Asian noodle salad with peanut sauce

Summers are meant for light, healthy salads. I prefer the Thai flavors more during summer. Asian noodle salad with peanut sauce tastes and looks delicious. Asian salads have the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and heat. And this salad has the perfect balance of textures too. 

Purple cabbage and the other vegetables must be sliced as thin as possible.

It almost qualifies as a meal. You may also add some shrimps or grilled meat if you like. 

The trick to keeping this salad fresh is to assemble it at the time of serving. Placing the cabbage in ice-cold water keeps it crunchy, and that’s crucial. 

The creamy peanut butter sauce is the star. It takes less than five minutes to put it together. The only effort required is while chopping the cabbage. I make the sauce a day ahead to make things easier. This salad is a quick healthy weekday meal idea. I hope you do give it a try.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 – 15 minutes
Makes: 1-2

Ingredients

• Cabbage ¼ 
• Capsicum ½ 
• Rice noodles 100 gms
• Spring onions 2-3
• Peanut butter 1 tsp
• Thai red curry paste ½ tsp
• Garlic 2-3
• Soy Sauce 1 tsp
• Salt and pepper
• Crushed roasted peanuts 2 tbsp

Method

1. Start with cooking the rice noodles as per instructions on the pack. Chop the cabbage and capsicum as thin as possible.
2. Place chopped vegetables in ice cold water. For the dressing, heat a little oil in a pan and add the garlic.
3. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the Thai curry paste.
4. Once fragrant, turn off the heat and add the peanut butter. Pour in the soy sauce, some water, and seasonings.
5. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients and make a smooth sauce. At the time of serving, toss everything together. Top the salad with crushed peanuts, spring onions, and sesame seeds.