The story of this salad goes back to a memorable holiday I took with some friends to Indonesia back in 2011, and a very memorable meal in a local restaurant which actually inspired another dish on here, Savoury Seeded Granola – something I like to make up a big batch of to have on hand which I sprinkle on soups, curries, salads and stir fries. The first time I tried the original version of this savoury seed mix was as an accompaniment to a delicious Gado Gado, which is a traditional Indonesian dish comprising of raw and cooked vegetables, fried tempeh, crackers and a peanut sauce.
When I returned to Chandi on my trip with B earlier last year I ordered a fresh fruit and vegetable salad which featured a generous sprinkle of the savoury granola as a garnish. The savoury, crunchy tones offset the soft, sweet juicy fruit within the dish. The salad had a mix of tropical fruit – dragon fruit, papaya and mango. When I started to see ripe mangos appearing at the markets I grabbed a few to use to try and recreate the salad. I also picked up some slightly sour pink grapefruit which add a lovely dimension to the flavour contrast.
This salad is packed full of contrasting flavours and textures (and temperatures from the hot tempeh against the cooler salad ingredients) and has firmly become a fast favorite within my ever-growing salad repertoire. I originally wasn’t sure that I wasn’t to call it a “sweet and sour” salad as it conjured up memories of horrible fast-food Chinese from when I was a kid, but it really does have lovely sweet and sour elements that go together with the base savoury salad to make a really special dish – I definitely encourage you to give this one a go, I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do!
- 200g thinly sliced fried tempeh
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 2 large handfuls of salad greens
- 1/2 a pink grapefruit, peeled and thinly
- 1 mango, thinly sliced
- 3 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup loosely packed coriander/cilantro
- 2/3 cup loosely packed sprouts (bean, alfalfa, radish)
- Peanut tamarind dressing
- Savoury seed granola, to serve
- 2 Tbsp Tamarind
- 1 small Garlic
- 2 limes juiced
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce (replace with half tamari/half water mix to make vegan)
- 1/2 Tbsp tamari
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 2 Tbsp crushed peanuts
- 1 Tbsp water to thin
- To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a small jar and shake well to combine.
- To make the salad, firstly slice the tempeh and fry in a little oil over a hot heat, around one minute each side until golden brown and crispy.
- Arrange the greens across four plates, then evenly divide up the other ingredients across the plates. Scatter the herbs, sprouts and seeds across the top of each place to finish, and then drizzle with the dressing.
I had Gado Gado when I was in Indoneisia this summer, and it was so delicious. I really like the idea of adding savory granola to salads and things like that, but I still haven’t made it myself. I definitely have to soon though :)
This salad sounds so amazing, and God it is gorgeous. Pinned!
The gado gado in Indonesia is just heavenly! Thanks for your kind words Josefine x
the salad sounds delicious and I love the idea of a dressing with tamarind and savory peanut. I’m slowly chipping away at a block of tamarind in the fridge, usually finding ways to sneak it in soups or stews, but I hadn’t thought to make a sauce or dressing with it. I’d love to try a combination of tahini and tamarind. thanks for the beautiful idea!
No worries Jaime, glad to help you out :) Tamarind is something I’ve only recently started experimenting with, so its a very new flavour to me. Will hopefully come up with some more uses for it soon!
Wow! Now this is a salad. Indonesian cuisine is so inspiring. And I love the contrast you’re talking about between the seedy granola and juicy fruit. And that tamarind dressing. Tamarind is one of my favorite condiments to use for curries or the like so I’m glad to have another use for it now!
Thanks Katie. The tamarind dressing is delicious, I hope you like it :)
What a beautiful salad! I’ve actually never tried tempeh – I have some in the fridge but really didn’t know where to start with it – your salad is the answer – many thanks!
Mary
No worries Mary, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)
I haven’t had tempeh in ages but you’ve inspired me! This salad looks so good :)
Thanks Lilli, such fun re-discovering foods!