This Recipe is part of the Fresh and Flavourful Vietnamese Menu
This refreshing salad exemplifies the simplicity of Vietnamese cooking. Here cucumbers and mint are combined with shrimp and a classic Vietnamese dipping sauce to create this wonderfully vibrant-tasting dish. Serve this with toasted sesame-flavoured rice paper, which you can find next to dried rice paper at Asian markets.
Ingredients
2 hothouse cucumbers, julienned
2 cups carrots, cut into very thin strips
1 pound (450 g) shrimp (16/20 count), peeled and split lengthwise
2 cups coarsely chopped mint leaves
2/3 cup chopped, roasted peanuts
Dressing
4 to 5 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste
1/4 cup sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons lime juice
2 to 4 Thai bird chiles (optional)
Directions
1. For the dressing: Combine the fish sauce and sugar in a small bowl and stir well to dissolve. Just before serving, stir in the lime juice and chiles, if using.
2. Place the cucumbers and carrots in a mixing bowl with cold water. Let the vegetables soak for 30 minutes. Remove and drain completely in a colander lined with a kitchen towel.
3. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a simmer and place a steamer basket inside. Add the shrimp to the basket and steam until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and cool to room temperature.
4. To serve, combine the vegetable mixture, shrimp, mint, and peanuts in a mixing bowl. Add two-thirds of the dressing and toss gently. Taste the salad and add more dressing, if desired.
Serves 8
Excerpted from The Flavors of Asia by Mai Pham. Copyright © 2009 by The Culinary Institute of America. Excerpted by permission of DK Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the book now.