Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cucumbers, peeled, sliced, seeds removed
- 2 medium garden-fresh tomatoes, sliced and halved
- 1 green pepper, cored, insides removed, sliced thin
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, sliced thin
- 1 tsp. minced hot red chili (Thai pepper if you have one and can handle the heat)
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- 2 cups fresh bean sprouts, rinsed and clean
- 1 cup cilantro or Thai basil, chopped
- 1 – 2 cups unsalted peanuts, crushed (and if you’re like me, use much more)
Thai Peanut Dressing
- 4 Tbsp. rice vinegar (apple cider vinegar is also fine)
- 6 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup water
- 1–1/2 Tbsp. lime juice
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
Traditional Thai Cucumber Sweet and Spicy Dressing
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp. peanut oil
- 1–1/2 Tbsp. fish oil (nam pla)
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (this is NOT spicy)
- 3 Tbsp. minced onion
- 3 Tbsp. lime juice
- 3 Tbsp. garden-fresh cilantro/Thai basil, chopped
Instructions
For the Thai Peanut Dressing
- Blend all ingredients together and serve.
- If you want it more ‘peanut buttery’, then just add more peanut butter until you reach your preference.
For the Traditional Thai Cucumber Sweet and Spicy Dressing
- Blend all ingredients together and serve.
- As with the other Thai dressing, play with these ingredients and add more of what you prefer (i.e: lime juice, or cilantro, or red pepper flakes).
- Instructions
- On salad or dinner plates, place the lettuce leaves in an appealing and attractive manner.
- Continue to pile up the remaining vegetables, topping off with the bean sprouts, cilantro/Thai basil, and finishing up with a generous sprinkling of the crushed peanuts.
- Pass the dressings around to your guests to select which they prefer to drizzle on salads.
