For a quick and delicious Asian salad dressing, try these two Thai recipes which are bound to delight and surprise both friends and family - great for taking to a potluck or dinner party as well. They're so simple to make, and Thai salads are also naturally low in fat and calories, but you'd never know it. The first of these dressings is made with coconut milk for a creamier dressing, while the other is clear and entirely fat-free, yet tastes amazing when tossed up with a simple mixture of chopped cucumber and red pepper. Or choose your own vegetables and experiment - you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: SERVES 2-4
Ingredients:
- CREAMY COCONUT DRESSING:
- 1/2 cup good-quality coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce OR vegetarians: use 1 Tbsp. soy sauce plus pinch salt
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. brown sugar OR 1/2 tsp. white sugar
- optional: 1/4 tsp. dried crushed chili
- TANGY LIME DRESSING:
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce - Vegetarians: substitute soy sauce
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. shrimp paste OR 1 tsp. additional fish sauce OR soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste)
- 1 to 1+1/2 tsp. sugar
Preparation:
- Creamy Coconut Dressing: Simply stir all ingredients together in a cup or bowl (note that if you want a white dressing, white sugar may be substituted for brown). Taste-test and adjust the chili content to suit your taste. If too sweet, add a little more lime juice. (Note that this dressing will thicken up when placed in the refrigerator, so if you make it ahead of time, be sure to remove it 30 minutes or so before serving.)
- Suggested greens for this dressing: I like to pour this dressing over a simple mix of 1 small head romaine or leaf lettuce, or enough salad greens for 2-3 people, 2 green (spring) onions, sliced; 1/2 cucumber, sliced; and 1 cup fresh coriander or basil, roughly chopped.
- Tangy Lime Dressing: Combine dressing ingredients together in a cup, stirring to dissolve sugar. Taste-test for sweet-sour balance, adding more sugar if it's too sour for your taste. Tip: Note that the dressing will taste quite salty and pungent now, but will be delicious once combined with the salad.
- Suggested greens for this dressing: I like to use 1 English cucumber OR 2 field cucumbers, 1 minced shallot, 2 finely sliced green onions, 1/2 red bell pepper diced, 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, and 1/4 cup ground or roughly chopped dry roasted peanuts
Note About Using Fish Sauce: Not everyone likes the smell of fish sauce, but once it's combined with lime juice, you'll find it loses that fishy scent and really adds a layer of salty-wonderfulness to nearly any salad (I now use it in my ceasar salad dressing!). If you find it too strong for you, use soy sauce instead, as suggested for vegetarians. Cheers!
