Thai Salad with Cucumber & Jicama (Man Kaeo)

By BClover

Ingredients

• THAI FAT-FREE DRESSING:
• 1 jicama, peeled and sliced into matchstick-like pieces to equal approx. 2 to 3 cups
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced into chunks or thick matchstick-like pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 green onions, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup peanuts or cashews, left whole or roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, OR for Vegetarians: 2 Tbsp. Thai golden mountain sauce
• 1/3 tsp. shrimp paste OR for Vegetarians: substitute 1 extra Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 fresh red chili, minced, OR 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. dried crushed chili from the spice aisle
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from thaifood.about.com

Preparation

Step 1

Combine all dressing ingredients together in a cup, stirring well to dissolve the sugar and shrimp paste (if using). This dressing should taste salty, sweet, and spicy in that order, with a 'tang' at the end (note: it will taste very salty now, but this will be tempered once it's mixed with the greens). Set aside.

Set aside a little of the coriander, basil, and peanuts for your topping. Then place all remaining salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour dressing over and toss well to combine. Tip: I find this salad tastes even better after it sits for 5 minutes or so, allowing the vegetables to absorb the flavors of the dressing.

Toss salad again and taste-test for salt and spice. If too salty for your taste, add another squeeze of lime juice. If not spicy enough, add more chili. If you'd like it sweeter, sprinkle over a little more sugar. Toss once again to combine.

To serve, plate up the salad, topping each portion with some of the reserved coriander, basil, and peanuts. ENJOY!

To Make this into a Dinner Salad: This salad is also excellent tossed up with 1-2 cups cooked shrimp or cubes of either fried or baked (flavored) tofu.