Thai bean sprout salad

This light and refreshing salad makes an interesting side to a stir-fry or curry.

|
A Palatable Pastime
This quick salad works as a fun side for Asian-inspired dishes.

I have always loved the crunch of bean sprouts, especially in Vietnamese cooking, when I can drop them into my steaming bowl of pho or stir them into a bun noodle salad. I also enjoy the flavor they impart to fried rice dishes, although not too many restaurants do that anymore, having simplified their recipes quite a bit. Part of the reason for that might be the very limited shelf life of fresh bean sprouts. When I use them, I try to buy them the same day so I don’t open my fridge to sprouts that have withered.

As a salad, this is quite light, and the sriracha does not add an overwhelming amount of spice. Some, yes. But I will warn about the type of chilies I used in my garnish. I used Thai bird chiles, and they can be quite fiery, depending on the season and growing conditions, and I love that since I love spicy food. But if I were to serve to a group, I might not add those, using instead a mild pepper such as minced red and green bell pepper for garnish, rather than omitting it altogether, since the peppers do add a touch of flavor on their own. But you can make your own choice on what to add there.

This is not a dish that can be prepared much in advance, because the sprouts will wilt and lose the crunchiness which you want. In that same vein, I would not use canned bean sprouts or packaged sprouts that show any amount of liquid pooling in the bottom (sprouts have a high water content and this comes out as they wilt). So choose your sprouts carefully. I will not buy one unless I can snap it in my fingers like a twig.

As far as prep, the salad comes together quick and is easy work. I toss with my hands so as not to break too many of the sprouts, but you can try to do it with forks or spoons if you are concerned about the peppers in the dressing. Just be sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards, or you could opt to wear gloves when handling, as food service professionals do.

Thai bean sprout salad
Serves 2-4

8 ounces very fresh bean sprouts
2 scallions, shredded
1/4 cup shredded fresh carrots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 sliced Thai bird chilies  or 2 tablespoons chopped bell pepper (for garnish)Dressing2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce 
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon lemongrass paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon honey

Place salad ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together ingredients for the dressing and gently toss with the salad. Serve at once.

Related post on A Palatable Pastime: Honey Sriracha Sesame Noodles

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Thai bean sprout salad
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Food/Stir-It-Up/2015/0123/Thai-bean-sprout-salad
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe