Vietnamese Table Salad Recipe

(Sa Lach Dia)

The Vietnamese table salad, sa lach dia, can vary from a bowl of fresh, leafy herbs to a more tropical combination of bean sprouts, water chestnuts, mangoes, bananas, star fruit, peanuts and rice noodles. Traditionally, a table salad is served to accompany the classic finger foods such as spring rolls (cha gio), and pork or shrimp balls, where pieces of the salad might be wrapped around a meaty morsel. When the salad is served on its own, the vegetables and fruit are usually folded into little packets using lettuce leaves or rice wrappers, and then dipped in a sauce, or added bit by bit to bowls of rice or noodles. The arrangement of a salad is simple and attractive.

Ingredients : Serves 4-6

1

1/2

1-2

200 g

1-2

1-2

1

1 bunch each

1

Crunchy lettuce, with leaves separated

Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Carrots, peeled and finely sliced

Bean sprouts

Unripe star fruit, finely sliced into stars

Green bananas, finely sliced

Firm papaya, cut in half, seeds removed, peeled and finely sliced

Fresh mint and basil, stalks removed

Lime, juiced

• Arrange the salad ingredients attractively on a plate, with the lettuce leaves on one side so that they can be used as wrappers.

• Squeeze the lime juice over the fruits, particularly the bananas to help them retain their color, and place the salad in the middle of the table.