I had a bunch of cilantro sitting in the fridge leftover from a week of recipe shooting. It felt like a problem waiting for a creative solution. I researched some recipes online and came across the delightful site of Madame Huang, a California native who lived in Taiwan for a number of years.
I love this recipe because I now have a way to use up all my extra cilantro. I also rediscovered a lovely substitute for sesame oil if I ever need something that tastes a little lighter and fragrant —shallot oil.
I grew up eating fried shallots in lots of dishes — a topping over rice noodle soups, folded into steamed turnip cakes or served over vegetables. I usually avoid store brought fried shallots, not trusting the quality of oil they were fried in. A good reason to make one’s own.
This salad calls for an entire bunch of cilantro. Not brown, wilted ones but fresh, vibrant cilantro. I substituted peanuts for cashews and yellow pepper for red since I cannot drop by the grocery store as easily these days. Toasted peanuts on the top of my shopping list next week.
Shallot Oil
Ingredients
1 cup thinly sliced shallots (around three shallots)
1.5 cup fresh rice bran oil ( sub peanut or grapeseed oil)
*Make this oil at least a day ahead before you want to use it to flavour your dish.
Instructions
Slice shallots into thin rings, as evenly as you can. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a pan. You can tell the oil is ready when there are small ripples on the surface. Test by inserting a chopstick into the oil, it should be covered in bubbles immediately. Sprinkle in the shallots, reduce heat to medium and fry them until they turn a golden brown. Stir often so they fry evenly. Turn the heat off when they are a light golden brown, and fry with the residue heat.
Strain the shallots over a sieve into a vessel. Reserve the shallots as a topping, and use the oil for stir fry, a sesame oil substitute or in other dishes. Alternatively, you can add the cooled oil back into the shallots and use as a topping over rice, noodles or steamed greens
Cilantro and Peanut Salad
Ingredients
1 bunch fresh cilantro*
½ cup fried or toasted peanuts
½ sweet bell pepper
1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp shallot oil (sub sesame oil)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Trim and remove the tough or browned stalks of cilantro. Wash in water, shake dry, cut into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a mixing bowl. Prep the bell pepper and slice into small pieces, around the size of a peanut. Add peppers to the mixing bowl.
Toss cilantro with pepper, peanuts and the rest of ingredients. Taste and add more seasoning if you’d like. I added some fried shallots from the shallot oil. Serve as an appetizer or as a side. Also great as a chilled dish, just toss in the peanuts and dressing before serving.
*As cilantro is the main ingredient, use the nicest bunch you can find.