If you've seen me in the past few weeks and expressed even vague interest in Asian food and/or cooking, I've probably bored you to tears gushing on about the best cookbook of the year (IMHO), 101 Easy Asian Recipes. The title is both accurate and a bit tongue-in-cheek, since it makes the book sound like something fusion-y and inauthentic and terrible, when in fact, it inauthentic, and unabashedly so, and wonderful. The back of the book has big speech bubbles boasting "100% inauthentic" and "very good" and "easy, really." It's fab.
The book comes from Peter Meehan, who has worked with David Chang (Momofuku) and Danny Bowein (Mission Chinese) for years, co-authored the Momofuku cookbook, and now edits Lucky Peach magazine. He's clearly a meticulous guy who gets how Asian food works -- the balance of flavors, the precision with cooking times, etc. But this book takes a step away from the "this has 500 ingredients/steps, but it's worth it"-style of recipes, opting instead for formulas that follow two important ground rules: no deep-frying, and no recipes within recipes. The rationale: Asian food isn't just for Sunday projects, it's for weeknight dinner with kids. Good bless you, Peter Meehan.
I've made about a dozen recipes from the book. The Chinese roast chicken calls for maltose or honey, but the instructions refer only to honey, because Meehan intuits that no one buying 101 Easy Asian Recipes also has maltose in the pantry. (Unfortunately, the glaze isn't as thick with honey as it would be with maltose, so the recipe doesn't work quite as well. Still: the chicken was fantastic, and had folks requesting the recipe afterward.) The cold soba with mushroom and leek is very easy and very good, perfect for lunch at the office. But it's the sauces and dressings that have me most excited, because they are all fantastic, and Meehan gets that when you find a good dressing, you make a big jar of it and keep it in the fridge, because it + any protein or vegetable = better food.
That's how it was with this salad. Flipping through the book for the first time, I spotted a recipe in the back for grapefruit and squid salad, modeled after Thai pomelo salad (which I gushed about over here). We don't do squid in our house, but the grapefruit and the dressing really called to me, so I went a-riffing.
Into the bowl went grapefruit segments, wedges of radish and cherry tomato, chunks of avodcado, lots of herbs, and some bean sprouts. Sticking with the easy theme, I didn't bother with crispy shallots or toasted nuts. Instead, I steamed up some rice and sliced a lime. Dinner took 30 minutes to make, while the kiddo fed herself (!) leftover veg chili. I ate it, slowly, in the blissful post-bedtime calm. Life is good.
I've been procrastinating on typing it up, which is a shame, considering we've had it probably 4 times in the past few weeks. But I figure it's still sort of citrus season, and it's actually easier now to get great versions of the other vegetables in this salad, so hey: make this now, it's the perfect time!
Thai Grapefruit Salad
Inspired by a recipe in Peter Meehan's new book, 101 Easy Asian Recipes
Serves 2
I originally shared this as a {not}recipe on Food52's new app (Not Recipes), and I'm sticking to that theme in this more formal version: if you don't have any of the ingredients I list, by all means, substitute things you've got. Cucumbers, asparagus, other citrus, and steamed broccoli or green beans would all work well.The dressing is punchy and sharp; I think it works best with big chunks rather than with waify slices. Cut those avocados and radishes thick, why don't you; it's easier, and here, it's better.
Salad:
2 grapefruits
4 small radishes, halved and cut into wedges
1 avocado, halved and cut into chunks
a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
a cup or so of bean sprouts; more if you've got them
a cup or so of mixed herbs: cilantro, mint, scallion
Dressing:
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon sambal oelek, more to taste (or substitute sriracha if that's what you have)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small fresh red chile, sliced
1 lime
Serving:
warm rice (preferably sticky rice)
lime wedges
In a medium bowl, combine all dressing ingredients except lime, and stir until sugar dissolves. Add the juice from half a lime; taste, and add more as desired.
Cut off the peel and pith of the two grapefruits. Working over a large bowl, slice sections of grapefruit away from their membrane, releasing segments into the bowl as you go. Once you've removed the segments, squeeze any extra juice into the bowl.
Add radishes, cherry tomatoes, and bean sprouts to the bowl with the vinaigrette; toss to coat. Fold in the grapefruit segments, then taste a piece to check the balance of flavors. Add some of the remaining grapefruit juice, more lime, or more sugar as needed.
Add the avocado and herbs, and toss gently to combine. Serve with warm rice and lime.