thai inspired

Thai mango salad is a light and refreshing meal on a hot summer's day. It's a truly delicious salad full of contrasting textures and flavours.

Thai mango salad

mango

red pepper (I used Romano pepper)

Cos lettuce leaves

spring onions, white parts sliced finely

courgette

red chilli, diced finely

roasted cashews (or peanuts), chopped

coriander

lime juice

tbsp sesame oil

garlic clove, pressed

tbsp tamari (for gluten-free version) or soy sauce

maple syrup or sugar

pepper,

Using a sharp knife or a special peeler, julienne mango, pepper and courgette. Tear Cos lettuce leaves roughly.

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside for the flavours to marry.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all salad ingredients apart from nuts.

Mix the dressing in, adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with nuts and a few leaves of mint and/or coriander.

Ready in less than 30 minutes this pineapple fried quinoa recipe makes a delicious weeknight meal &amp; even freezes well for lunches!

Simple Weeknight Pineapple Quinoa Stir-Fry

½ tbsp neutral oil

½ medium red onion, diced

salt and pepper

green beans, sliced in 2” slices*

carrots, diced (about 2 medium carrots)*

cooked quinoa (usually 1 ½ cups raw)

peanuts (or cashews)

pineapple (can use canned or frozen)

tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)

peanut butter

½ tbsp sesame oil

tsp chilli garlic sauce

maple syrup

water

Heat a deep skillet or wok and add the pineapple pieces. Heat until the pieces are slightly caramelized (for a quicker meal you can skip this step and just add the pineapple pieces at the end).

Remove the pineapple pieces and add ½ tbsp oil (or water/broth) to the same skillet or wok. Add the onion and cook 1-2 minutes until softened. Add the carrots and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until slightly softened.

Meanwhile, mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Then, add the green beans to the carrots and onion and cook for 1-2 minutes until the beans turn bright green.

Add the quinoa and mix it with the veggies. Then, drizzle the sauce overtop and stir to combine. Stir in the pineapple and roasted peanuts and heat through for just a minute. The quinoa will continue to soften so I like to not keep it on the heat very long after adding the quinoa so the stir-fry doesn’t get mushy).

Best when fresh but this recipe keeps surprisingly well and also freezes really well! The peanuts will lose their crunch so either top up with fresh peanuts when you reheat or defrost this dish OR wait to add the peanuts until just before serving.

Cozy and delicious Thai Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup can be made on the stovetop or slow cooker resulting in a super flavorful coconut curry broth. Includes easy swaps to make this whole30, paleo, nut-free, vegetarian and vegan friendly!

Thai Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup

onion ((from about ½ medium yellow onion))

tsp kosher salt

almond flour ((or oat flour for nut free))

tsp red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen)

93% dark meat chicken

chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

coconut milk ((from 1 (15-oz) can), divided)

coconut aminos ((or tamari))

ginger

garlic cloves

lemongrass,

tbsp red curry paste, divided

tbsp fish sauce

baby spinach

rice noodles ((omit

red Thai chilis

cilantro leaves

mint leaves

sweet chili sauce

spicy chili paste

To make the meatballs, mix together the grated onion, salt, red curry paste, and almond flour in a large bowl until well combined. Add the meat, stirring until all the ingredients are well incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Set aside.

In a 6-quart slow cooker, add the stock, 1 cup coconut milk, water, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and 1 tablespoon curry paste, whisking to combine.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop the meatball mixture into balls and add to the stock mixture.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the rice noodles according to package instructions. Set aside.

At the end of the cook time, uncover and carefully remove the ginger, garlic cloves and lemon grass. Discard.

Add the remaining 1 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, spinach, and lime juice, stirring to combine. Taste and add remaining 1 tablespoon curry paste (or more) if a spicier soup is desired, stirring to combine.

Divide the cooked rice noodles between serving bowls. Ladle over the broth and meatballs. Garnish with additional lime juice, cilantro, mint, and chili or sweet chili sauce if desired.

Slow Cooker Directions

In a large Dutch oven, heat the stock, 1 cup coconut milk, water, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and 1 tablespoon curry paste over medium high heat.

Scoop the meatball mixture into balls and add to the stock mixture. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 30-35 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the broth is flavorful.

Stovetop Directions

Ohhh my goodness. This soup is amazing! So flavorful &amp; perfect for warming up on a chilly day (although the flavor combo is so delicious I would eat this on a hot summer day 😆) I made this for a lunch meal prep &amp; tried serving it with rice noodles one day and also with sweet potato glass noodles another. Both work so well with this recipe. This is definitely going on regular rotation!

We loved this recipe! I took some shortcuts with the meatballs and used pre-made, but so delicious. The broth has great depth of flavor. For leftovers we served over rice instead of rice noodles and it almost had even better flavor the next day.

