Thai Peanut Salad with Homemade Canadian Bacon

By VivekS • December 21, 2011 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: The idea for my recipe came about on a whim. I was actually on a trip to DC and met up with my good friend and former coworker, Sarah. At lunch, I had a Thai chicken salad with this lovely peanut dressing. When I came back home, I found a container of freshly ground peanut butter. Immediately, I was inspired to recreate that salad – but to replace the chicken with some of my homemade Canadian bacon. The salad was an amazing combination of flavors and textures – the crunch cabbage and peanuts, the creamy dressing, the succulent pork, and freshness from the herbal mint and chives. It was a great dinner. - VivekS

Serves 4

The peanut dressing

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sriracha hot sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup freshly ground peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 bunch freshly chopped chives

The Salad

1/2 head of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
1/2 head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, grated
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, basil)
1 cup homemade Canadian bacon (brined, smoked pork loin)

Combine the vinegar, hot sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, peanut butter, and honey in a bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly stream in the olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives.
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Toss with enough dressing to just barely coat everything. Serve on a plate with some more of the peanut dressing.