Chopped Thai Salad with Honey Garlic Dressing

Valentine's Day came on a Wednesday this year and we observed it on Sunday because that's what adults do and also because I'm thirty-four weeks pregnant and a Wednesday night restaurant reservation is genuinely beyond my current energy. Sean got me flowers—tulips, yellow, which I love more than roses because roses are obligatory and tulips are a choice—and a card with writing in it that he'd clearly thought about, which is not his usual mode. He's more likely to express affection by fixing things that are broken and showing up when you need him than by writing it down. The card said some things I'm keeping.

We made dinner at home together. Sean handled the protein—lamb chops, which he's gotten very good at—and I made roasted potatoes and a salad and we ate at the table with candles and it was the most comfortable Valentine's Day I can remember because we were just at home being who we are. The whole history of this relationship is woven through this apartment: the fights about the thermostat, the Sunday mornings with coffee and the Herald, the time I cried in the kitchen over a patient for an hour and Sean sat on the floor with me without asking me to explain. We built this place and now we're handing it to Liam.

Six weeks. The February light is starting to change—just barely, just in the late afternoon, a quality to it that isn't winter yet but isn't winter anymore either. I stand at the kitchen window with the light on it and I feel the weight of waiting, which is its own kind of patience I didn't know I was learning.

Sean owned the lamb chops that night, and I was glad to let him — my contribution was the salad, and I wanted something that felt alive on the plate, bright colors and a little crunch, something that didn’t ask too much of me at thirty-four weeks but still felt like I showed up. This Chopped Thai Salad with Honey Garlic Dressing was exactly that: layered, satisfying, and finished with a dressing so good you want to eat it with a spoon. It fit the candles and the tulips and the whole quiet weight of that evening.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the Salad:
3 cups shredded purple cabbage
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup edamame, shelled and cooked
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
For the Honey Garlic Dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as avocado or canola)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

Make the dressing. Whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, neutral oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and lime juice in a small bowl or jar until fully combined. Taste and adjust seasoning — add more honey for sweetness or more soy sauce for salt. Set aside.
Prep the vegetables. Shred the purple and green cabbage thinly using a sharp knife or mandoline. Slice the red bell pepper into thin strips. Shred or grate the carrots. Place all into a large mixing bowl.
Build the salad. Add the edamame, scallions, and cilantro to the bowl with the cabbage and carrots. Toss gently to combine.
Dress and finish. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat evenly. Top with chopped peanuts and sesame seeds just before serving so they stay crunchy.
Serve. Serve immediately for maximum crunch, or refrigerate the undressed salad and dressing separately for up to 2 days and toss together when ready to eat.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chopped Thai Salad with Honey Garlic Dressing — The Side Dish That Made Our Valentine’s Dinner Feel Like Us