This recipe is featured in a four-part series about creating healthier eating habits. Paying attention is the essence of mindful eating, a practice of eating more deliberately and sensibly. In this recipe inspired by Thai yum yai, mindfulness starts with the preparation of the vegetables, each of which is treated differently. The techniques here are just suggestions: The radicchio could be torn by hand; the scallions could be sliced on the diagonal; the tomatoes sliced or left whole if small; the cucumber could be cut into half-moons or cubes. The aim is to produce a variety of colors and textures that become part of the pleasure of eating. Even the ingredients can be altered at will: Try shaved Napa cabbage or endive instead of the radicchio, Hakurei turnips or red radishes in place of watermelon radish, sweet white or red onions briefly soaked in cold water instead of, or in addition to, the scallions. Crisp wedges of Asian pear or just-ripe Fuyu persimmon would be nice, too.

Chicken and Herb Salad With Date-Lime Dressing

boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces)

chicken broth (homemade

shrimp (optional)

oyster mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, or a mix

peanut oil oil

shrimp

cucumber,

radicchio,

watermelon radish, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced

cherry tomatoes, halved

scallions,

hot red chile (such

eggs,

lime juice (from 4 to 5 limes)

cilantro roots,

garlic cloves,

dates,

chicken poaching broth

fish sauce

Thai bird’s-eye chiles, finely sliced

Sea salt,

NYT Cooking

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/01/16/multimedia/19FD-DIET-RESET-3REX-PW-Chicken-and-Herb-Salad-With-Date-Lime-Dressing-hfcp/19FD-DIET-RESET-3REX-PW-Chicken-and-Herb-Salad-With-Date-Lime-Dressing-hfcp-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/01/16/multimedia/19FD-DIET-RESET-3REX-PW-Chicken-and-Herb-Salad-With-Date-Lime-Dressing-hfcp/19FD-DIET-RESET-3REX-PW-Chicken-and-Herb-Salad-With-Date-Lime-Dressing-hfcp-googleFourByThree.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/01/16/multimedia/19FD-DIET-RESET-3REX-PW-Chicken-and-Herb-Salad-With-Date-Lime-Dressing-hfcp/19FD-DIET-RESET-3REX-PW-Chicken-and-Herb-Salad-With-Date-Lime-Dressing-hfcp-mediumSquareAt3X.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/01/16/multimedia/19FD-DIET-RESET-3REX-PW-Chicken-and-Herb-Salad-With-Date-Lime-Dressing-hfcp/19FD-DIET-RESET-3REX-PW-Chicken-and-Herb-Salad-With-Date-Lime-Dressing-hfcp-facebookJumbo.jpg

Start the salad: In a small saucepan, cover the chicken with broth (supplement with water if needed to fully cover the chicken). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and leave for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and pat dry, reserving ¼ cup of the chicken poaching broth.

While the chicken cooks, if using the raw shrimp, cover them with water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat immediately and cover. Leave for 10 minutes, then drain. If using larger shrimp, split in half lengthwise.

If using king oyster mushrooms, slice the stems into 1/2-inch-thick coins, leaving the caps whole. Lightly score the cut surfaces of the sliced stems with a sharp knife 4 or 5 times in a grid pattern. If using oyster mushrooms, cut or tear into large bite-size pieces.

Warm the oil over medium heat in a large, wide pan and sauté the mushrooms, turning once or twice, until lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Make the dressing: Using an immersion blender or a small food processor, blend all the ingredients except the sliced Thai bird’s-eye chiles. Stir in the chiles.

Finish the salad: Shred the chicken into a very large bowl. Add the mushrooms (reserving any king oyster mushroom caps) along with any cooked or dried shrimp, if using. With a vegetable peeler, shave long strips from the cucumber into the bowl. Add the radicchio, radishes, tomatoes, scallions, long hot chile, mint and cilantro.

Toss salad with about one-third of the dressing and taste. Add more dressing and sea salt until the salad is well seasoned but not gloppy. Surround the salad with the quartered eggs and top with any king oyster mushroom caps. Bring the salad to the table and serve with the rest of the dressing alongside.

In all my long life, I have only ever encountered one grocery that sells cilantro with the roots still on—and I don’t live there anymore. Too bad, because the cilantro lasts a lot longer in the fridge with its roots still attached.

I love this concept.  The salad is beautiful and delicious.  The dressing is good and different.  Dates?  I made the salad for two people: 4 prawns, a frozen chicken breast, egg, and chopped cilantro stems. I used his techniques for some of the veggies, which makes the salad so pretty. Good for Pete Wells for changing his lifestyle and having fun with food.  Not every recipe needs to be fast.

Why are the reviews old to new?  I want to read the latest ones.  Can this be reversed?

