Author Notes
It has been over 100 degrees here for a week and the last thing I have wanted to do is turn on any variety of cooking device. I briefly considered a countertop rotisserie someone gave us- imagining it spinning outside- but decided I really craved something mostly raw and crunchy and settled on this salad. The part that cooks is pretty quick and most of it can be prepped ahead of time. I thought these veggies were a great combo but you could easily use any combination of things that look good (though I really did appreciate the variety of colors). I usually use our lime mint for this, but it appears to not be growing this year (if that is at all possible) so I used regular mint which was great. This works as an entree but could also be served in smaller portions with rice...if you can stand to cook it in this heat. —savorthis
Test Kitchen Notes
Savorthis has a wonderful ‘hot weather’ salad with this one! While the salad is a bit labor intensive, it’s well worth it. The veggies make for a colorful presentation and offer a pleasing variety of tastes. The raw and crunchy texture is wonderful combined with the dressing; it makes one feel cooler in the hottest of weather. It’s a hit! -Doug Wendling —Food52
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Ingredients
- Minted Dressing
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1/4 cup
fish sauce
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1/4 cup
water
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1/8 cup
sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
chili garlic sauce
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juice of one lime (zest saved)
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1/2 cup
mint, chopped
- Salad
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2
small zucchinis, julienned
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1 cup
carrots, thinly sliced
-
1 cup
radishes, thinly sliced
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1 cup
sugar snap peas, julienned
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2
green onions, green parts sliced, rest saved for another use
-
1/4
red onion, thinly sliced
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1 tablespoon
uncooked glutinous rice
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1 tablespoon
vegetable/canola oil
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1
medium shallot, minced
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1
serrano (or jalapeno), minced
-
2
garlic cloves, minced
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zest from lime
-
3/4 pound
ground pork
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1 tablespoon
black sesame seeds
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6-8
basil leaves
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1/4 cup
cilantro
Directions
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Put zucchini in a strainer, toss liberally with salt and allow to drain in sink or over bowl. Soak onion in cold water. Allow to rest until wilted while you prep the rest of the dish.
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Mix all dressing ingredients together until sugar has dissolved. Can be made a day or so ahead of time.
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Toast rice in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until light brown. Put into spice grinder and allow to cool completely before grinding to a fine powder.
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Add oil to pan and brown shallots over medium heat.
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Rinse zucchini and red onion and pat dry. Toss with carrots, radishes, peas, green onions. Add about half of dressing and toss to coat. Allow to sit for at least 5-10 minutes while you cook the pork for any liquid to be extracted from the veggies.
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Add lime zest, garlic and chili (to taste) to shallots. (We shared this with a kid who does not eat spicy food and just added raw chiles to our own bowls, but you can add them here adjusting to your heat tolerance). Stir until fragrant and add pork. Cook until pork is no longer pink and some liquid has formed in pan. Add toasted rice powder and cook a bit longer until starting to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Toss salad again and pour off excess liquid. Toss with sesame seeds and pork adding more dressing to taste. Garnish with basil and cilantro.
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