Andy Ricker's Hot & Spicy Thai Salad, Step by Step
Peden + Munk1/9Long Bean, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad
Thai salads aren't your average lettuce-and-dressing situation: They're full of crisp vegetables and fruits mixed with intense condiments. "It's not about just tossing the ingredients together," says Ricker. "It's about working them into the dressing," which can also be used to dress green-papaya and cabbage slaws.
2/9If you want, use a clay mortar and wooden pestle. It's deep enough so you can pound the aromatics, then mix the salad in it, too.
3/9Soak dried chiles in warm water for two minutes to plump them
4/9Crush the chiles, garlic, lime wedges, sugar, and dried shrimp in a mortar using a straight-up-and-down pounding motion. Next, add the beans and break them down the same way to meld the flavors.
5/9When chopping, don't aim for uniform pieces. An uneven dice adds rustic appeal and textural diversity. Ricker, like most Thai cooks, often chops straight into the mortar, rather than on a board.
6/9Fish sauce goes into the mortar.
7/9Then in goes lime juice.
8/9Mix everything together with a spoon just before serving, making sure that all ingredients are in contact with the dressing. At this point you're both mixing and bruising the softer components, like the cherry tomatoes.
9/9After letting the vegetables marinate, add the peanuts and serve.
