Remember how I told you the National Watermelon Promotion Board sent us that CD-Rom of recipes? Well, not all the recipes were as strange as watermelon petit fours.
This recipe, for example, was really tasty. And pretty healthy too, especially if you go light on the dressing.
I’d recommend going light on the dressing too. The recipe actually tells you to mix two-thirds of the dressing with the rice, which I did. But then I ended up with rice soup. So I drained much of the dressing out – not too hard – and was left with nicely coated rice. I’d advise pouring just a bit on, seeing how it tastes, and then adding more if needed.
The abundance of flavors in this salad really meshed well together. The sweet watermelon, tangy dressing and peppery arugula were balanced out by the rice. Adding the meat makes for a perfect entree salad.
Recipe: Thai watermelon salad
Adapted from National Watermelon Promotion Board
- 2 cups brown rice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- ½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- Half-pound medium shrimp or 1 pound chicken
- 4 ounces arugula or baby greens
- 6 cups diced seedless watermelon
- 1 cup chopped scallions
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup dry roasted and salted peanuts
- Fresh cracked pepper to taste
- Cook the brown rice according to package directions.
- Whisk together the ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, orange juice, sesame oil, olive oil and soy sauce. Toss up to two-thirds of the dressing with the rice (add a little dressing at a time until it’s coated to your liking).
- Season shrimp or chicken with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through.
- Arrange single serving of arugula on a plate. Pack brown rice into a small measuring cup and invert onto arugula.
- Toss the cubed watermelon with the remaining dressing and arrange on plate. Sprinkle scallions, cilantro and peanuts onto salad. Arrange chicken or shrimp on top. Add fresh cracked black pepper to taste and serve.
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3 comments
Sarah
July 7, 2010 at 4:12 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Yum! It’d be easy to make a vegetarian version of this with pan-fried tofu.
Pat
July 12, 2010 at 9:51 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
My wife and I made the Thai Chicken Salad last night with a little chicken and shrimp. Loved it, so delicious and fun to make. We even took pictures! We will do it again soon. We will use the dressing for many recipes.
Cucee Sprouts @ cuceesprouts
October 19, 2010 at 1:31 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I think you can pair any fish dish the a watermelon salad. Try a spicier recipe: Chile-Roasted Feta and Watermelon Slab http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/10/chile-roasted-feta-and-watermelon-slab/ It goes really well with salmon