Bitter Melon Salad

Bitter Melon  salad  

Ingredients - Serves 4

Sweet and sour Kumquat dressing

• 4 tablespoons of kumquat juice (“nước tắc”)
• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• 4 tbsp Nuoc Mam ( vegan fish sauce)
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic (“tỏi”)
• 4 teaspoons of minced red long chili (medium spicy)

Salad

• 150gr sliced bitter melon
• 50 g onion cut in Julienne (“hành tây”)
• 120 g carrot cut in fancy Julienne
• 10 vietnamese basil leaves
• All different kinds of Mints 50leaves
• 20 g of fried sliced garlic (“tỏi”)
• 40 g of fried shallots (“hành tím”)
• 40 g of roasted peanuts

Method

Dressing

• In a bowl add Kumquat juice, sugar and  vegan fish sauce. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved
• Then add about 2 teaspoons of garlic and 3 to 4 teaspoons of chopped chili. Taste it first, and adjust with salt, chili as your convenience. (If the taste is too strong add 1 tablespoon of water).

Salad

• Use knife to sliced thin bitter melon  then  soaked in salt ice water in 10 minutes then remove all the water out
• Add all the salad and meat above into the bowl
• Add the salad dressing and toss gently.
• Arrange the salad on a serving plate. Sprinkle with the crushed peanuts, fried shallots and garlic and serve immediately.