If you love Pad Thai but don’t want noodles, this delicious fresh salad is just the thing! Crunchy veggies, sweet and sour dressing, and peanuts on top.
On the Ingredients:
- Tamarind is a fruit from a tree indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. Its unique flavor is sometimes described as lemon and lime with caramel notes or a mix of lemon, apricot, and dates. It’s usually sold as a paste or puree in the US and is essential for an authentic Pad Thai sauce. Tamarind fruit is high in magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, copper, and vitamins B1, B2, and B3. It also has trace amounts of vitamin C, K, B6, and B5, as well as folate and selenium. (Read more.)
- Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill aged up to two years. It has a robust flavor and aroma and is packed with umami, which comes from its high glutamate content. It’s used heavily in East and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Red Boat brand, which we carry at the Co-op, is Vietnamese style and made on the island of Phu Quoc. It’s known as a premium brand. As for the health benefits, fish sauce is amino acids, omega-3, iron, and vitamin B12. It’s also high in sodium, though, so check the label if you’re watching your sodium intake.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions:
You can use shrimp instead of chicken, or you can leave out the fish sauce and use roasted tofu or tempeh for a vegan version.
Pad Thai Salad with Cucumber & Carrot Noodles
3
servings15
minutes15
minutesIf you love Pad Thai but don’t want noodles, this delicious fresh salad is just the thing! Crunchy veggies, sweet and sour dressing, and peanuts on top. You can use shrimp instead of chicken, or you can leave out the fish sauce and use roasted tofu or tempeh for a vegan version.
Ingredients
- Dressing Ingredients:
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp monk fruit sweetener OR coconut sugar
1 tsp tamari
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp fish sauce
- Salad Ingredients:
1 European Cucumber OR 2 slicing cucumbers
2 medium carrots
2 scallions (chopped)
1 cup shredded chicken (cooked)
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (chopped)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Directions
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a small pot and heat over a low flame until the sweetener dissolves. Let it cool.
- Peel the cucumber and carrots, then use the peeler to make thin noodles from the veggies (exclude the seeded center of the cucumber). Place the noodles in a salad bowl. Add the scallions, chicken, peanuts, and cilantro.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to distribute evenly. Serve or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two days.
