Here we are again – another asian-inspired recipe. Are we surprised? No. No we are not. Because almost everything I make is asian-inspired because my palette just loves those bright and spicy flavours so much!

I’ve been venturing into the world of herby salads lately, which is partially because we are in the middle of the pandemic and while greens like arugula and spinach have been available, they typically don’t last the whole week in my fridge and right now I am only grocery shopping once a week (if that).

Needless to say, I’ve had to get creative with my sallys [read: salads], which isn’t too difficult because I love salads since it really just requires throwing all of your favourite veggies, grains, a fun dressing and some additional toppings in a bowl.

My latest twist on salad has been fresh herbs. Now they don’t last too long in the fridge either, unless you know how to store them, which I’ll talk about. But when you are cooking most of your own food for a long period of time like we are right now, you need something to switch it up. So, herby salads to the rescue!

A Note on Storing Fresh Herbs:

There’s nothing worse than buying a fresh bunch of cilantro or basil and finding it wilted in your fridge the next day. The tips below should help to extend the life of your fresh herbs for at least 1 week, and potentially longer (especially for “harder” herbs like thyme and rosemary).

Four Things To Be Mindful Of When Storing Fresh Herbs

Moisture
Light
Oxygen
Temperature

If you control those four things properly, your herbs will stay fresh and happy for longer!

Washing Herbs

It’s recommended to wash your herbs before storing. Rinsing lightly with cool water and laying to dry on paper towel is the best way to ensure they’re washed and dry properly so they aren’t holding too much moisture.

Soft VS Hard Herbs

Soft herbs include your cilantro, parsley, dill, basil, tarragon and mint. All of these can be stored by cutting off the ends and placing in a jar of water in the fridge. Basil would be the exception to this, as it should be left out on the counter. It can also be helpful to cover the herbs in the fridge in the jar with a plastic bag.

Hard herbs include rosemary, thyme, chives, sage and oregano. You’ll want to store these by wrapping them in a damp paper towel in a container or a plastic bag. This will keep them hydrated and prevent them from drying out.

Ingredients To Have On Hand

When you look at this recipe, you might feel intimidated at first because it does have a long list of ingredients, but these are the essentials when it comes to asian-inspired cooking. If you enjoy asian-inspired food (especially Thai food), I strongly recommend keeping these staples on hand:

Tamari (soy-free soy sauce alternative)
Sesame Oil
Rice Vinegar
Fish Sauce
Miso Paste (not in this recipe, but helpful to have on hand)
Nut Butter (almond butter or peanut butter – not in this recipe, but helpful to have on hand)

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If you have these ingredients on hand, you can make almost any of the asian-inspired recipes on my blog, including my:

You can either enjoy this Ginger Sesame Herby Cilantro Salad (I know, it’s a mouthful – we can just call it Cilantro Salad haha) on its own, or pair it with a protein and another side. I enjoyed it with Cambodian Sausages, which offered yet another beautiful, fresh, kaffir-lime infused Thai flavour and jasmine rice. It was perfect!

As I write this to you, we just had our first super sunny and warm Spring day, which makes me very hopeful for Summer and I can already picture how refreshing and delicious this salad is going to be come Summer!

If you make this recipe, please tag me at @rachelmmolenda – I love seeing your creations!

Ginger Sesame Cilantro Salad

Serves 2-3

Salad Ingredients

2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cup cucumber, julienned
1 1/2 cup carrot, shredded (using a cheese grater)
1/4 cup red onion, minced
2 scallions, diced

Dressing Ingredients

2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp garlic, minced
3 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp raw honey
1 tsp rice vinegar

Directions:

Mix together all dressing ingredients and set aside.
Prepare salad ingredients as suggested and place in a bowl.
Pour dressing over salad and enjoy immediately.
Note: It’s recommended to enjoy this salad right away as it will become too moist when stored in the fridge (however, if you do so, it can be used as a super yummy topping for tacos!).