Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.
Today: Brighten up your weeknight meals with an easy, tangy take on the classic Thai salad.
Green papaya salad is one of my favorite foods to eat, though it tends to be something I eat out as a treat because green papayas don’t frequent the markets I do. This salad is my twisted version of that classic Thai salad, swapping thinly sliced snow peas for the elusive unripe fruit. My favorite part about this salad, other than the tangy dressing, is the varied textures, ranging from crispy raw peas and herbs to meaty mushrooms and crunchy peanuts. (If you haven’t worked with lemongrass before, it’s a cinch -- just check out this post.) If you’re like me and never skip out on a green papaya salad, give this recipe a try for a simple -- but equally craveable -- springtime swap.
Thai Portobello Salad with Herbs and Snow Peas
Serves 4
4? portobello mushroom caps
2 ?tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, such as safflower
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 ?tablespoons lime juice
1 ?tablespoon fish or soy sauce
1 ?teaspoon agave nectar or sugar
1 ?tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass
1 ?teaspoon chili-garlic paste
4 ?cups thinly sliced baby bok choy (from 2 small)
8 ?ounces snow peas, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 ?pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 ?cup roasted salted peanuts
1 ?cup cilantro leaves
1 ?cup mint leaves
See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.
As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way.
Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that was published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.
Photo by Caroline Wright
See what other Food52 readers are saying.