you’ve traveled in Asia, there are some good reasons for this. Eating raw food is unwise in societies where a supply of clean water is not guaranteed and, with little refrigeration available, bacteria breed quickly. Brief cooking destroys any bacteria or tiny insects which may be harmful, hence most salads are partially cooked. Exceptions to the rule do occur, however, as with the Vietnamese table salad which is served at almost every meal.

Quite often a small salad (like a tomato, mint and onion salad or a cucumber raita) is served to cool the mouth or clear the palate. More substantial salads are prepared in the form of elaborate cold platters composed of chilled, cooked vegetables and meats, fish or noodles. These are often dressed while still hot or combined with a dressing and tossed
when cold. Dressings are either thick or thin, and soy or fish sauce is used as the salt substitute. Alcohol, in the form of sweet or dry rice wine or sherry, also contributes to the flavour, and sugar or honey is mixed into the dressing to mellow the sour, hot, salty flavours. When
oil is used, it is always peanut and/or toasted sesame oil.

Indonesians, Thais and Malaysians thicken their dressings with ground peanuts or coconut milk while the Indians thicken theirs with yoghurt. Northern Asians (Japanese, Chinese, Koreans) use egg, cornflour or soybean curd and paste, especially in cooked dressings and sauces.
You don’t have to stick to the traditional forms, however. Once you’ve tried the salads that follow, use your imagination and try some cross-cultural combos. I bet you’re delighted the whole new world of
salads that begins to unfold.

Thai-style Glass Noodle
and Seafood Salad

A vibrant salad with fresh clean flavoured noodles which slip down the throat.

Serves 3 - 4

200g calamari tubes
200g medium green prawns,
peeled (tail on) and cleaned
125g bean thread vermicelli,
soaked in cold water for 20 minutes

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 small red chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Salad:

¼ fresh pineapple, cut in segments
½ lebanese cucumber, halved,
de-seeded and cut in crescent shapes
4 - 6 green onions (scallions)
10 sprigs fresh coriander, leaves only
½ bunch snake beans or sugar snaps,
blanched and cut in 2cm lengths

Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients. Mix well to combine. Toss the seafood in half the dressing and leave to marinate, covered, for about an hour.
Remove seafood from marinade and char-grill or barbecue over a medium-high heat, allowing about a minute on each side for the calamari and two minutes on each side for the prawns. Baste with any remaining
marinade. Be careful not to overcook as they will toughen. Remove and keep warm.

Drain the noodles and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand two minutes, drain again. In a large serving bowl, toss the seafood with the noodles and the dressing. Add the pineapple, cucumber, green onions, coriander leaves and snake beans or sugar snaps. Garnish with snow pea sprouts.

Tip: remove seeds from the chillies if you don’t like your food hot. Look for ‘Squid’ brand fish sauce for best results. You can also add 2 tbsp roasted crushed peanuts to the dressing if liked.

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