Five Fabulous Chinese Recipes
I hope you all had a very Happy thanksgiving full of family, friends and foodie cheer! With Thanksgiving over, it it will be Christmas, then New Years, then time to start dating everything 2015 before we know it! To usher in the new year, we have a tradition of celebrating with Chinese Food. Because really, what is better than Beef and Broccoli, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Sticky Honey Lemon Chicken, Wontons and Egg Rolls?
Not much.
So what do you serve as a refreshing side to all your favorite Asian dishes? A side that will compliment but can still stand on its own against all your sweet and savory Asian forkfuls?
Asian Cucumber Salad with Red Chili Soy Vinaigrette! This chilled cucumber salad is refreshingly delicious and packed with Asian flavors. Unlike a lot of salads, this salad is marinated in a vinaigrette so the dressing/salad is almost zero fat. A vinaigrette of Thai Red Chili Sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice, ginger, garlic and a dash of sugar. The salad is cold, crisp, refreshing, with a slight zing from the chili sauce. Can you taste it now?!
I love eating this salad of marinated crispy thin cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots and peanuts anytime, all by itself, because its deliciousness can stand all on its own. But when you get to devour Beef and Broccoli and Asian Cucumber Salad together, well, then you know its going to be an amazing new year.
Happy almost 2015 from Carlsbad Cravings to you!
Asian Cucumber Salad with Red Chili Soy Vinagrette
Ingredients
- Thai Sweet Chili Soy Dressing
- 2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce*
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salad
- 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
- ¼ red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- Garnish
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Whisk Dressing ingredients together in a large bowl. Add salad ingredients and toss to coat. Chill 1 hour before serving. When ready to serve, toss well. Garnish with chopped peanuts.
- The cucumbers will release some of their water as they marinate - so be aware that the vinaigrette will increase the longer the cucumbers marinate.
Notes
*Can be found in the Asian section of any grocery store - it also makes a great dipping sauce for anything Asian!
Carlsbad Cravings Original
You might also like:
Sticky Honey Lemon Ginger Chicken
Sesame Chicken Egg Rolls with Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce
Secret Ingredient, Better Than Takeout Beef and Broccoli
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We adore chinese food in this house, especially beef with broccoli. Thanks for sharing these. Most often we buy it, but I find it can be a good option for those nights when dinner needs to be thrown together fast at the last minute. You can do all the chopping earlier in the day, and then just whip it up when you need it:)