Salt Fat Acid Heat: Salad

Each month I’m highlighting a different non-Ina cookbook – these can be old favorites, classics I need to try, or new books I’m excited about. I’ll make at least one recipe from each chapter of the book to get an overall flavor of each. For the month of September, the book is Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat. I hope you’ll cook along with me! The book is available for purchase here.

Note: some recipes may be available online, but I only share links if they explicitly state it’s reprinted with permission from the author or publisher!

Vietnamese Cucumber Salad

Samin’s refreshing Vietnamese Cucumber Salad is a combination of thinly sliced Persian cucumbers, jalapenos, scallions, garlic, cilantro, mint, and peanuts dressed in a lime/vinegar/fish sauce vinaigrette! It was a perfect late summer, no-oven-required side. I did add a little gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) for a little more kick as I love it paired with cucumbers

Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 226
Rating: 4/5 
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: fish sauce
Pricey Ingredients: —

Recipe on Vogue.com

Summer Panzanella: Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber with Torn Croutons and Tomato Vinaigrette

I have yet to meet a Panzanella I didn’t love – bread salad? Yes, please! And while Ina has several amazing ones, I have to admit I may have a new favorite in Samin’s Summer Panzanella: Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber with Torn Croutons and Tomato Vinaigrette  (she has a Panzanella for every season) While the ingredients are pretty standard – tomatoes, basil, red onion, red peppers, and cucumbers – what makes this one special is the tomato vinaigrette made of shallots, red wine vinegar, aged balsamic vinegar, grated tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and garlic! It ups the tomato factor by 1000 and the mix of kinds of vinegar provides the perfect zing! I also love that she quickly macerates the red onion – taking out a little of the bite.

Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 231
Rating: 5/5 
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: sourdough
Pricey Ingredients: —

Recipe on Food&Wine.

Shaved Carrot Salad with Ginger and Lime

I hadn’t planned on making this salad, but Samin recommended it as an accompaniment to another dish … and I couldn’t be happier I gave it a shot! It takes forever to cut up the carrots, but you can really slice them any way you prefer and the rest comes together quickly. The carrots are mixed with raisins (which I usually hate in dishes, but were surprisingly good here), toasted cumin seeds, garlic, ginger, jalapenos, and cilantro. Dressed with a lime vinaigrette, it’s a cool, refreshing treat that’s packed with flavor and plenty of heat!  

Book: Salt Fat Acid Heat, page 226
Rating: 5/5 
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: olive oil
Pricey Ingredients: —

Recipe not online.