Thai Quinoa Salad with a spicy dressing
Serves 4
Quinoa is now a readily available grain in all major supermarkets and a good source of protein.
Once cooked it can be cooled and mixed with fresh herbs and salad ingredients for a healthy and filling meal.
- 175g quinoa
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red or yellow pepper
- 3 spring onions
- 1 large carrot
- 4 heaped tbs finely chopped Thai mint
- plus extra leaves for garnish
For the dressing:
- 4 tbs lime juice
- 3 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tbs unflavoured oil such as vegetable or sunflower oil
- 2 tbs caster sugar
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions.
Drain well and leave to cool in a sieve whilst you prepare the salad vegetables.
Halve the cucumber lengthways and scrape out the seeds, cut into bite sized dice.
Remove the seeds from the pepper and cut into small strips.
Finely slice the spring onion, using as much of the green part as possible.
Peel the carrot and grate coarsely.
Add the prepared vegetables to a serving bowl, mix in the quinoa and the chopped Thai mint.
Put all of the dressing ingredients into a small jar, screw on the lid tightly and shake until the sugar is dissolved.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and combine all the ingredients.
Garnish with a few whole mint leaves before serving.
If you want to prepare the salad in advance, leave the dressing in the jar and mix in as you serve.