Does this look like a Christmas salad to you or what?
I used to make a different version of eggplant+tomato+onion salad. Before, I just toss with a light dressing of vinegar and bagoong (shrimp paste). This time, I replaced bagoong with a vinaigrette, then added dried salted fish flakes and wansoy, as inspired by a very similar dish from Cafe Juanita (a popular Filipino restaurant in Pasig City).
Chopped grilled eggplants, fresh ripe tomatoes, red onions, fried tuyo flakes (dried salted fish) and wansoy (coriander leaves), drizzled with home-made vinaigrette. No rules to the proportions of the veggies, except the eggplant should be the star. One of my favorite side dishes, this vibrant salad brings many dimensions of tastes and flavors that will surely tickle your palate.
Though I'm sure this humble salad is not for everyone, I highly recommend you try this. Aside from chopping up your fresh produce, you only need to fry the tuyo to a crisp and grill the eggplants. Though grilling is still the best, you can also roast or even pan fry it when you're short on time to grill, I did! :-) As long as your aubergines do not become soggy, you're fine. The fish flakes give it the salty punch complementing the freshness of tomatoes and onions, with the wansoy capping off this refreshing dish.
Marrying all the flavors together is this simple vinaigrette -- a blend of red cane vinegar, canola oil, and sprinkle of sugar, salt and pepper. You can make your own mix and adjust the taste, as long as you leave a hint of sweetness to the dressing.
Grill, chop, mix. Et voilà! The perfect side dish for an Asian inspired meal.
Give me some steamed rice to go with this and my meal is all set! ;)
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