Dish of Bean Thread & Vegetable Salad
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Bean Thread & Vegetable Salad


Pacific Rim   -   Southeast Asian Style
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 salad
**
1+ hrs
Best		 A cool refreshing salad for warm summer days - and low calorie too! This one has almost no chili bite, unless you add some. It can be made at least a day ahead and refrigerated.

5-1/4
8
3
4
2
4
------
2
1
3
3
2
2
------
oz
oz
oz
oz

oz
---
T
cl
T
T
T
T
---
Bean Threads (1)
Cucumbers (2)
Carrots
Bell Pepper red
Fresno Chili (3)
Scallions
-- Dressing
Cilantro
Garlic
Fish Sauce.
Rice Vinegar
Lime Juice
Mirin (4)
---------------
  1. Soak BEAN THREADS in hot water (a little too hot for you to hold a finger in). As always with food it's better to heat cold water than to use water heater water. Let soak for 20 minutes or a bit more. Drain and chill in cold water, then drain again. Stretch out on the cutting board and cut into lengths of about 3 inches.
  2. Cut CUCUMBERS into thin juliennes. about 2 inches long. A julienning vegetable peeler is invaluable here (see Note-2). Grate CARROTS coarse or again use a julienning vegetable peeler and cut to about 1-1/2 inches long. Cut BELL PEPPER into slivers around 1-1/2 inches long. Seed CHILIS and slice into thin threads. Slice SCALLIONS into slivers on a very shallow diagonal. Mix All.
  3. Chop CILANTRO small. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Mix together All Dressing items.
  4. Mix together ALL Items.
  5. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This salad does fine refrigerated overnight.
NOTES:

  1. Bean Threads:

      Around here thin bean threads are most commonly in hanks of 1-3/4 to 2 ounces weight, but other forms are also seen, including bulk and 2 ounce hanks. DO NOT confuse these with similar looking Rice Sticks - totally different. For details see our Asian Noodles page.

  2. Cucumbers:

      Persian or similar cucumbers which need neither peeling nor seeding are preferable, but if all you have is waxed blimps peel them, split lengthwise and seed them - then weigh them. If you're using a julienning peeler you can just peel (with a regular peeler), then use the julienning peeler all around until you hit the seed mass.

  3. Fresno Chilis:

      These are are only moderately hot, so two of them gives just a little bite to this dish. Holland red and similarly moderate chilis could also be used, or you can omit chilis if you want no heat at all. For details see our Chilis page.

  4. Mirin

      Real Mirin (hon mirin, 8% to 14% alcohol) is rare even here in Southern California, but Mirin-fu chomiryo (mirin-like seasoning) is available in Asian markets and usually in the Asian section of supermarkets, and will work. Lacking even that use 1/2 T sugar per T mirin called for, and maybe toss in a half tablespoon of sake with it.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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