In all of our travels, there has only been one moment when I looked at Gavin with complete seriousness and plainly stated; “Let’s just stay. Let’s just qualify as dive masters; open a little cafe; and stay.” I can remember the exact moment. Floating in the shallows of the most beautiful turquoise water, I was looking back towards the beach that had become home in the two weeks that we had spent on Ko Tao. I was being utterly sincere.
I had fallen in love with a country: its lush and tropical landscape; kind and humble people; its delicious food and picture-perfect beaches. And this magnificent island stay towards the end of our holiday was the pinnacle of my experience in Thailand. Mind you, this was almost twenty years ago, when Ko Tao had a total of two dive operators and a handful of bars and restaurants. The only way to get there was on the overnight ferry, surrounded by crates and boxes of produce and provisions for the islanders and their businesses. I understand it to be very different now. But then, it was the very meaning of the word: paradise. At least, to me.
I don’t remember eating a single bad meal in Thailand. From the feast we unwittingly ordered from a man with a BBQ grill built onto his Vespa; to the Massaman Curries we ordered almost every night (they were that amazing!) while in the jungle. Every bite was loaded with flavour and balance. Art in your mouth. We tried seafood and noodles and curries and salads. Thai Salad made with green papaya (Som Tum), and noodles sprinkled with crushed peanuts. Everything was so fresh and so unlike anything I had referred to as Thai food, before.
Of course, we didn’t stay. We didn’t qualify as dive masters. We didn’t open a little cafe. But I will never forget the beautiful adventure that was our time in Thailand. And I look forward to the day when we can take our boys to experience it, too.
This Thai salad is an attempt at capturing the fresh, fragrant, crunchy, flavour-filled dishes we enjoyed in Thailand. It is quick and easy to prepare, and suitable for vegetarians. We have enjoyed it with baked sweet-potato, and even on a bed of (cooled) egg noodles. But, while I was photographing it, Gavin reminded me of the Thai curry marinated chicken thighs I made once. We grilled the meat on the BBQ, and it was so delicious. Those would go perfectly with this salad. Mmm, should I post the recipe for them?
Lastly, if you are looking for an alcoholic pairing – go for a light beer. Hoegarden would be my choice, but any light hefeweizen or IPA would be great. Enjoy, and, as always, if you get to make this please let me know what you think.
This crunchy Thai salad packs a powerful flavour punch, and yet it’s uncomplicated and easy to prepare. It comes together in one bowl; with a total of 15 ingredients, from base to dressing. Think of it as a slaw with Thai inspired flavours.
Ingredients
Scale
For the salad:
300g white cabbage, sliced/ shredded very thinly into ribbons.
170g radishes, sliced or roughly chopped
2 Persian cucumbers (or ¾ English cucumber), halved length-ways, seeded with a teaspoon and sliced into ‘crescents’
½ green chilli, very finely chopped (optional)
3 spring onions, green and white parts very finely sliced
½ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
⅓ cup roasted peanuts
For the dressing:
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
1½ Tbs honey
juice of 1 mandarin (small tangerine)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1½ tsp fish sauce
Instructions
First make the dressing. Place all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl and add the dressing. The acids in the dressing will begin to work on the cabbage to soften it a little. Mix well.
Add the other salad ingredients to the same bowl: radishes, cucumbers, herbs, spring onions and chilli (if using).
Give it all a good mix with salad servers or even your hands.
Just before serving, sprinkle the roasted peanuts on top of the salad, and briefly mix through.
Garnish with a little extra herbs or a small sprinkling of peanuts.
* Fish sauce is an ingredient commonly used in South East Asian cooking. It should easily be found in the Asian section of your supermarket, or at a speciality Asian shop.
* For peanut allergies, substitute with roasted almonds, or toasted sunflower seeds.
* I like to use Persian cucumbers (small, slender) in salads, as they are slightly sweeter and have a more intense flavour. However, English cucumbers (long and typically larger) are also fine to use. I would just slice lengthways into quarters, before seeding and chopping, to ensure that the cucumber pieces aren’t too big.
