Entertaining in the Raw - Matthew Kenney [61]
Assembly Fold the chile sauce into spring roll filling, add tofu, and adjust seasoning. Place a large tablespoon of filling on each spring roll wrapper and spread it out in a row. Fold wrappers tightly. To serve, cut each wrapper on a bias lengthwise, lean one against the other, and garnish with Sweet Tamarind Fondue and cilantro leaves. Serves 4
Thai Cucumber Salad
One of my first experiences with Thai cuisine was during an early chef position I held at a Brazilian restaurant. One evening, I wasn’t feeling well and one of the talented cooks, Laisoon Saetio, made a spicy Thai soup with rice. On other occasions, he would prepare cucumber salads with lots of mint and toasted peanuts to go with heartier dishes. In time, the entire kitchen staff would line up for his delicious meals—he and I went on to work together for many years, and this dish is a reminder of his great talent and warm, gentle personality.
Salad
1/4 cup roughly chopped basil
2 medium cucumbers, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 head butter or Bibb lettuce, torn into small pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mint leaves
Dressing
3/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup nama shoyu
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 Thai chiles or 3 teaspoons red chile flakes
1/4 cup cashew butter
Water as needed to thin
Garnish
1/3 cup chopped cashews
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup diced red pepper
Salad Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl.
Dressing Blend all ingredients until smooth in a Vita-Mix.
Assembly Dress salad generously with dressing and top with cashews, oil, and red pepper. Serves 4
Metric Conversion Chart
Volume Measurements Weight Measurements Temperature Conversion
U.S. Metric U.S. Metric U.S. Metric
1 teaspoon 5 ml 1/2 ounce 15 g 250 120
1 tablespoon 15 ml 1 ounce 30 g 300 150
1/4 cup 60 ml 3 ounces 90 g 325 160
1/3 cup 75 ml 4 ounces 115 g 350 180
1/2 cup 125 ml 8 ounces 225 g 375 190
2/3 cup 150 ml 12 ounces 350 g 400 200
3/4 cup 175 ml 1 pound 450 g 425 220
1 cup 250 ml 2-1/4 pounds 1 kg 450 230