March 22, 2024
Ingredients:
Salad:
1 large bunch for watercress; 4 eggs, hard boiled, whites only, reserve the yolks for the dressing; 2 C for mesclun using whatever greens are available; ½ C for coriander leaves; ½ C for mint leave; 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced cherry tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes
Dressing:
Light oil (1/2 C); garlic 4 T (chopped); 4 eggs yolks (chopped); sugar (3 T); fish sauce (2 T); soy sauce (2T); lime juice (4T); to finish dry-fried peanuts, chopped
Method:
1. Heat a work or pan and dry fry the peanuts set the nuts aside to cool. When cool, chop.
2. Heat the oil on a medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and fry until golden brown, stirring frequently so it does not burn (about 2 minutes)
3. While the garlic is frying, mix together the chopped egg yolks, sugar, fish sauce and soy sauce in a deep bowl or screw-top jar. When the garlic is ready, remove it from the heat and cool. Add the garlic and its cooking oil to the mixture ( whisk or shake to blend well).
4. Add the lime juice and mix. Taste and adjust the sugar and lime juice
5. Wash the watercress thoroughly in clean water; drain and discard any thick stem. Cut cherry tomatoes in halves. If using larger tomatoes, cut into wedges about 1 cm (1/2 in) thick at the widest part.
6. Assemble the salad on a large, flat plate or in a bowl by forming a bed of watercress which is topped with the other herbs and leaves, tomatoes and slices egg whites in a nice pattern. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle he chopped peanuts over the whole. Serve the salad immediately, as it will quickly wilt.
Variations:
For sweeter version, reduce the lime juice; for a sourer version, increase the lime. Do not reduce the sugar amount.
Most of information come from The Boat Landing Cookbook
