Asian Salad

This is Carol Neishi’s delicious recipe that I have adapted. The wontons take a moment to do, but are well worth it. You could also buy the crunchy Chinese noodles if you don’t want to make your own. Add poached or grilled chicken or shrimp for a more hearty salad.

Serves 8

Dressing:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon hoisin sauce

salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salad:

1 package of wontons

2 cups of vegetable oil

2 head of romaine lettuce, washed and cut into small pieces

1 bunch of green onions, sliced thin on the diagonal

1 bunch of cilantro, washed and picked off stems

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow pepper thinly sliced

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish

In a small bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients together with a whisk and set aside until needed. The dressing can be made 2-3 days before.

In a small skillet over medium high heat, add enough vegetable oil to reach ¾ -inch deep. Take 4-5 wonton wrappers at a time and cut them into ¼ -inch strips and separate them into individual pieces. Cut about 15 wontons in total. You can freeze the remaining wontons for later use. Line a plate with a paper towel and set aside. When the oil is hot, add about 10 strips at a time and using a spider strainer, toss them and coat with oil and allow them to lightly brown – about 30 seconds. Flip over and cook other side for a few seconds and then remove to paper towel. Continue with remaining wontons. When all of them are cooked, sprinkle with salt and set aside. They can be kept in a large zip lock bag for a day.

To Serve:

In a large salad bowl, add all the salad ingredients and toss well. Pour salad dressing over lettuce mixture, and toss well. Gently toss in fried wontons and mix well. Sprinkle sesame seeds over to garnish and serve.