“Change the mood” with a delicious and rich walnut salad, combined with greens and fruits to help refresh the body, while also providing nutrition. Why not quickly go to the kitchen with TasteVN to learn 3 recipes for this mixed dish to treat your family!
1. Purple cabbage walnut salad
Preparation
35 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Purple cabbage walnut salad Serves 2
Purple cabbage 400 gr Walnuts 500 gr Green onions 4 stalks Blue cheese 10 gr Whipping cream 20 ml Minced garlic 1 tablespoon Ground pepper 1 teaspoon Salt a little Sugar 500 gr Mayonnaise 2 tablespoons
How to choose fresh, delicious purple cabbage
- You should choose heavy cabbage heads with tightly packed leaves.
- Good cabbage has a compact head, thick, closed, and a small stem.
- Avoid buying cabbage with yellow leaves, a rotten smell, or cracked cores, with leaves that are bursting out or heavily bruised. Avoid cabbage with brown stems or brown spots on the skin.
- Good cabbage is dark purple, with crispy, fresh, and firm leaves.
Equipment needed
How to make walnut candy salad with purple cabbage
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Prepare the ingredients
After buying purple cabbage, remove wilted or worm-eaten leaves, then soak in diluted salt water for about 5 – 10 minutes to clean, rinse thoroughly with cold water, and drain. Cut or thinly slice the purple cabbage.
Remove the shells from the walnuts, keeping the kernels. Chop the green onions finely.
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Making walnut candy
Place a pot on the stove, add 500g of sugar and 1 cup (rice bowl) of water into the pan. Then, set it to medium heat, cook until the sugar melts and starts to form bubbles.
Next, add all the walnuts into the pot. Gently stir to let the walnuts absorb the sugar syrup. Cook the walnut candy on medium heat until the sugar starts to reduce, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
Tip for you: During the process of cooking the sugar syrup, you can squeeze in 1/2 lemon to prevent the sugar from crystallizing (the condition where the sugar clumps at the bottom of the pot).
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Making salad dressing
Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 10g of blue cheese, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, and 20ml of whipping cream into the blender. Turn on the machine at high speed and blend all the ingredients until you get a smooth, fine mixture, then turn off the machine.
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Mix salad
Add all the thinly sliced cabbage into a bowl. Next, pour the salad dressing into the bowl of cabbage. Mix everything together.
Then, transfer the cabbage to a plate. Sprinkle walnut pieces on the plate and garnish with thinly sliced green onions on top to make the salad look appealing.
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Final product
Fresh, crunchy cabbage mixed with a sweet and sour dressing. Additionally, the sweet and nutty walnut candy makes the salad more unique and attractive.
2. Shrimp and grapefruit salad with walnuts
Preparation
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Shrimp Grapefruit Walnut Salad Serves 2
Shrimp 300 gr Walnut 200 gr Grapefruit flesh 100 gr Lettuce 200 gr Watercress 100 gr Olive oil 3 tablespoons Salt 1 teaspoon Pepper 1 teaspoon
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh shrimp
- If buying frozen shrimp, you should choose shrimp that still have all their parts, feel firm, and have natural elasticity (to avoid buying shrimp that have been injected with gelatin to increase weight) and especially should not have a fishy or spoiled smell.
- Choose live shrimp to ensure freshness, with shiny shells, looking firm and healthy; when squeezed, the shrimp should have some elasticity, and the shell should not be too soft.
How to choose good grapefruit
- You should choose grapefruit with taut, shiny skin, slightly yellowish, and a round shape. When holding the grapefruit, if it feels heavy, it indicates a good, juicy fruit.
- To check if the grapefruit skin is thick or thin, you can gently flick the skin with your fingertip; if you hear a “pop” sound, then the grapefruit has thick skin, while a “tap” sound indicates thin skin, so you should buy it.
- Observe the bumps on the skin of the grapefruit; the larger the bumps, the riper and tastier the grapefruit.
- You can use either white or red grapefruit.
- You can buy whole grapefruit or pre-separated grapefruit segments in the supermarket.
How to make Shrimp Grapefruit Walnut Salad
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Prepare the ingredients
First, peel the grapefruit, remove the white pith, discard the seeds, and separate the grapefruit segments into a bowl. Alternatively, you can buy pre-separated grapefruit.
After purchasing the shrimp, wash them thoroughly with water, then use a knife to cut along the back of the shrimp to remove the black vein, and then peel off the shrimp shell.
Wash the lettuce with diluted salt water, then rinse with clean water and cut off the core, keeping the leaves. Do the same with the watercress, wash it clean, remove any wilted leaves, and keep the fresh ones.
Remove the shells from the walnuts. Chop the nuts finely.
Quick tip for peeling grapefruit
- Place the grapefruit horizontally, use a knife to make a circular cut around the grapefruit about 2 – 3cm deep. Then, rotate each half of the grapefruit in two different directions. Finally, remove the grapefruit peel easily without damaging the shape of the segments inside.
- Alternatively, you can cut off the top of the grapefruit. Then, divide it into about 4 – 6 sections. Use a knife to make a deep cut about 1 – 2cm from the top down. After that, use your hands to separate each section.
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Boil shrimp
Prepare a pot of boiling water, add the shrimp and boil over medium heat for about 4 – 5 minutes until the shrimp is cooked. Then, take the shrimp out onto a plate.
