Friday, April 25, 2008

California Pizza Kitchen's Thai Crunch Salad

For lime-cilantro dressing :
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup rice vinegar
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
¼ cup minced red bell pepper
¼ cup honey
4 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp lime juice
2 cloves garlic
dash salt
dash ground black pepper

For spicy peanut sauce :
½ cup crunchy peanut butter
6 Tbs hoisin sauce
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs rice vinegar
2 Tbs light brown sugar
1 Tbs chili sauce (or garlic-chili sauce)
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp minced ginger
½ cup water

vegetable oil for frying wontons and threads
8 wonton wrappers
handful bean threads
4 small skinless chicken breast fillets
1 cup cooked edamame
1 cup unsalted peanuts
12 cups chopped napa cabbage
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 cups shredded or julienned carrot
1 cup julienned cucumber
4 green onions, green part only, chopped

For lime-cilantro dressing :
1 Combine all ingredients in a blender on high speed for 20 seconds, or until cilantro is chopped finely, but not entirely pureed. Cover and chill
For spicy peanut sauce : 1 Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium/low heat. Heat until sauce is hot, but not boiling, and sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture into a blender and blend for about 20 seconds. Cover and chill.
2 Flatten chicken breasts by covering them with plastic wrap and pounding them with a kitchen mallet. Rub oil on each breast, sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper, and grill for 3 - 4 minutes per side or until done. Wrap and chill the cooked chicken.
3 Make the crispy wontons by heating 2 cups of vegetable shortening or oil in a medium sized saucepan to 375°F. Slice a stack of 8 wonton wrappers into 1/4" wide strips. Slice those strips in half. Fry them in hot oil for about 30 seconds or until light brown. Drain on paper towels.
4 Fry a big handful of bean threads in hot oil for about 10 seconds or until they float to the top of the oil. Drain on paper towels.
5 Cook edamame following the directions on the package. If the soyabeans are in the pods, remove them and chill the beans after they have cooked.
6 Toast the peanuts by heating them up in a skillet over medium/low heat for 3 - 4 minutes or just until starting to brown. Immediately remove them from the heat so they don't burn.

For the salads : 1 For each serving, combine 3 cups napa cabbage, ½ cup red cabbage, ½ cup carrot, ¼ cup cucumber, ¼ cup edamame, ¼ cup toasted peanuts, ¼ cup crispy wontons, and a couple Tbs of chopped green onion in a large bowl. Thinly slice a cold chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and add it to the salad. Pour 4 - 5 tablespoons of cilantro-lime dressing over the salad and toss well. 2 Carefully pour tossed salad onto a serving plate. Sprinkle about ½ cup crispy bean threads on top of the salad. 3 Spoon spicy peanut sauce into a squirt bottle and squirt the sauce in a sweeping motion over the salad. Repeat for remaining salad servings. Yield: 4 large salad servings

Recipe Book

Watch for my upcoming favorite recipes. I have always wanted all my favorites in one place. So here goes. Hope you enjoy.