Raw Pad Thai Style Salad

Raaka Pad Thai-salaatti

To be honest I don’t think this is officially a Pad Thai, but I have taken inspiration from the Thai classic.  I have omitted the noodles and have used spiralized vegetables as a crunchy and fresh alternative.  Probably the most important part of a pad Thai is the dressing.  Once again I have used my fishless ‘fish’ sauce to add the necessary salty element and hope this comes fairly close to a Pad Thai flavour.  I have kept the dish fairly simple and raw, but feel free to add some fried crispy tofu to tempeh, it makes a great addition to the dish.

Raw Pad Thai Style Salad – serves 2 – 4 

1 cucumber

3 – 4  carrots, peeled

1 medium courgette

100 g beansprouts

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

a handful of peanuts, smashed in a pestle and mortar

a handful of chopped coriander

a handful of chopped mint

 

For the dressing:

Juice of a lime

1 tbsp of my fishless fish sauce – see my recipe for Malaysian Style Rojak Salad

3 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 /2 tsp chilli flakes

1/2 clove of garlic, crushed

1 – 2 tbsp maple syrup or palm sugar

Start by using a peeler or spiralizer to cut your vegetables into ‘noodles’.  I recommend cutting the cucumber with a peeler and avoid using the watery seedy centre.

In a large bowl mix the vegetables, bean sprouts and red chilli.

Mix all the dressing ingredients in a separate dish and tip onto the vegetables and lightly mix through.  Add the herbs and give a final light mix.

Separate into bowls and top with the crushed peanuts.