Jicama and orange salad

Transcription

1 Jicama and orange salad Hello and Happy New Year everyone. It s been a long time but starting the new year with many ideas and motivated to post more often. So my first post for this year is on jicama. Gently stir fried into Nonya rolls in Singapore, added to dumplings in China and eaten in salads and as a snack throughout Mexico, jicama is a tuber that lends a sweet crunch wherever it s added. Now that the months are drier, jicama or man keao in Thai makes its appearance in the local markets. In Thailand it is most commonly eaten as a snacking fruit, dipped in sugar and chili. Look for it in the fruit section of the local wet markets. Most of the jicamas I have come across in Asia tend to be about the size of an apple and sweet, I love adding them to salads for texture and crunch. If jicamas are out of season a good substitute is the Asian or Nashi pear. This jicama and orange salad makes use of the abundance of citrus in the markets now and makes for a cheerfull addition to the table. Although a little more time consuming I like to section oranges (removing the skin, white pith and membrane) for ease of eating and appearance. If you are short on time, the oranges can be sliced into rounds.

2 Serves 4

3 ¼ cup fresh lime juice plus 1 Tablespoon for soaking onion 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 small crushed garlic good size pinch of sugar salt to taste 2 large oranges, deveined and segmented 3 cups (about 2 medium) sized jicamas, sliced into thin matchsticks 1 small red onion thinly sliced ¾ cup chopped fresh coriander 1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted ground chili flakes or cayenne pepper to taste Make the dressing first. Mix in a small bowl the garlic, lime juice, oil, sugar and salt to taste. Set aside. To take away the sharpness of the raw onion, soak with 1 tablespoon of lime juice and a pinch of salt. Toss well and set aside for 10 minutes. Drain any remaining juice. To section the orange, use a sharp knife with a narrow blade. Using the knife, peel the orange by slicing down the sides of the orange, removing as much of the outer pith as possible. Hold the orange in the palm of your hand and insert the blade of the knife into one segment, along the thin membrane. Cut carefully along the other side of the segment, all the way to the center of the orange. The segment should easily come out. Continue along the entire orange. To julienne the jicama, peel and cut into thin slices. Then stack a few of the slices and cut on the long, thin strips. The jicama, oranges and dressing can be prepared up to several hours ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, combine the jicama, oranges, onion, fresh coriander, pepitas and dressing. Toss with plenty of chili to

4 taste. Pennywort and barley salad Pennywort Pennywort or centella asiatica is most commonly found in juice form throughout Thailand and also as part of the raw vegetables and spicy dipping sauce that often accompanies a Thai meal. It s considered an herbal tonic for all its antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory goodness. I like it because it s nutritious, does not require a lot of prepping and can be eaten raw. Pennywort s taste is difficult to describe, not very sweet or bitter but just a hint of both. The best I can come up with is that it tastes green! The leaf is chewier than baby spinach for example, so giving it a few chops before using in a salad is recommended.

5 Here I combine it with barley, plump ruby pomegranate seeds and a handful of pistachios and dried cranberries for some added texture. A little balsamic vinegar and olive oil round out this substantial salad based on a recipe named Barley, parsley and pomegranate salad by Diana Henry in her delicious book, Food from Plenty. Pennywort and barley salad Serves 4, generously 150 grams barley 1 bundle -about 70 grams pennywort seeds from 1/2 pomegranate or more to taste 1/4 cup toasted pistachios, roughly chopped 1/4 cup dried cranberries

6 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste Place barley in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water. Bring to boil. Add a pinch of salt, and simmer about 2 minutes or until barley is cooked al dente or with just a bit of bite still left. Drain and rinse quickly under cold water. Place in a bowl and give it a good splash of olive oil so that it doesn t clump together. Set aside until ready to assemble the salad. One of the characteristics of pennywort are its long thin stems which make the washing and rinsing steps quite easy. Holding the bundle rinse well in a bowl of cold water and give it a few good shakes to remove excess water. Wrap in a kitchen cloth to absorb any remaining water or use a salad spinner. Coarsely chop the leaves (discarding the stems) and add to the barley along with the pomegranate seeds, pistachios and cranberries. Can be prepared up to this point. When ready to eat, toss salad with the balsamic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Burmese ginger salad

7 Finely sliced fresh ginger

8 Burmese Ginger Salad

9 Zesty, tangy and as spicy as you make it. Burmese salads are delicious and full of texture and zing. I love how this salad turns ginger root into the main star. Very similar to the Thai green papaya salad (som tom) but with ginger easier to find in most places than green papaya, you may already have all the ingredients at home. The only caveat, be sure to only use the freshest ginger possible or wait until you do find it. Select a piece that is not shriveled and with light coloured skin. Additionally, when the ginger is young, a small piece should snap of easily. This salad is a perfect accompaniment to a predinner beer. Burmese ginger salad Serves 6 appetizer portions 300 grams fresh ginger, peeled or very well scrubbed and very finely julienned (in Thailand you can buy already julienned ginger in the markets) 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 1 small plum tomato, deseeded and cut into long strips

10 1 long green chili, thinly sliced (or the small bird eye chilies, depending on how spicy you want it) 3 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts juice of 2 limes 2 tablespoons vegetable oil salt Combine the ginger, onion, tomato and chili in a bowl. Add the vegetable oil, lime juice and mix it in well to moisten everything and to squeeze the flavour out of everything. Your hands are your best tools for this. Stir in the peanuts when ready to serve and season with salt. Serve in small bowls. Farfalle with ivy gourd

11 A market bundle of Ivy Gourd vines. Ivy gourd was one of the first local greens that piqued my curiosity. It s widely available in grocery stores and wet markets and its freshness, dark green leaves

12 and large size (sold in big bundles often times held together with a piece of banana tree bark) was too intriguing to resist. Also known as tum leung (Thai) and tindora (Hindi) where it is commonly eaten, the vines are edible as is the young fruit which looks like a small cucumber. Eat only the young leaves and tender stems towards the top. It is commonly served as a stir-fried vegetable and in soups. The dark green leaf tastes a lot like spinach but is milder, sweeter and has more bite than spinach. Here I ve adapted this exotic green to one of my childhood favorites pasta and spinach Chilean style. If you want a more complete meal, scramble a couple of eggs into the spinach mixture right before tossing with the pasta. Prepped ingredients Ivy gourd leaves, finely diced onions and freshly grated carrots.

13 Farfalle with ivy gourd Serves 4 as main course 1 large onion, finely minced 1 large carrot, finely grated 1 garlic clove, minced 3 Tablespoons olive oil 300 grams ivy gourd 500 grams pasta such as farfalle or penne ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano salt and pepper to taste Wash the greens well. Discard the any yellow or damaged leaves. Separate the leaves from the vine, being sure to include the tender tendrils. Chop the leaves into 3 cm pieces, discarding the vines and stems. Heat water in a large pot, add a

14 pinch of salt to help the greens retain their colour and drop the leaves into the boiling water, cook for 3 minutes. Drain well and rinse in cold water. Squeeze as much water from the greens as possible. Finely chop again and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Add salt and cook pasta according to taste. In a wide saucepan, heat olive oil and add minced onions. Sauté until golden and soft but not coloured. Add the minced garlic and the grated carrot. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring well. Finally, add the chopped greens and stir until the mixture is well combined. Before draining the cooked pasta, reserve a ½ cup of the pasta water. Toss the cooked pasta into the saucepan with the vegetables. Stir in the grated cheese and some of the pasta water, not more than a tablespoon at a time, until everything is well combined. Season with salt and pepper and serve with plenty of freshly grated parmesan.