Asian Sesame Chopped Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Golden Fried Rice

IDK about you, but I can get down with the asian cuisine. In Los Angeles we are so lucky to have a ton of different asian restaurants to try: Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, and SO MANY others that I am forgetting. For this salad, I would definitely group this as Asian fusion since it takes a little bit of something from different Asian cuisines vs. being a traditional dish.

The birth of this recipe actually came from my Mom and I craving a salad, but I knew that my Dad would still be hungry so I added the golden fired rice on top. So for those who are looking just to make a salad this bad boy still hits high on the flavorosity scale, but the golden fried rice on top adds that extra bit of flavor that will make this even better.

Let's start with the salad, here are the options that you can use:

• Leafy base: Kale, Arugula, or Spinach.

• Herbs: Cilantro and Green Onion

• Vegetables: Carrots, Bell Peppers, Edamame, Purple Cabbage, Bean Sprouts, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Sugar Snap Peas, Jalapeños (for heat)

• Protein: Shrimp, Salmon, Tofu, or Chicken.

• Add-ons: Cashews, Sliced Almonds, Wonton Crisps, sesame seeds,

For the dressing, if you don't use the recipe below I would look for a store-bought option like the ones listed here:

• Asian Sesame Dressing

• Sesame Ginger Dressing

• Thai Peanut Dressing

You already know, I like things saucey so we are for sure making our own dressing, but I totally understand being in a pinch and wanting another quick option.

For the golden rice, you can make it as simple or as complex as you'd like by adding additional veggies:

• Green Onions

• Peas

• Carrots

• Garlic

Since I was putting it on top of the salad, I opted for a more simple recipe that just used green onion and garlic for a little extra flavor.

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Get Started!

Prep Time: 30 Mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

Salad - I used about the same amount for each vegetable. If you are making this in a smaller batch, reduce by 1/4 cup for everything.

• 1 small bag of kale

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

• 3/4 cup shredded carrots

• 3/4 cup bean sprouts

• 3/4 cup bell pepper

• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes

• 3/4 cup edamame

• 1/2 of a cucumber

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

• 1/4 cup wonton crisps

• 2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled

Asian Sesame Dressing (double this recipe if you want to use it to marinate the shrimp):

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 3 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 tbsp chili crisp

Golden Fried Rice (optional)

• 2 cups cooked basmati rice

• 4 chopped garlic cloves

• 3 green onions

• 5 egg yolks

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp tumeric

• 1/2 tsp white pepper

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp rice vinegar

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. Start by prepping your shrimp and getting your dressing ready. For the shrimp marinade, I am using the asian sesame dressing so just double the recipe and save half for your salad and the other half for your shrimp.

2. After you have made the dressing and marinated your shrimp, start prepping all of your ingredients for the salad and place all of them into a large bowl.

3. For the golden rice, mix all of your ingredients (except vegetable oil) into a large bowl to make them well combined.

4. Once the golden rice is mixed thoroughly add vegetable oil to a large pan and let it get hot. Add the rice and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes. Once the rice grains are dry and start to pop around in the wok, taste and add an additional pinch of salt if needed. (A pinch of extra salt really brings out the flavor of this golden fried rice.) Stir in the scallions, and set aside.

   1. For an extra touch, I oiled up some small coffee cups with a circular bottom and stuffed them with the rice. When it is time to serve I just hit the cup against the counter to encourage the rice out of it. Then you have a nice "ball" shape of rice for your salad.

5. Let your shrimp marinade for at least 30 mins, then fire up your grill and let these cook for about 3 mins on each side.

6. Once your shrimp and golden fried rice are finished, add the shrimp to the salad and save a few to add to the top of the rice (see picture above)

7. When you're ready to serve, add the salad base and then top with the golden fried rice and a grilled shrimp.

**Chef's Kiss**