(recipe from the book Local Flavors used with permission of the author, Deborah Madison)
Serves 4-6
Although this salad can be made at the last minute, it doesn’t suffer from being
dressed hours earlier, which makes it a good picnic salad. Add the peanuts just
before serving so they’ll be nice and crunchy.
THE SALAD
½ cup skinned raw peanuts
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 large carrot
4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
2 cups slivered lettuce leaves
3 thin scallions, including some of the greens, finely sliced diagonally
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons torn basil leaves,
Preferably Thai basil
THE DRESSING
½ jalapeno chile, finely diced
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup roasted peanut oil
- Heat the peanuts in the oil over medium-low heat, shaking the pa occasionally, until lightly browned after a few minutes. Blot with paper towels and set aside.
- Peel the carrot with a vegetable peeler and discard the skins. Then, with the vegetable peeler, continue removing long strips of the carrot until you’ve
reached the core. - Combine the cabbage, lettuce, and carrot with everything except the nuts.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together and toss with the greens. Add the
peanuts just before serving.