From Souriphorn Gaillard Executive Chef | Bowers School Farm
A traditional salad found all over Southeast Asia and its diverse diaspora communities, this is a combination of spicy, salty, sweet, sour, umami and— depending on the geography—bitter flavors. Each chef has the flexibility to emphasize the various flavor combinations similar to an artist who chooses a unique palette for their paintings. Sometimes one wants to eat a fresh garden vegetable salad dressed with a mild traditional dressing. Another time, one wants to eat a grilled meat salad that is spiked with fresh chili peppers and fermented fish with a cold glass of Beer Lao lager. The underlying philosophy is “sai bai, sai bai, easy, easy,” which translates to taking it easy, and not sweating the details of culinary norms.
—Souriphorn Gaillard
Ingredients
- 1—2 heads fresh bibb, butter crunch, red sails, romaine, heirloom lettuce varieties
- 1—2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1—2 cucumbers, sliced
- 1—2 carrots, grated
- 1—2 colored bell peppers, sliced
- 4—6 Thai eggplant, sliced
- 1 medium red onion, sliced
- 1 bunch mint
- 1 bunch scallions
- 1 bunch cilantro
- ⅜ cup or 6 tablespoons lime juice (bottled or fresh)
- 4 teaspoons fish sauce
- ¼ cup white table sugar
- ½—1 teaspoon garlic-chili paste
- 2—3 tablespoons toasted rice powder (optional)
- ½—1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 sliced fresh peppers— Thai chili, jalapeno, serrano
- Grilled tofu, grilled chicken, grilled pork, grilled seafoods, grilled beef, hardboiled eggs.
Preparation
In a big bowl, combine thinly sliced ingredients. Add the grated carrots to the salad mixture. If making it a meal, add the desired proteins. To make the dressing, measure all dressing ingredients except the toasted rice powder and sliced hot pepper in a jelly jar. Dress the salad just before serving. Toss in the toasted rice powder and hot peppers and serve as a main or accompaniment.
