Spicy Asian Style Salad Dressing

Summer is a time for salads, and keeping them appealing over a long few months can make it a challenge for even the most creative of cooks.  One of the ways that I like to vary my salads is by dressing them in interesting combinations.  I find the layering of ingredients,  followed by a good handful of fresh herbs and then complemented by the liquid it is dressed in makes for a very satisfying meal and one that is quite okay standing on its own at the centre of attention.  When I make a dressing I very rarely follow a recipe to the letter, tending to follow a few simple rules based on lessons learnt in my Mum’s kitchen.   First and foremost make sure you taste it.  I was taught that your dressing should always be slightly oversweet, or slightly over sour to really bring the flavours of your ingredients to the fore.  There also needs to be a balance of acidity with your oil.  In this case I’ve used more of the acid being the lime juice but the fish sauce and soy give you the depth of flavour whilst a little sesame oil goes a long way.

This particular recipe is a creation of my own, inspired by a lovely cucumber salad that was posted on Please Pass The Recipe. I used it to dress a vermicilli rice noodle salad and it had just the right amount of zing and bite to make our tastebuds sing.

Asian Style Lime Juice Salad Dressing

• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 5 drops of chilli oil
• 2 tbl sp. fish sauce
• 4 tsp castor sugar
• 1 tbl sp. soy sauce or tamari

Place all the ingredients into a jar and shake or into a bowl and whisk to combine.  Dress your salad and serve immediately.

Happy Cooking and Happy Eating,

Leah