Thai Carrot Salad
This post is part of the Well Fed Network’s “Celebrating Summer” Series.
Looking for a cool salad to pair up with something spicy off the barbeque? Perhaps a salad that asserts itself yet simultaneously offers contrast? This salad is based on a traditional Thai green papaya salad, where the papaya has been substituted with carrot.
Carrots are widely esteemed as rich sources of beta carotene, a pre-cursor for vitamin A. Long known to be essential for proper vision, Vitamin A also appears to aid the immune system, and assist in skin cell maintenance. While it is possible to overdose on vitamin A, the same does not hold true for beta carotene. Beta carotene is fat soluble, so excesses are stored in fat cells until the body requires it. As a bonus, beta carotene also acts as an anti-oxidant.
In order to efficiently absorb beta carotene from foods, such as carrots, a respectable amount of fat should be consumed during the course of the meal. A possible side-effect, then, of an extremely low fat diet might be reduced absorption of fat soluble vitamins. For this reason, dieticians recommend eating at least 5 grams of fat at each meal.
The fat in this salad comes from both fish sauce and peanuts. Thai fish sauce is a good source of omega 3 fats, because it is typically made from anchovies — a fish with very low mercury content. Add to that the fact that peanuts are high in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. Research has shown that a diet rich in peanuts is nearly as effective as a diet high in olive oil for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Som Tam — recipe from Real Thai: The Best of Thailand’s Regional Cooking by Nancie McDermott
1 Tbsp peanuts, minced
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar, packed
1 large clove of garlic, pressed and minced
Chili paste to taste
Combine above ingredients in a medium bowl. Then add:
2 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
4 cups carrot, grated
Mash tomatoes into other ingredients.
Serve at room temperature. Refrigerate if you make it ahead.
