Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing
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This Thai crunch salad is crisp, colorful, and tossed in a creamy peanut dressing that’s so good, you’ll want to drizzle it on everything.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
This recipe is a nod to the popular Thai crunch salad served at California Pizza Kitchen. It’s made with crisp Napa cabbage, crunchy vegetables, and edamame, but it’s the creamy peanut dressing that makes it so good. I guarantee you’ll want to put it on everything!
Serve this salad as a light lunch or pair it with grilled chicken or steak for a more substantial meal. It also pairs nicely with chicken satay or honey, lime and sriracha chicken skewers. This is one of those recipes with a long list of ingredients but don’t let that deter you; you can use many of the prepared vegetables available at the supermarket, and the dressing is quickly puréed in a blender.
“This salad was such a big hit at dinner last night that my guest requested seconds. It’s so over-the-top delicious that it’s insane!”
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Chopping the garlic and ginger first prevents the dressing from being gritty or uneven, especially if your blender isn’t super powerful. Add the cilantro.
Blend for just a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. (Adding it at the end keeps the dressing a creamy, natural color instead of muddy green.)
Step 2: Combine the veggies. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, edamame, scallions, and cilantro. Seeding the cucumbers is key for keeping the salad crisp and avoiding excess water that can dilute the dressing.
Step 3: Dress and serve. If you’re serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss to coat. Otherwise, store the chopped veggies and dressing separately—the veggies will keep for 2 days and the dressing for up to a week. The peanut dressing may thicken slightly as it chills, so give it a good stir (or a quick whisk) if you’ve made it ahead.
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Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
For the Peanut Dressing
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2½ tablespoons sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- (1-in) square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
For the Salad
- 4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or shredded coleslaw mix
- 1 cup prepared shredded carrots
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
- 2 medium scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- ½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth. Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- For the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn't get soggy.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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My daughter is vegetarian and this is a great salad for her to take to school. Love the edamame in it.
This is one of my favourite salads! Every time I’ve brought this salad to a potluck, everyone asks for the recipe. I wouldn’t change a thing to the ingredients or instruction.
Absolutely delicious, one of my new favorite salads! I make this all the time now!
Hi, I made this salad along with the honey lime chicken skewers recommended. What can I say? Both were fantastic separately, but together, perfect! When planning meals, I always check your site first for recipes I know will be good.
Awesome salad. I made this exactly as directed, and it was the perfect accompaniment to a roasted pork loin. I suggest you use the dressing when served, and any leftovers keep well for the next day. I usually try to “doctor up” recipes, but no
need with this tasty salad.
I have made this quite a few times now and it’s a big hit every time. The combination of flavours is fantastic. Don’t let the long list of ingredients discourage you. It’s pretty easy to whip together.
Paired this with the Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken Skewers as suggested and made a perfectly satisfying meal, as good as CPK! Also threw a handful of peanuts on top for garnish – excellent!
I made this for an office party because I’m gluten free and my supervisor is vegan. I substituted agave nectar for the honey, no additional sugar and added rice noodles. It was such a hit at work that I am now the designated Thai Crunch Noodle Salad maker for every party! Thanks a lot lol! Oh, and I better leave some home for my husband.
This is delish. I altered the salad dressing. a little more vinegar, no added sugar, half the honey, and a splash of sesame oil. (my family doesn’t like sweet, sugary dressings). it was GREAT. even my skeptic dad who dislikes Thai food and peanut butter was forced to commend me on the delicious dish. I’m bookmarking this and making it again ASAP.
Great salad and wonderful dressing! Loved it so much made it 3 days in a row. So happy to get your recipes and have them all so well received by my family. Warm regards from Robin!