1: Do They Really Eat This in China? (Chinese Chicken Salad)

Tonight I decided I needed to do something with chicken (since the beef roast I pulled out of the freezer earlier today was still rock solid). Plus I was starving and I didn't want to wait for something that was going to require a lot of prep time.

I pulled out all the vegetables/produce in my fridge to assess my salad options for the evening. I had:

• lettuce
• green cabbage
• celery
• carrots
• bell peppers
• onions (green and yellow)
• cilantro

When laid out on the counter, they practically yelled out "Chinese Chicken Salad!"

I did some research on the web and found that most CCSs began with the same vegetables I just happened to have on hand. Other interesting additions included:

• dry ramen noodles or chow mein noodles
• the usual Chinese canned vegetables used in stir-frys such as hearts of palm, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and baby corn
• snow pea pods
• almonds
• canned mandarin oranges

Another key component of CCS is that everything is to be shredded or julienned but I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is related to the Asian drive to have everything be uniform? Maybe to make it easier to eat with chopsticks? My food processor made quick work of the chopping.

In almost all cases, the dressing involved sesame oil and soy sauce, along with garlic and/or ginger. I found a bag full of old limes in the bottom of my fridge, ugly to look at but still juicy and flavorful. I mixed 3 TB lime juice, 1 TB soy sauce, and 1 TB sesame oil as my dressing.

I didn't have any almonds and I didn't want to put dried noodles in my salad, so I sprinkled some dry roasted, salted peanuts and toasted sesame seeds on top. That supplied the crunch.



The only thing missing from my salad was a touch of sweet, usually from canned mandarin oranges or the dressing. I was ok without it.

BTW, the chicken was fried chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken. I had bought a bucket several weeks ago and the leftovers went into the freezer. My dog happily ate the breading and skin.

Tossed and gobbled down!