In countries like Thailand and Laos, meals include what might be the simplest salad of all: a plate of assorted raw vegetables and herbs. Unseasoned and dressing-free, this type of salad still satisfies, and is especially refreshing during the heat of summer.
The key to a good plate of Southeast Asian-style raw vegetables is having an assortment of flavors and textures. I especially like the crunch of Chinese longbeans, the herbal bite of cilantro and the sweetness of cabbage, but any flavorful green vegetable or herb will work. (Check out our guide to Asian greens for more ideas.)
These salads are typically eaten with your hands, so the vegetables can be cut into manageable — but not necessarily bite-sized — chunks, and the herbs can be left whole on their stems. Simple, flavorful and almost prep-free, this is the type of salad I often turn to when I am cooking a fuss-free meal for one.
What are your favorite vegetables and herbs for this type of plate?
Related: In Praise of Cherry Vinegar and Simple Summer Salads
(Image: Flickr member clayirving licensed under Creative Commons)
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Those are garnishes meant to be added to entrees. If given an individual plate I often do eat them separately, but many restaurants in my area serve them family-style.
This sounds like a great idea in theory but I feel like I'd finish that unsatisfied and looking for something more.
Mary Wynn, these are a little different from the plates of vegetables they give you to add to your pho (or stew) at Vietnamese places.
Growing up in a Thai household, these plates of vegetables were a fairly common occurrence. Our standard household joke was that Mom was actually serving us weeds from the backyard and calling them Thai vegetables.
By the same token, Mahlookma, the veg are usually served with something to dip it in. I'm Cambodian and used to dipping in into a fish-based dish, not simply alone. I'm not sure I've ever had any of this sort of arrangement sans some sort of dressing (lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, etc.), and I grow these weeds in my backyard. :)
Hey emtee--
We sometimes have a dip--usually based around that brown fermented fish stomach paste--but more often have it without anything at all.
I recently went multi-generational Asian (aka I moved my parents in) and so I now have a backyard growing these things as well. We should have a seed trade. :)
The most recent "weed": bitter buds on a branch of some sort
Thanks for the insight, Mahlookma. I, too, have a backyard--well, windowboxes--of these things, but I'm used to using them in the Vietnamese context where they go WITH something. I thought maybe the original post had missed that fact. Interesting to see another use!
When I was in Thailand, every green leafy thing I encountered was smothered in mayonnaise *shudder*. This would have been an exciting thing to find on the table!
my weeds are dipped in salt and chili. yum.
my mother makes this wonderful and wickedly hot salt that is infused with chili peppers. it gets sprinkled on everything.
Along the same lines, garden fresh cucumbers (or salad cucumbers) with a just dab of miso is great.