I just wanted the recipe for the dressing.  Sounds like it would be good on almost any salad!

Will never make this but love oyster mushrooms and cook with them regularly because of the brain protective benefits.  I used all types of mushroom, probably to excess but it seems to really help suppress my partner's dementia.  The dressing looks so interesting, so I appreciate the use of those ingredients as a salad dressing.

The salad presentation is beautiful. The recipe is a bit complicated for a salad.

Servsafe training would not agree with using the chicken broth in the dressing. Chicken broth / stock needs to be brought up to temperature before using . Food safety at all times.

Nope! We love Pete Wells so gave it a try as written. The 2/3 cup of lime juice in the dressing is massively acidic and not balanced by the 4 dates and broth. The mushrooms don’t add anything because the other flavors - lime, cilantro, mint etc. overpower. 
I do recommend Pete’s series on taming the appetite. That is excellent.

I’d like ideas for substitutions that would bring the sodium level down. The sodium level is over 1700 mg per serving. 
No one should eat that much sodium; and personally I don’t enjoy things that are too salty. I’d love ideas for substitutions of the fish sauce and chicken broth; they’re probably the main culprits, although shrimp is pretty high also.  Ideas, please?

I made the dressing! Incredible, to die for, to drink pure! Put it on old iceberg lettuce with carrots or on the fanciest frisée with walnuts

@Andrea I instantly imagined shrimp paste in Thai curry paste (the traditional kind)

This salad was divine. The dressing itself was unreal, next time I'll make more to put on everything. It was spendy and a process but for a nice dinner on a hot night (I'm in Australia) with a textural white wine it was perfect. 
I made some substitutions and it was still good - daikon instead of watermelon radish, no dried shrimp, frozen prawns instead of fresh. Next time, if I want to go cheaper I'll use smoked salmon instead of prawns. 
Oh also if you wait to dress it till right before serving, it holds up well for leftovers. I ate it over 3 days.

Does choosing between cutting cucumber into half moons or dicing into cubes really count as “mindfulness”? Perhaps this relatively new rhetorical fashion has already outlived its’ usefulness.

Am I alone in my ignorance at the existence of dried shrimp? Is it exactly what it sounds like?

The dressing looks interesting. Has anyone made this, or some variation, and can comment on the dressing?

This recipe did not come together. The chicken was undercooked, the dressing was too sour and needs some oil mixed in. It was a bunch of ingredients that just didn’t come together.

These days, I grow a veg garden and frankly this recipe is ridiculously expensive.

This salad looked so beautiful, I felt I just had to make it. But then I saw the length of the ingredient list, and added up the costs not to mention the time required for the shopping and preparation and passed. But I do like the basic concept he outlines.

To decrease expense—omit
Shrimp and dried shrimp and add strips of nori seaweed snack on top. Also, any mushroom will do, oyster mushrooms are expensive. Any radish will do too as will any bitter green such as dandelion, escarole, etc. This salad is an AWESOME base idea for a myriad of other salad combinations using the basic concept of layering vegetables each prepared differently. Love this.

Shopped the ingredients on InstaCart.  You can have this meal for as little as $118.59.  Not in my food budget; how about yours?

Great looking salad and I am sure it tastes wonderful.

But, let’s get real, where is the salad for the rest of us.  I, for one, have never seen cilantro with roots on for sale in the US - and I look for them when I am shopping in Asian stores.

If the first thing is to find available substitutes for every ingredient, why not just write the recipe that way.

Could be expensive... or could use up what is in fridge.  I'll make it tonight - leftover chicken from soup made last week, always shrimp in the freezer, happen to have a cuke, regular button mushrooms and radishes (in back of the drawer), always have red cabbage, scallions, parsley (instead of cilantro), bottled French vinaigrette, maybe add some lime. No mint on hand. Boil an egg, and I'm there!

That’s a gorgeous looking salad. I’ve been making similar salads for decades. A beautiful green salad with a variety of vegetables. Add a protein like shredded chicken or cubed tofu. Finish it with an amazing dressing. Dinner is served.

I’ve never heard of cilantro root. Fresh? Dried?  Where is it sold?

Way too much work and too many ingredients for me!  Sounds interesting though

This looks really delicious and so beautiful! Curious about a substitute for the chicken poaching liquid in the dressing. Planning on using a store bought rotisserie chicken.

@Mary Smith

Not everything that people around the world cook with can be found at Walmart or your specific “Asian grocer”. That should be exciting to you, and not a mark against an interesting recipe.

@Nancy Darling in all fairness you do pay more on Insta cart, but you are right it’s expensive.

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Simple Weeknight Pineapple Quinoa S...

Simple Weeknight Pineapple Quinoa S...

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Chicken and Herb Salad With Date-Li...

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