Dinner Review - Thai Salad
#10
  Re: (...)
We liked this one a lot! Loved the dressing, but for some reason I kept thinking while eating this, that I wish I'd chopped the pea pods up and combined with the salad itself. Miniscule point, but for some reason it stuck in my mind.

Columbia Crest '96 Pinot Grigio was wonderful with this salad. A repeat for sure.

Another miniscule point, but it bugs me and I can't decide which way to go. If I make the review dinner too soon after it's chosen, I have a hell of a time keeping my mouth shut, but if I wait closer to due date, it seems something comes up all the time and I'm usually late. Aaargh, which do you all do?

Hey, MS Sharon, you're next for a Birthday Dinner Review!!!
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#11
  Re: Dinner Review - Thai Salad by cjs (We liked this one a ...)
We liked this one as well! Loved the dressing! (I licked the bowl I mixed it in...LOL!) I'd probably give this one a 9, just for the dressing!

It made a dramatic presentation, too! Even William said this would be a great dish to serve to guests. (Sorry, still using my cell phone, so can't adjust this, but anyway...)

[Image: 3df744286018.jpg]
Changes-
-I did not use the corn or the enoki, which I never found.
-I did not use the endive (couldn't find any), so I just used more napa cabbage.

Recommended changes-
-I agree with Jean. It seemed to me like the peas were just "there". Next time I will chop them up and add them to the salad.
-I may try the corn, but I'd advise cutting them into smaller pieces...maybe?
-For presentation, I will probably mix everything and fan the chicken over all, but still leave a spot to "stand" the chips up...only if for guests to impress...LOL!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#12
  Re: Re: Dinner Review - Thai Salad by Gourmet_Mom (We liked this one as...)
I guess I am the odd man out here. I thought the Thai Chicken Salad was good, but I would only give it a 6. I tried to follow the recipe exactly, but could not find the enoki mushrooms and chose to eliminate them rather than substitute another mushroom. My dressing came out very thick, so I opted not to coat the chicken with it before grilling being afraid it would burn. I brushed on evoo and then seasoned with salt and pepper prior to grilling. I am glad I made this decision as the dressing was rather “heavy” for my taste. I think I would have preferred lighter rice wine vinaigrette with crushed peanuts on the veges and the sauce on the chicken. I can always tell how much I really like a meal by my eagerness, or lack thereof, to eat the leftovers. The leftover salad stayed in the refrigerator for several days until I finally threw it away. The snow peas were awkward to eat and apparently there just for visual presentation.
The brightest spot of this menu is the wonton chips. I doubled the amount of wasabi and found them irresistible. After tasting the first batch of 24, I realized I needed to bake the entire package of wontons. We continued to snack on these morning, noon, and night.
Theresa

Everything tastes better Alfresco!
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#13
  Re: Dinner Review - Thai Salad by cjs (We liked this one a ...)
"Another miniscule point, but it bugs me and I can't decide which way to go. If I make the review dinner too soon after it's chosen, I have a hell of a time keeping my mouth shut, but if I wait closer to due date, it seems something comes up all the time and I'm usually late. Aaargh, which do you all do?"

I made mine early on too and luckily wrote the review soon after and saved it. It was difficult to keep my mouth shut for the first few days, but as we had so many threads going, I became distracted and sort of forgot it. I tend to do things ahead of time. I need to "check that box" to be able to sleep well!
Theresa

Everything tastes better Alfresco!
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#14
  Re: Re: Dinner Review - Thai Salad by chef_Tab ("Another miniscule p...)
I agree with the keeping your mouth shut. I waited this time, and still almost spilled the beans. I decided saying nothing about my dinner that night was the best choice...LOL!

Theresa, this may not be the case with yours, but I thought mine was extremely thick when I went to put it on the chicken. I went back to check the recipe and realized I had left off the chicken stock. This helped a lot, but it was still thicker than a vinagrette...I'd compare it to a thousand island. It was really good on the chicken.
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#15
  Re: Re: Dinner Review - Thai Salad by Gourmet_Mom (We liked this one as...)
We all liked this very much. We didn't do the mushrooms or the baby corns. We made one large salad, arranged the chicken around it and garnished with the wonton chips. It was really really good. Bob and I added avocado and frisee to our plates, but we all really enjoyed it. The dressing was a big hit! Man that was a lot of chicken - we were eating leftovers for a couple days!

I'd give it a good 8 with bonus points for Jean's wontons!
You only live once . . . but if you do it right once should be enough!
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#16
  Re: Re: Dinner Review - Thai Salad by Gourmet_Mom (I agree with the kee...)
I know I added the chicken stock. It was just the heaviness and sweetness that were too much for me. I think a lighter dressing on the salad part with that sauce used more like a glaze for the chicken would suit me better. It is just one of those things that for me, a little goes a long way.
I did concoct a vinaigrette for the leftover vegies later that week. It had the rice wine vinegar, some of the Thai chili sauce, and sesame oil and who knows what else. I crushed unsalted peanuts too. It was a good way to use up the rest of the cabbage and all.
Theresa

Everything tastes better Alfresco!
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#17
  Re: Re: Dinner Review - Thai Salad by chef_Tab (I know I added the c...)
It seems like I've made 30 things since this and the details are not 100% in my head but I do remember I left out the corn (even though I bought a can specifically for this), left out the pea pods and added an avocado since I had it on hand. I think I may have added some sliced radish. I remember asking my husband what he would rate it and he said an 8. I also made the wonton crisp idea that was posted here - very good!

One change I would make in the future is to not bother with the enoki mushrooms. They were expensive and honestly they more or less had the consistency of bean sprouts with not a whole lot of taste. I should have saved the $4.
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#18
  Re: Re: Dinner Review - Thai Salad by Trixxee (It seems like I've m...)
This is the perfect summertime meal. We thought this was absolutely delicious. The Asian market had the enoki mushrooms, so that wasn’t a problem. We don’t really care for baby corn, so I left that out.

The dressing has a lot of ingredients, but it sure is worth it. The combination of flavors is outstanding. I thought the dressing was a little thick, but then realized that I had forgotten to bring it to a boil. Duh… It was very tasty on the grilled chicken. After coating the chicken, I thinned the remaining dressing with a little more chicken broth, and that worked out well.

This salad looks so pretty. I didn’t make the wontons this time, but definitely will use Jean’s recipe for them next time. May be trying this with shrimp and scallops.
We gave this dish a 9.

I always face the same problem trying to keep my mouth shut until review day. It seems better for me to make the birthday dinner shortly after it’s posted, and write my review that same day, but it’s so hard not to tell someone how good it is if I like it.
Maryann

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently..."
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