Thai Chopped Watermelon Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 12 cups seedless watermelon diced small (about ½ inch)
- 4 cups diced cucumber (about ½-inch dice) 6 medium-size mini cukes
- 1 large white onion diced small (about a ¼ inch)
- 3 medium size mangoes peeled and diced small (about a ¼ inch)
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, packed finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, packed finely chopped
- 1 bunch scallions very thinly sliced
For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the sweet and salty sesame peanuts:
- 1 cup crushed salted peanuts
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
For the salad:
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Prep all of the ingredients (except the fresh herbs) as directed, starting with the watermelon. Place the diced watermelon in a strainer set over a large bowl and allow it to drain while prepping the other ingredients.
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If not serving the salad right away, store all ingredients separately in airtight containers or ziplock bags.
For the dressing:
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Combine all dressing ingredients in a small saucepan. Add the strained juice from the watermelon.
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Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced by about one half, 5-8 minutes. Taste (the flavor will be strong but that's what you want as it will be diluted a bit in the salad) and add more chili garlic sauce for more heat, if desired. Set aside to cool.
For the sesame peanuts:
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Combine the sesame oil, sugar and salt in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Stir continuously for one minute then add the peanuts, lower the heat a bit and stir to coat the peanuts with the sesame oil mixture.
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Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until the peanuts deepen in color and are very fragrant. If peanuts seem to darken in color too fast, lower the heat a little more. Set aside to cool.
To serve:
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Combine watermelon, cucumber, white onions and mango in a large serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle it with the chopped herbs and sliced scallions. Stir gently to combine all ingredients. Scatter half of the sesame peanuts over the top and serve the rest in a small bowl at the table. Serve, enjoy and don’t expect leftovers!
Recipe Notes
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.
If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.