Salad Giraffe

Whoever created this salad had a wild imagination giving the name Giraffe (no-o-o, no giraffe's meat in there).. But some link of logic I could build: giraffe -> Africa -> sunshine -> peanuts -> happy :)

Blog's Category: International, Vegetarian

Intro

I've got this recipe from my favorite Russian home cook on Youtube - babushka Emma. I'm not sure why salad is called Giraffe but thank you, guys, it's really good one.

I didn't post for a while because I was so-o-o busy cooking, writing cook book reviews, etc. I've gone through so many recipes (I mean cooked!) and now it's a matter of getting the best of them on my pages here. So, the recipe below, is from this list of the best ones.


What is it?

It's easy, quick and tasty mix of kohlrabi, red pepper, cucumber, carrots, green onion and peanuts, generously spiked with oriental style dressing.

 

Taste Description

Crunchy, juicy and full of complex layered flavors. Peanuts are seems to be very natural combination for these vegetables. Soy based, medium spicy, a little bit sweet, a little bit sour, dressing finishes this salad perfectly.

How to Serve

Serve right away, garnished with green onion and roasted peanuts.

Salad Giraffe

For 4 servings:

• 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, julienned, or cut in thin matchsticks
• 2 large carrots, julienned, or cut in thin matchsticks
• 1 c peanuts, not salted, dry roasted and roughly chopped/crushed
• 7 green onions, without white ends, sliced diagonally or julienned
• 1 medium kohlrabi, julienned, or cut in thin matchsticks
• 1 small English cucumber, julienned, or cut in thin matchsticks

Dressing:

• 1 red chili pepper, chopped finely (with seeds if you like it spicy)
• 4 tbs soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 4 tbs olive oil (flavorless)
• 2 tbs rice vinegar
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• salt (if needed, to taste)

- Mix dressing ingredients

- Toss together salad ingredients, reserving a little bit green onion and peanuts for garnishing.

- Combine vegetables and dressing.

- Serve, topped with peanuts and green onion. Enjoy!

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IN PICTURES

I like to use my mandolin to slice pepper into thin matchsticks.

It is fiery red chili pepper. It's snowing out there, behind a window, but I still have couple chilies from my garden... painful reminder that summer is over.. indeed [sigh]

White shreds, in a left top corner, are kohlrabi.

 

Too bad that kohlrabi is not very popular vegetable here - it has great taste and nutrition. Do not forget to peel it before using. Next time I won't be trying to pick the biggest one at the store - the bigger kohlrabi - the thicker its outer woody layer you will need to peel off.

Look at this picture - is it where this salad's name come from?

This dressing recipe deserves to be saved for general use (other salads, marinades).

 

I like to buy raw peanuts. I keep them in freezer and toast them as needed - it takes minutes to do that but they taste much better than store-bought. Although, store-bought peanuts, unsalted and dry-roasted, can be used in this recipe as well.

That's how I "chop" my peanuts..