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Make salad dressing
Put 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. Next, add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper into the bowl of olive oil. Use a spoon to mix the dressing together.
Alternatively, you can put the dressing in a jar and shake it well.
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Mix salad
Add the lettuce, watercress, grapefruit segments, and boiled shrimp into a large bowl. Slowly drizzle the salad dressing into the bowl, mixing well to ensure the ingredients soak up the dressing.
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Final Product
Lettuce and shrimp still retain their crispness and freshness, combined with the rich taste of walnuts and the sweet and sour flavor of grapefruit. This is a salad that is very suitable for hot summer days due to the freshness and sweetness that the dish brings.
3. Chicken Walnut Salad
Preparation
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Chicken Walnut Salad For 2 people
Lettuce 200 gr Purple cabbage 200 gr Walnuts 50 gr Chicken breast 300 gr Avocado 1 fruit Apple 2 fruits Black grapes 50 gr Kiwi 1 fruit Lemon zest 5 gr Honey 1.5 tablespoons Olive oil 2 tablespoons Lemon juice 1.5 tablespoons Salt 1.5 teaspoons Pepper 1 teaspoon Sugar 2 tablespoons Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 200 ml
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose good chicken breast
- To choose good chicken breast, select a piece with white skin as this indicates it is from mature chicken, and the meat will be firmer and tastier. When you press your hand on the meat, it should have elasticity and not be mushy.
- Avoid choosing pieces with many white streaks; the more streaks, the less fat and protein there is, and when cooked, the meat will absorb spices less effectively.
How to choose sweet kiwi
- Touch the stem: Gently press the tip of the kiwi stem; if the stem is soft, the fruit is sweet (meaning it is ripe), while a hard stem indicates the fruit is sour (not ripe). Sour does not mean the fruit is bad; it depends on your preference for sweet or sour to choose the right fruit for you.
- Choose large, round fruits with a certain degree of curvature, avoiding misshapen or flat ones. Additionally, fruits with a lot of fine fuzz on the outside are also good.
How to choose fresh apples
- You should choose apples that feel heavy in your hand, firm with a fresh, shiny skin, and have a characteristic aroma when ripe. Additionally, choose fruits of moderate size, avoiding those that are too large or too small, as they may have been sprayed with chemicals.
- Avoid choosing misshapen fruits, those with insect bites, bruises, or blemishes.
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How to prepare Walnut Chicken Salad
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Prepare and marinate chicken breast
Remove the skin from the chicken breast you bought, wash it with water, then use salt and crushed ginger to rub evenly on the breast, then rinse with clean water to eliminate the fishy smell, and let it drain or use a clean towel to dry.
Next, cut the chicken breast into small pieces about 3 cm thick. Marinate the chicken with 1 tablespoon of salt and pepper, mix well and let it rest for about 15 minutes for the chicken to absorb the seasoning.
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Prepare other ingredients
Red cabbage bought should have the wilted and wormy leaves picked off, then soak in diluted salt water for about 5 – 10 minutes to clean, rinse with cold water, and drain. Cut into thin strips.
Lettuce should be washed, cut off the stem, keeping the leafy parts.
Apples should be washed and cut into pieces. Avocado should be peeled, pitted, and cut into pieces.
Grapes should be halved and pitted. Kiwi should be peeled and cut into small pieces.
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Fry chicken breast
Put a pan on the stove, add oil to cover 1/3 of the pan, and turn on medium heat.
Wait until the oil is hot, then gradually add each piece of chicken to the pan, turning both sides evenly. Fry until the chicken is firm and golden on both sides, then remove the chicken to absorb the oil on paper, and let it cool.
Once the chicken has cooled, shred it into small pieces.
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Make salad dressing
Prepare a bowl. Add the following ingredients in order: lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1.5 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1.5 tablespoons of honey.
Finally, mix all the ingredients well together, ensuring that the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
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Mix salad
First, add all the red cabbage and lettuce into a mixing bowl. Next, add the apple, kiwi, and grapes. Mix them well together.
Then, pour all the dressing into the mixing bowl, stirring well so that the fruits and vegetables absorb the dressing.
Finally, add the avocado, shredded chicken, and walnuts, gently mixing all the ingredients together.
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Finished Product
A salad dish with a blend of flavors coming together, such as the nutty taste of walnuts, the refreshing sweetness from fruits, the tanginess from the dressing, along with a bit of crunchy, fresh greens that will awaken your taste buds right from the first bite.
How to choose delicious walnuts
- You should choose walnuts that have intact shells, without cracks, to ensure the deliciousness of the nuts.
- Choose the larger ones as they are usually tastier, richer, of better quality, and ensure higher quality. Alternatively, choose walnuts of similar size.
- When holding the walnut, if it feels heavy, it indicates that the kernel inside is fuller and denser than lighter ones.
- Choose those that are firm, with a plump and especially not shriveled or leaking oil.
- The kernel must be intact without cracks and still have the skin layer. When removing the skin layer, fresh walnuts will have a creamy white color, dry and not oily.
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3 recipes for making walnut salad are very simple and easy to make, right? Wishing you success in making this dish!
*Refer to images and recipes from YouTube channels: GOURMET PARADISE, Cooking with Funo.vn and Nutritional Nuts HSaHa
