Fragrant Spicy Salad Recipe

Fragrant Spicy Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

120 g bean sprouts, washed and drained

150 g water convolvulus (kangkong)

4 fried bean curd squares (tau kua)

2 Chinese crullers (yew char kway)

200 g yambean or jicama (sengkuang), peeled

150 g fresh pineapple

1 cucumber

1 small ginger bud (bunga kantan), shredded

 

Dressing:

1 tablespoon tamarind pulp

150 ml water

1 generous tablespoon shrimp paste

4 red chilies, finely chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons shrimp sauce (hae koh)

3 calamansi (lime) juice

4 tablespoons coarsely ground peanuts

 

Method:

Trim off and discard 2½ cm from the root ends of the water convolvulus, and wash well.  Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  Blanch bean sprouts for 30 seconds, then remove and drain.  Blanch water convolvulus for 1 minute or until just tender, and drain.  Chop water convolvulus into 2-in lengths.  Toast crullers and bean curd under a hot grill until they are crisp on the outside, 4 to 5 minutes, turning frequently.  To make dressing, knead tamarind with water until pulp dissolves, then strain.  Toast shrimp paste over a live flame until crusty and fragrant.  Grind chilies, shrimp paste, and sugar until fine, and transfer to a large mixing bowl.  Stir shrimp paste into chili mixture until smooth.  Slowly stir in lime juice and of the tamarind liquid.  Taste it; it should be hot, sweet, sharp, and smoky.  Add more sugar, tamarind liquid, or lime juice as necessary.  Add bean sprouts and water convolvulus to bowl.  With a sharp knife, slice in pineapple, yambean, and cucumber in bite-sized chunks.  Toss well. Snip in fried bean curd and crullers with sharp scissors.  Sprinkle in most of the ground peanuts and toss again.  Serve sprinkled with more ground peanuts and shredded ginger bud.

 

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