fbpx

Thai Citrus Salad with Daikon, Carrots, Peppers, and Snap Peas

April 18, 2015

Japanese radish with bright orange carrots, red bell peppers, and snap peas tossed with a Thai citrus dressing make for a quick & easy Thai Citrus Salad.

Thai Citrus Salad in Clear Bowl

Pin the Recipe

In case you’ve been living under a rock, spiralizing is all the rage on the blogosphere these days. Everywhere I look I see beautiful, mouth-watering images of spiralized zucchini (aka zoodles), spiralized carrots, spiralized sweet potatoes, even spiralized beets. You name it and it seems as if it can be spiralized. Using spaghetti squash in place of real spaghetti used to be the “in” recipe hack, but now it seems passé. (I’ll admit I still use nature’s self-spiralized veggie under a good old bolognese sauce once in a while.) Veggie noodles of all varieties are where it’s at.

 

In trying to keep up with the food trends, I went out and bought myself a spiralizer after deciding I’d make a spiralized Thai citrus salad as a side for my Thai Peanut Chicken Satay. I shunned the guy at Williams-Sonoma who suggested the mega spiralizer that I wouldn’t be able to find storage space for and opted for a hand-held Gefu Spirelli Spiral Slicer (affiliate link).

I raced home from Bed Bath & Beyond all excited to try my hand at spiralizing, turned on some Top 40 music to get in the cooking mood, set out my carrots and daikon, and started to spiralize. And then the daikon broke off in the spiralizer. And then I cut my finger trying to get the daikon out of the spiralizer.

Close Up of Thai Citrus Salad in Clear Bowl

Next I tried the carrot thinking it would work better since it’s firmer, but that didn’t go so well either. All the enthusiasm I had over spiralizing was very quickly going out the window (and the spiralizer almost did too). My visions of perfectly spiralized daikon like we have under sashimi at Japanese restaurants were blurred with sweat (and maybe a little blood and tears). Frustrated and aware that I had just 10 minutes before my kids needed to eat dinner, I switched gears and used the good old fashioned technique of julienning.

The end result was a mixture of the bits of spiralized veggies I managed to create and my perfectly julienned carrots and daikon. The truth is it didn’t matter what it looked like because the salad was insanely refreshing and delicious thanks to the citrus dressing that brought all the vegetables together.

Thai Chicken Satay on White Plate

I knew this Thai citrus salad would be a hit with the family, but I needed to make it a little more Pinterest-worthy, so last week I made it again. This time I left the spiralizer in the back of a kitchen drawer and went straight to my chef’s knife and cutting board. I’m not sure I’m done experimenting with all things spiralized, but I may have to do a walk of shame back into Williams Sonoma to get the countertop model. Until then I’ll stick with the techniques I know and love.

Close Up of Thai Citrus Salad

Pin the Recipe

Daikon, carrots, red peppers, and snap peas come together with a lime ginger dressing in this light and refreshing Thai Citrus Salad | Nutritioulicious @JLevinsonRD
4 from 1 vote
Print

Thai Citrus Salad with Daikon, Carrots, and Snap Peas

Japanese radish plays a starring role in this veggie-filled salad brought together by a light and refreshing ginger and lime-based Thai citrus dressing. Perfect as an appetizer or as a side to my Thai Peanut Chicken Satay!
Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 -6
Author Jessica Levinson

Ingredients

  • 1 large daikon julienned (~2 cups)
  • 1 medium carrot julienned (~1 cup)
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions
  • 1/4 cup diced red pepper
  • 1 cup blanched halved snap peas
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place all the prepared vegetables in a large bowl.
  2. In a measuring cup or small mixing bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, ginger, and sesame oil.
  3. Pour dressing over vegetables, season with salt and pepper, top with cilantro and toss.

Thai Citrus Salad Collage with Text Overlay

Have you experimented with spiralizing?

If so, what’s the trick?

Let me know in the comments!
Filed Under:

Share Your Thoughts

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




  1. I was going to ask how you liked your spiralizer and if it was worth getting, as I have not yet added that to my culinary tool collection…now I know the answer :). Hope your finger is ok! I think I will stick with my chef’s knife too! The recipe looks delish, love Thai flavors. Pinning.

    1. Haha…I really wanted to love the spiralizer, but I guess it’s just not meant to be. At least for now! Thanks for pinning the recipe!

  2. So yes- I did splurge on the Paderno spiralizer (at Williams and Sonoma- I actually bought it on Amazon). I have had success with beets and zucchini but haven’t tried much else. I had a mega fail with broccoli and carrots (also with sweat and some tears), but love your idea of using daikon. I’m going to give your salad a try (using my hand julienner for the carrots) and let you know how it goes!

    1. I think I’m going to have to get it! I don’t even know how broccoli is spiralizable (is that a word?!)! I guess the stalks? Def try the daikon and lmk how you like it!