With Labor Day right around the corner, we’re sharing two recipes from Seattle’s renowned Wild Ginger that make for a great way to celebrate the unofficial end to summer. The Burmese Potato Salad and Lotus Root Salad make for great accessories to larger courses of a traditional September BBQ. Both dishes require effortless ingredients that can be found at local markets, including Seattle’s International District where Executive Chef Jacky Lo shops for ingredients himself. They epitomize Seattle flavor infused with an Asian flair.
Rooted in the time-honored customs and cultures of the East, Wild Ginger Asian Restaurant and Satay Bar offers an experience for the senses in a delightful, vibrant and inspiring space. With locations in Seattle and Bellevue, both feature authentic and traditional Asian dishes spanning the eastern Pacific Rim from China to Indonesia, to Malaysia and Vietnam. Chefs insist on house-made ingredients, cracking coconuts to make coconut milk, grinding spices for curries, blending spicy chili sambals, and cooking fresh oysters to bottle pungent oyster sauce—all from scratch.
Dressing:
4 Tbl Oil (use the oil that you fried the shallots in below)
4 Tbl Tamarind juice
½ tsp Shrimp paste
3 Tbl Fish sauce
1 Tbl Sesame seeds, toasted and pounded
Salad:
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes
2 oz White onion, chopped
2 Green chilies, seeded and finely minced
1 Tbl Shallots, fried until golden in 4 Tbl oil
½ C Mint, rough chopped
2 slice Bacon, cooked and minced
Directions:
Prepare dressing in jar and shake. Steam or boil potatoes until tender and let cool slightly. Peel and cube potatoes while they’re still warm. Toss warm potatoes with dressing and all other ingredients. Serve immediately as part of a multicourse event.
This crisp, light salad makes a nice accompaniment to a summer outing.
Combine with a spicy meat or fish dish to round out the meal.
Ingredients:
1lb Lotus root, peeled and sliced thin 1/8”
2 C Water
1tsp Vinegar
2 Green onions, cut on bias
1 Tbl Sesame seeds, toasted
Marinade:
1Tbl Dark soy sauce
4 Tbl Soy sauce
1Tbl Sesame oil
1 Tbl Shaoxing rice wine vinegar
1.5 Tbl Sugar
4 slices Pickled ginger
Directions:
Slice lotus root and blanch in boiling water for 15 -20 seconds. Drain and soak in vinegar/water solution. Combine the marinade ingredients in medium bowl. Drain and discard vinegar water and place lotus root slices in marinate for one hour at room temperature or overnight in refrigerator, tossing occasionally to coat. Arrange lotus root on plate and garnish with onions and sesame seeds.