Cool greens with hot Asian dressing

This salad is a melange of flavours, colours and textures. Making a small bowl of this salad is impossible, but you will be glad with the large platter when you return for seconds (and thirds).

This super simple salad has a lot going on: greens, herbs, soft and creamy avocado, micro greens, and, of course, the absolutely amazing sweet-sour-spicy dressing that brings the salad together. The greens provide many textures, and the dressing brightens the earthy flavours. My guests loved this salad, and almost all of them went back for second helpings and, in a couple of cases, thirds. Yes, it is that delicious.

I also wanted to shout out to my new friends at Stabaka Farms for their exceptional micro greens and lettuces. Their produce defines freshness, from their farm to your table in less than four hours. This science-driven farm does not compromise on flavour. They have sourced and grown non-GMO seeds with the best flavours in a completely pesticide-free natural environment. Each leaf pops with natural flavours. You will enjoy the flavours if you choose spicy mustard and radish microgreens or sweet beet and red cabbage microgreens.

This recipe is from Diana Henry, one of my favourite chefs. I have every one of her cookbooks; they are my go-to books for every occasion, from fun salads like this one to more elaborate cooking from around the world. Everyone should have all her cookbooks.

For more recipes from this book, click here.

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, superfine sugar preferred

Juice of 2-3 limes

A few drops of fish sauce

1 teaspoon ginger paste

2-3 Thai red chillies, finely minced or to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil

Salt, to taste

For the Salad:

1/2 cup edamame beans, blanched

1/2 cup sugar snap peas or any crunchy vegetables like Brussel's sprouts or other sliced

1/4 cup daikon or regular radishes, finely chopped into matchsticks

1 cucumber, sliced thin or cubed

3-4 scallions, finely sliced

1/2 cup baby spinach

1 cup lettuce, shredded by hand

1/2 cup herbs, cilantro, basil, or a mix

Microgreens

3 tablespoons black and white sesame seeds, lightly toasted

1 avocado

Juice of 1 lime

Mix all the ingredients for the salad dressing and stir well to dissolve the sugar. It may take some time, so set aside and stir every minute or so. Once the sugars have melted, taste and adjust the chilli, sweetness, and sourness. The dressing should be bold and tangy on the palate, a perfect blend of sweet, sour, and spice.

Assemble the salad in any way you like. It can be a jumble of all ingredients or carefully and artfully laid out. Chill till needed.

To serve, cut the avocado and lay it on the salad. Squeeze some lime juice on it so the avocado does not discolour. Serve with the dressing on the side so folks can take as much dressing as they would like. I do not like to toss this salad with the dressing as it is very astringent and tends to wilt the leaves, especially the microgreens, very fast.