This recipe is inspired by a little cafe in Manly, Australia called Banana Blossom. They serve up HUGE asian-inspired salads filled with fresh, delicious ingredients. This is my take on their "New York" salad.
For me, one of the major things that makes this salad a standout is how the cucumber and carrot slices are prepared. They are not sliced, diced or even julienned. Instead, I use a vegetable peeler to create long, shaved slices of each. This creates a unique texture that not only clings to the dressing but doesn't overpower your taste buds so the only thing you taste is carrot. I know this can be a bit of a tedious step, but please don't skip it! You will be glad you took the time on your first bite.
The dressing in this salad calls for a really funky ingredient (at least for Americans), fish sauce. If you lived in Asia, this would be as common as apple cider vinegar - it is used in almost everything! Don't be put off by it's strong smell, the sugar and soy sauce will balance out its strong flavour perfectly, adding a great umami to the dish.
My last piece of advice is to serve this salad with chopsticks and a beer (an Asian one, such as Asahi or Sapporo, if you can). Don't wimp out and use a fork - chopsticks are much more fun and add some authenticity!
Asian Inspired Mandarin and Sesame Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- CHICKEN
- 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 2 inch strips
- 3 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 2 Tsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbl + 1 tsp honey
- 2 Tsp ground ginger
- 2 Tbs sesame seeds
- --
- SALAD
- 6 cups lettuce (I used romaine & spinach)
- 2/3 cup sliced red onion
- 1 large cucumber, shaved
- 2 good sized carrots, shaved
- 2 mandarin oranges, peeled
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup fried chow mein noodles
- --
- DRESSING
- 1 tbl fish sauce
- 2 tbl soy sauce
- 1/2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs sugar
- 1 red chili, sliced
- Juice of 1 lime
Directions
- Step 1 Prep your dressing first. In a bowl, combine fish sauce, soy sauce, olive oil, sugar, sliced red chili and lime juice. Stir and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 2 Time for the chicken! Using a fork, mix together the soy sauce, olive and sesame oils, garlic, honey and ginger. Pour over your sliced chicken and set aside while preparing the salad.
- Step 3 Next, prepare your salad ingredients. Slice your red onion, peel your mandarin and (using a peeler) shave the cucumbers and carrots so they form nice long, thin ribbons. Put all into a large bowl with your lettuce and toss.
- Step 4 You are now ready to cook the chicken. In a pan on medium-high heat place your chicken strips, pouring over their marinade. Stiring continuously, cook until the chicken is no longer pink and the marinade has thickened, 6-8min. You want the marinade to form a glaze over the chicken. Remove from heat and immediately sprinkle with 2 tbs sesame seeds.
- Step 5 Time to toss! Add the cooked chicken to your bowl of salad ingredients and toss together. Divide into four bowls and top each with cashews and fried chow mein noodles.
- Step 6 I always serve this with a chilled Asahi, but it would also go well with a chilled glass of white wine.
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