14/01/2019
Keto Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Hot, crunchy, crispy, tangy, sweet, lemony. You name the flavour and texture and you have it in this salad. This salad is bursting with Umami flavours without the carbs . It is such a great stand alone dish in itself but you can serve it as a side dish too. The key to this salad is the crunch. Generally a lot of Thai and Vietnamese salads use roasted ground rice for crunch. I have added my own twist to it by adding a lot of crushed toasted almonds and sesame seeds. The salad dressing here is a real flavour bomb. It just takes the salad to the next level. So here is the recipe:-
Ingredients
1 cup of Shredded cooked chicken
2 cups romaine lettuce (roughly chopped)
1 cup Arugula leaves (roughly chopped)
1 red chilli, chopped finely (optional)
1 Asian shallot (spring onion can be a great substitute)
1/2 carrot thinly sliced
1/4th Cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
1/4th Cup of toasted almonds, crushed
1tbsp of toasted sesame seeds
Few sprigs of coriander
For the salad dressing:-
3 tbsp of Fish sauce
3 tbsp of Lime juice
1tbsp of erythritol or few drops of stevia
1/4th tsp of red chillies chopped
Sesame seeds for garnishing
Instructions
1. Toss the chicken, lettuce, arugula, chilli and coriander leaves in a large bowl.
2 In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients of salad dressing.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat.
4. Fold in the Almonds, sesame seeds and mint leaves. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Notes
1. I poached my chicken with bones in water but you can use chicken broth to do it. Do not use chicken breast for this recipe as the chicken might dry out during the cooking process. Also when we poach chicken with bone, the connective tissues help the chicken remain softer. It is also cheaper to use chicken with bone rather than chicken breasts. Once cooked use a fork to remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones.
2. Using coriander leaves and mint leaves is non negotiable. Do not skip it!!! It imparts a herbaceous flavour to the salad which is the essence of Vietnamese cooking.
3. While making your salad dressing, taste the dressing constantly and adjust the tanginess and @ Hyderabad