Asian salad with Thai-inspired or ginger-lime dressing

The urge to create a spicy and crisp Asian salad came from having lunch in a Vietnamese restaurant in Andorra, where there was still snow on the mountains, so a little far away from any tropical heat. As I did not have a recipe, this salad is based a little on the salad the restaurant served which was simple and tasty, and a little from looking at Asian salad recipes, plus the always required experimentation with the family and friends. Thanks to the guinea pigs!

By the way, this salad is never the same from one time to the next as ingredients vary in availability -- I found purple Chinese leaves in a Portuguese supermarket recently which were great. I've included a couple of options on dressing: Thai-inspired with fish sauce or a ginger-lime alternative. Of course, feel free to create your own.

Serves: 3-4 as a side salad

Time to prepare/cook: Approximately 15-20 minutes; then let the salad sit to absorb the dressing for at least 30 minutes before adding the final touches

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Ingredients for salad

• 2 handfuls finely sliced red cabbage

• I large carrot, grated or cut into matchsticks

• 1/2 large spring onion, finely sliced

• 2 handfuls finely sliced Chinese leaves

• ¼ finely sliced red pepper

• 1 handful roasted peanuts

• 1 handful washed coriander leaves

• Optional: 1 small red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

Ingredients for Thai-inspired dressing

• 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (may also be called rice wine vinegar)

• Juice of ½ lime

• 2 tablespoons cane (or palm) sugar (brown sugar)

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed

• A dash of sriracha (or chili sauce)

Ingredients for ginger-lime dressing

• I tablespoon grated ginger

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (may also be called rice wine vinegar)

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut (or vegetable oil)

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• 2 tablespoons cane (or palm) sugar (brown sugar)

• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

• A dash of sriracha (or chili sauce)

Method

• Wash and slice the vegetables – cabbage, Chinese leaves, onion, red pepper; grate/chop the carrot and wash the coriander

• Add the cabbage, carrot and Chinese leaves to the salad bowl and mix them gently

• Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a jug and mix until well combined – note the sugar will dissolve in the lime/vinegar. For the ginger-lime dressing, warm up the coconut oil if it is solid (so it becomes liquid) and add just 1 tablespoon initially, then taste the dressing and add more oil if you prefer

• Add half to ¾ of the dressing to the salad in the bowl and mix

• Then let the salad sit to absorb the dressing for at least 30 minutes before adding and mixing in the red pepper, coriander and peanuts just before serving (this means they do not get soggy)

• Serve the rest of the dressing on the side for people to add if they wish