Thai Carrot Salad
I acquired this carrot salad recipe from the chef at my preferred Thai restaurant in Cincinnati. His carrot salad stood out as one of the most sought-after salads or appetizers. Customers would often purchase multiple orders to take along to events. It's even more delicious when prepared a day in advance.
Ingredients
- 1-pound carrots, coarsely grated
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup finely chopped unsalted peanuts
Instructions
- Place grated carrots in a large bowl.
- Combine sugar, water, and vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil; cook until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic, fish sauce, and curry paste to sugar mixture and simmer until flavors blend, 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool dressing completely, about 30 minutes.
- Stir lime juice and red pepper flakes into dressing and pour over carrots. Add peanuts and toss to coat. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.
Notes
- I usually double this recipe since a large bag of carrots yields lots of salad.
- Using tamarind is the traditional method; however, it is hard to find in regular grocery stores. Any Asian grocery store will have it. Lime juice makes a reasonably good substitution.
- The amounts of Thai red curry paste, and red pepper flakes can be increased to suit your taste (it is Thai food, after all).
- The dressing is very similar to one of the dipping sauces usually served with Thai spring rolls, so the dressing can be made on its own for that purpose. I have also used this as a dressing for a thinly sliced cabbage slaw.
Nutrition
Calories: 183kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 333mgPotassium: 288mgFiber: 3gSugar: 28gVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
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