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2 Comments This super delicious and easy Asian slaw recipe is perfect or a quick lunch or dinner. It’s healthy, easy to prepare and so good you’re gonna be bookmarking this for future use!
Thai salad with Chinese cabbage
If you’ve followed me for a while you might have guessed that I am a huge fan of salads. They are so versatile and have come such a long way from the boring salads my mum used to make in the eighties… 🙂
At that time the regular salad we had was lettuce (usually butter lettuce) with tomatoes, cucumber, egg and a store bought dressing. I can’t even imagine going out and buying a salad dressing in the super market. I haven’t bought anything like that in ages. And why would you? Making your own dressing is so simple!
Asian dressing for quick Asian slaw
The Asian flavors in this Asian slaw come mostly from the dressing which is delicious and gives you an instant Thai feeling. I know it’s not traditional Thai in any way but who cares right? It’s really good so have a go and try out this salad. I also love the crunch of the Chinese cabbage here which is not something I had used in a salad before.
It’s been too long that we visited Thailand. I think it must have been something like 15 years ago. Wow… that’s a pretty long time.. 🙂 Anyway, this simple salad will transport you back into Asian vibes… You’ll see.. Another one of my favorite lunch recipes is this Asian omelette with prawns!
Making the Thai salad
Now to make this Asian cabbage you first start by poaching the chicken breast in water with salt. If you want to give it something extra you can poach the chicken in coconut milk. That is also delicious and makes the chicken soft and tender. It needs about 10 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breast of course.
Poaching the chicken is the ‘hardest’ part of this Asian slaw recipe. How good is that? You pull the chicken apart with either your hands or two forks. Once that’s done leave it to cool and you continue with the rest of the Chinese cabbage salad. Obviously Chinese cabbage is the second hero of this dish and you slice it thinly. Chinese cabbage can be tough, so slicing it thinly is important. Remove any large veins if there are any.
Adding mango
Now I love adding some fruit into my salad. It’s not a thing everyone enjoys but I think it really enhances this Thai salad so I wouldn’t skip it. But that’s just me. Apart from the mango I grate some large carrots, roast cashew nuts and slice some spring onions. Mix it all together and the main part of your Asian slaw is done.
Making the Asian dressing is also super simple to do. What makes it Asian? For me that is the combination of lime, fish sauce, lemon grass and chili with a bit of sesame oil to finish it. It’s super easy Asian dressing. You just add all the ingredients together and you whisk until it becomes a cohesive dressing. That’s your Thai salad done!
If you’re a fan of a good Asian recipe you might love this Asian rice salad or the Asian salad with cashew dressing as well. Easy pad Thai recipe is also a favorite! And for something completely different; the slow cooker Thai beef curry is so good!
Thai salad with Chinese cabbage and mango
Ingredients
- ½ head Chinese cabbage
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 mango peeled and in small cubes
- 3 spring onions cut into rings
- large handful of cashewnuts roasted and chopped
- 2 carrots grated
Dressing
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp fresh ginger grated
- ½ tsp lemon grass grated
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 red chili pepper seeds removed and chopped finely
Instructions
- Poach the chicken for 10 minutes in boiling water with salt. Leave to cool while you prep the rest of the salad
- Cut the Chinese cabbage in small strips and mix with the mango cubes, spring onions and carrot.
- Make the dressing by adding all ingredients together and mix well. Taste and adjust with pepper and salt to taste
- Once the chicken is cooled, pull it apart with two forks or cut into cubes. Mix through the salad.
- Mix the salad with the dressing and sprinkle the cashew nuts over it. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
I rarely use fish sauce in salad dressing. Need to — such a great idea. We’re moving into the salad portion of the year, so this is really timely. Thanks!
You should really try it John. It’s totally delicious!