Eat-scapades

Do Chua Salad

Posted by Alana on

Cookbook Club – Appetites: A Cookbook

This year we lost a titan of the food world, so in Anthony Bourdain’s memory we used his Appetites: A Cookbook for our October Cookbook Club. Anthony Bourdain captivated so many people with his fearless travels, so it’s no surprise that this book of his personal favorites includes recipes inspired by dishes from around the world. Go to my Cookbook Club site to see the full culinary tour we took through his book. For now – my dish!

I will be the first to admit that quick preparation is often one of my criteria for choosing a recipe. The Do Chua Salad with Herbs, Scallions, Sprouts, and Egg is decidedly not such a dish. But I couldn’t pass up what sounded like a wonderfully crunchy salad filled with funk, acidity, and herbal freshness. Plus I think daikon radish is an under-utilized ingredient and am always looking for more ways to cook with it.

I julienned daikon and carrots, tossed with salt and sugar, and let sit for 30 minutes.

Do Chua Salad daikon carrot

I squeezed the veg dry, then soaked them in sugar, white and sherry vinegars, and hot water for an hour.

Do Chua Salad vinegar soak

I made Nuoc Mam Cham – a dipping sauce of lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, Thai chili, and garlic, and let that sit as well.

Do Chua Salad Nuoc Mam Cham

I moved the daikon and carrots to a fresh bowl, and added scallions, sprouts, and quartered hard-boiled eggs. The recipe said to gently toss at this point, but I wanted to keep the eggs intact for pretty presentation, so I decided to remove them before tossing.

Do Chua Salad add scallions sprouts egg

I added the herbs and tossed again.

Do Chua Salad add herbs

I dressed the salad with the Nuoc Mam Cham, then carefully distributed the eggs throughout, which I think was totally worth the extra effort – gorgeous!

Do Chua Salad

Because I have an irrational fear of slicing off the end of my finger with a mandoline, I julienne by hand. That, as you can imagine, is time-consuming. Then there are two separate waiting sessions, some of which can be filled with more chopping. Despite all of that, this is a dish I will absolutely make again. The flavors and textures were everything I hoped they would be. Definitely worth the time!