This Thai Vinaigrette features all the fresh, vibrant flavours of Thailand.
“Thai food is the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish”
David Thompson author of Thai Foood
Use this Thai Vinaigrette on…
- Tomato salads with fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Fresh green salads with avocado
- To add a Thai twist to your noodles
- Marinating beef for a Thai Beef salad (How to Cook a Perfect Steak)
- Marinating chicken fillets
- Marinate salmon or tuna wrapped in baking paper and then steamed
- Brushed on eggplant and then roasted
4 Essential Flavours of Thai Cuisine
Authentic Thai cuisine strives for a balance between hot, sour, salty and sweet.
Hot
- Thai chillies/Bird’s eye chilli, with a fruity taste and extreme spiciness.
- Dried chillies, drying intensifies their flavour so use sparingly.
- Peppers (both white and black may be used).
- Ginger with a spicy, slightly sweet, peppery taste.
Sour
- Tamarind is a sticky, brown pulp from a tree pod. Used to add a superb sharp and sour flavour.
- Lime juice gives a sharp sour flavour.
- Kaffir lime leaves, for pungent lime flavour.
- Lemongrass gives a fresh citrusy flavour to Thai food.
- Galangal has a sharp citrusy, almost piney flavour.
- Coriander (cilantro), you either like coriander or hate it. Those that like it say it has a fresh lemony lime taste while those who hate it say it tastes soapy or mouldy taste.
Salty
- Sea Salt, while Fish Sauce is the traditional ‘salty’ element in Thai cooking, salt may be used sometimes.
- Light soy sauce has a thinner consistency than regular soy sauce. Do not be confused with low-sodium soy sauce as it is made with extra chemicals (it is better if you dilute your soy sauce with some water rather than use low-sodium soy).
- Thai fish sauce ( nam pla ) has a strong salty taste.
- Shrimp paste which has an incredible pungent flavour and fishy aroma.
Sweet
- Palm sugar has is milder in sweetness than brown sugar.
- Brown sugar may be substituted for palm but reduce the quantity slightly (approximately 20%).
- Coconut Sugar has an intense caramel-like flavour.
- White sugar with a sharp sweetness that will not change the colour of
Thai Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Small Food Processor or High-Speed / Bullet Blender
Ingredients
- 3 tbsps olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsps soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsps lime juice
- 1 small Thai chilli (chopped)
- Zest of 1 lime (approximately 1 tablespoon)
- 2 kaffir limes (chiffonade*)
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 tbsp ginger (grated)
- ½ stalk stalk lemongrass (chopped finely)
- 1 tsp Palm sugar (¾ teaspoon brown)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a small food processor or high-speed blender and blitz until combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
- You can store in the fridge for a couple of days or pour over your salad.
Notes
* Chiffonade is a slicing technique where leafy green vegetables and herbs such as spinach, basil, sorrel, etc. are cut into long, thin strips. To do this stack the leaves on top of each other, gently roll them into a cigar, and then use a sharp knife to slice them into thin ribbons.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Thai Vinaigrette
Amount Per Serving
Calories 466 Calories from Fat 423
% Daily Value*
Fat 47g72%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Sodium 3428mg149%
Potassium 182mg5%
Carbohydrates 10g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin C 17mg21%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Try some more of our Thai style salads…
Last Updated on
We have a tradition in our family of getting together once a week at Mum’s house for “Family Dinner Night”. Mum was always responsible for getting the meat and starch side of the dinner organised and it was always my responsibility to do the salads and vegetable sides. It was always a huge production with the dinner table groaning under the strain of the variety of dishes created.
