Preparation
20 minutes
Cooking
5 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Mixed salads are always favored from family meals to parties because of their freshness and health benefits. Today, the Into the kitchen section of TasteVN will guide you on how to make a delicious and appealing salad with water spinach and shrimp and pork. Let’s get cooking right away.
Ingredients for Water Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Pork For 3 people
Water spinach 200 gr Pork belly 300 gr Shrimp 300 gr Vietnamese mint 20 gr Large shallots 1/2 bulb Fried shallots 1 tablespoon Roasted peanuts 1 tablespoon Lemon 1 fruit Garlic 5 cloves Chili 2 fruits Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Sugar 2 tablespoons
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh pork belly
- Choose meat with a balanced ratio of lean and fat.
- It’s best to select meat with a thick outer skin, a layer of fat about 1.5cm – 2cm thick, and the lean meat firmly attached to the fatty part. However, avoid buying meat with an excessively thick outer skin as that indicates the pig has been raised for a long time, which will not taste good.
- Pay attention to the color of the pork; good pork belly has a dry outer skin, bright red or pink color. The meat after being cut should have a beautiful bright pink color, white-pink skin, and be soft. The fat interspersed with the meat should be bright white and firm.
- Fresh and good meat will have a characteristic smell; when buying pork, you should pay attention and not purchase if it has an unusual odor.
- Press the meat with your hand; if the indentation returns to its original state quickly, then it is good pork because it has good elasticity.
How to choose fresh shrimp
- When choosing shrimp, you should select shrimp with a transparent shell that still has a slight sea smell but is not fishy, and avoid shrimp with dark spots or uneven colors.
- Fresh shrimp usually have their tails curled together, the body slightly curved, firm flesh, and the joints on the shrimp shell are flexible, not separated; the head and body of the shrimp are tightly attached to each other.
- If you lift the shrimp and notice a slimy texture, or if pressing lightly with your finger causes a gritty feeling on the shell, you should not buy it.
How to choose fresh and delicious water spinach
- You should choose water spinach that has a bright color, with young green leaves, firm and shiny, and a thick stem, without pests or bruises.
- It is advisable to select young water spinach for making salads, as it will retain its crispness, aroma, and be less bitter.
- You should choose bunches of water spinach with fewer flowers, as they are usually younger and crisper than those with many flowers.
How to make Water Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Pork
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Prepare the meat and shrimp
Clean the pork belly by removing hair, then rinse with diluted salt water and let it drain.
Clean the shrimp with salt water, cut off the head and tail, peel the shell and let it drain.
Place a pot of water on the stove, when the water boils, add the shrimp and boil for 3 minutes, then remove. After that, add the pork and boil for 10 minutes, take the meat out and slice it thinly.
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Prepare the remaining ingredients
Peel the shallots, wash them clean, and then slice them thinly.
Tip: You can use onions as a substitute if you don’t have large shallots. If using onions, remember to soak them in ice water to reduce their pungency.Pick the tender tops of the water spinach, then wash them thoroughly and let them drain.
For the Vietnamese mint, discard any wilted parts, wash it well with water, let it drain, and then chop it finely.
Peel the garlic, wash it clean, and mince it. Wash the chili and chop it finely.
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Make the salad dressing
Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, the minced garlic, and chili into a bowl.
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Mixing the salad
Put the water spinach in a bowl, then add the onions, meat, shrimp, herbs, and 1 tablespoon of fried onions, 1 tablespoon of roasted peanuts into the bowl.
Next, drizzle all the dressing evenly into the bowl. Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly and then serve on a plate to finish.
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Final product
The dish has an eye-catching color thanks to the variety of ingredients such as vegetables, shrimp, meat, and red onions,…
When enjoying, you will feel the crunchiness of the water spinach combined with the sweetness of the shrimp, meat, and the crunchy, fatty peanuts. The slightly sour and sweet dressing makes the dish even more delicious and attractive.
Immediately supplement the menu for family meals and parties with how to make shrimp and meat crab leg salad that is sweet and sour, refreshing, and extremely simple. Wishing you success in making this dish!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel Cô Ba Bình Dương
