I don’t know how the weather is in your part of the world. Here in the tropics, the past weeks have been a bit insane. It rained for days, the heat dissipated, then the rain was gone, the humidity was back and the RealFeel® over the past three days fluctuated between 102F and 109F.
Do we cook in this heat? Half the time, yes. The other half, well, we just order food and have it delivered. Is this salad a lesson of home cooking in this intense heat? No. This is from a few years ago. But I don’t mind making it again soon.
This East meets West easy-to-prep summer salad requires no cooking. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil are combined with ginger for a light dressing with a subtle heat. Serve as a starter salad, a main course salad or a side dish. We did serve it as a side dish, if you must know. We’re meat lovers and we rarely treat a salad as a main course. And this is Asia where starter salads are not the norm.
But what makes this salad stand out from the rest? It’s the combination of textures and flavors. Arugula is peppery with a slight bitterness (not the kind of offensive bitterness of bitter gourd / melon, mind you), fresh tomato is tart and lightly crisp, and salted duck eggs… Well, what can I say to shower this Asian delicacy with even more praise?
Salted duck eggs
The Chinese have been making them since the sixth century, and use of the delicacy has spread throughout Asia. Today, imaginative cooks have discovered non-traditional ways of integrating them into savory and sweet dishes.
So, is it the interplay of flavors and textures of the salad ingredients that makes this dish good? Yes, but don’t forget the lovely colors too. And, especially, I urge you not to dress it differently. The ginger vinaigrette is truly perfect for it.
Ingredients
- large handful arugula
- 2 to 3 plump and juicy tomatoes
- 2 salted duck eggs
- 3 to 4 sprigs cilantro
Ginger vinaigrette
- 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon onion flakes (available in the spice section of the grocery)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano)
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar (or more if you like a sweeter ginger vinaigrette)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the arugula and dry in the salad spinner.
- Halve the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds. Cut the tomato halves into four to six slices.
- Peel the salted duck eggs, cut into halves then thinly slice.
- Tear the cilantro into smaller pieces.
- Make the ginger vinaigrette by mixing together all the ingredients.
- Assemble the salad. Toss together the arugula and sliced tomatoes. Divide among three bowls.
- Top the salad with slices of salted duck egg.
- Drizzle a tablespoonful or two of the ginger vinaigrette over the salad.
- Sprinkle in the cilantro.
- Serve at once.
