If you are still unsure about what salad to make to change the flavor for your family meal? Then let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen and learn 3 super delicious and flavorful ways to make watercress salad!
1. Watercress salad with beef
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Preparation
25 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Watercress salad with beef Serves 4 people
Watercress 200 gr Beef 150 gr Onion 1 bulb Carrot 1/2 bulb Lemon 1 fruit Chili 1 fruit Dried onion 1 bulb Garlic 3 cloves Vinegar 1/3 cup (rice cup) Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce 1 teaspoon Cooking oil 1/2 tablespoon Salt/ sugar/ pepper a little
How to choose good beef
- To have good beef, you should choose pieces that are bright red, with fine fibers and still have the aroma of beef.
- In addition, you should choose beef with light yellow fat, which feels non-sticky and has good elasticity when pressed with your hand.
- For stir-fried dishes, you should choose the beef brisket or shoulder tenderloin as they are usually more tender and delicious.
- Avoid buying beef that is pale green or dark red, with deep yellow fat and has white spots like rice grains on the meat. These are often pieces of meat that are not fresh or are infected.
How to prepare Watercress salad with beef
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Prepare the ingredients
Watercress should be picked, removing old leaves and roots, washed clean, soaked in diluted salt water for about 30 minutes, then drained well.
Shallots and garlic are peeled, washed, and minced. Carrots are peeled, washed, and cut into thin strips. Onions are peeled, washed, and sliced thinly. Chili is washed and sliced.
Take 1/3 bowl (rice bowl) of vinegar, add 1 teaspoon of sugar into the bowl and dissolve. Then add the sliced onion to soak for about 5 minutes to reduce the sharp taste.
Wash the beef, slice thinly, marinate with a little minced garlic, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce for about 10 minutes to absorb the flavor.
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Stir-fry beef
Heat a pan on the stove, add 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil, heat until the oil is hot, then add the minced onion and garlic from above to sauté until fragrant, then remove to a plate and set aside.
In the same oil, add the marinated beef and stir-fry quickly until the beef is cooked, turn off the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.
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Prepare the dressing
Cut the lemon in half, squeeze out the juice, and remove the seeds. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, a little minced garlic, and sliced chili, then stir well. The ratio of the dressing varies depending on the type of fish sauce you use; after the sugar dissolves, taste and adjust accordingly.
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Mix the mixture
Put the pennywort, shredded carrots, and white onions into a large bowl.
Add 2/3 of the salad dressing into the vegetable mixture in the bowl, mix well and let it sit for about 10 minutes to absorb. Then add the cooked beef and gradually pour in the remaining dressing, seasoning to taste.
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Final product
Serve the dish on a plate, sprinkle with some fried onions and garlic on top. Enjoy the pennywort salad with beef accompanied by sweet and sour dipping sauce and a plate of prawn crackers that is simply delightful.
2. Salad with pennywort, shrimp, and meat
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Preparation
25 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Watercress Salad with Shrimp and Pork Serves 4
Watercress 300 gr Pork belly 150 gr Fresh shrimp 150 gr Cherry tomatoes 4 fruits Garlic 3 cloves Chili 1 fruit Lemon 1 fruit Sugar 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Seasoning powder 1 teaspoon
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Ingredients
How to choose clean fresh pork
- When buying pork, you should choose pieces that have a natural pink color, feel dry on the surface, soft, smooth, and have good elasticity.
- In addition, good pork will have skin and meat tightly attached to each other and not have an unpleasant odor.
- Do not buy pieces of meat with unusual colors, pale, or too dark. The surface of the meat is shiny with yellowish liquid oozing out. Because these are pieces of meat that do not meet quality standards.
How to choose sweet, firm shrimp
- When choosing shrimp, you should select fresh shrimp with a translucent shell that still has a faint sea smell, not fishy, and do not buy shrimp that have dark spots or inconsistent colors.
- Fresh shrimp typically have their tails curled together. If the shrimp’s tail is splayed out, then the shrimp has been injected with chemicals or water to make them plump.
See details: How to choose fresh and sweet shrimp
How to prepare Watercress Salad with Shrimp and Pork
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Prepare the ingredients
Wash the watercress, soak in diluted salt water for 15 minutes, then rinse and drain, put into a plastic bag, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to make the watercress crisper.
Wash the pork belly, put it into a pot, fill with water, season with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, boil until cooked, remove and immediately place in a bowl of ice water to keep the meat white and crisp, then slice thinly.
Wash the shrimp, add them to the pot of boiling pork water, cook until the shrimp turn red and curl up, then remove, peel, and discard the heads, placing them on a plate with the pork.
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Make the salad dressing
In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons of lime juice, then stir until the sugar is dissolved, add minced garlic and chili, and mix well.
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Mixing the mixture
Pour 2 spoons of the mixed dressing into the bowl of shrimp and meat, and stir well. Mix cherry tomatoes with pennywort. Then add the shrimp and meat and drizzle the remaining dressing over and mix well.
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Final product
Finally, add roasted sesame and serve the pennywort on a plate to enjoy. The sweet and sour flavor of the dish combined with the fresh and crispy pennywort will surely satisfy you.
3. Pennywort salad mixed with shrimp paste (Recipe shared by users)
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Processing
15 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Mixed Water Celery Salad with Shrimp Paste (Recipe shared by a user) Serves 4
Water celery 200 gr Carrot 2 roots Onion 1 bulb (small bulb) Garlic 3 cloves (minced) Roasted peanuts 50 gr (roasted peanuts) Lime 2 fruits Chili 1 fruit Fish sauce 2 teaspoons (you can use shrimp paste for a more distinctive flavor) Sugar/salt a little
Ingredient Image
How to make Mixed Water Celery Salad with Shrimp Paste (Recipe shared by a user)
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Prepare the ingredients
For the water celery, remove the roots, damaged leaves, and old stems, then wash thoroughly, soak in bowl with diluted salt water for about 5 minutes, then take it out and let it drain.
For the carrot, use a knife to peel, wash, and shred into small pieces. For the onion, peel and slice it thinly.
For the roasted peanuts, remove the skin and then lightly crush them in a mortar or a plastic bag. Peel the garlic, crush it, and chop it finely.
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Mix the salad
First, prepare a large bowl and add the drained water spinach, shredded carrots, thinly sliced onions, and all of the prepared salad dressing.
Mix well so that the ingredients blend together and are evenly coated with the dressing, then let it sit for about 15 – 20 minutes for the water spinach to absorb the flavors.
After that, adjust the seasoning to taste, then serve on a plate, sprinkle crushed roasted peanuts on top, and enjoy!
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Final Product
The mixed watercress salad with shrimp paste will have an enticing aroma characteristic of shrimp paste once completed. Watercress, carrots, and onions are mixed to absorb the flavors evenly. Additionally, when eaten, you will also experience the rich taste of roasted peanuts and a slight spiciness from the chili.
Eating it with shrimp chips, rice, or porridge is also very suitable. Make it and try this wonderful flavor directly!
How to Choose Good Watercress
- There are 2 common types of watercress: small-stem and large-stem. You should choose small-stem watercress as it is firmer, crunchier, and more flavorful than large-stem watercress.
- Choose young watercress, with bright green color and juicy stems. If you choose the older type with dark green leaves, the final product may become bitter.
See more
Finally, you have added 3 delicious recipes for making watercress salad to your collection at home. Hopefully, you can follow the instructions above and enjoy this watercress salad with your family. Wishing you success!
