Pad Thai Salad

I like Thai food because of its fresh flavours. I love the zesty lime, crisp carrots and bean sprouts, and the crunchy peanuts.

As I was making this pad Thai salad I realised that it's actually quite similar to the coleslaw with which I grew up in Canada - the base is just shredded vegetables. Then there's a sauce and some add-ins. (And almost all of my cooking has a formula not unlike this.)

As I was slicing the mint and basil for the pad Thai, my mind was constructing this table. Suddenly the superiority of pad Thai salad over coleslaw became obvious!

No wonder pad Thai is so delicious. Unlike coleslaw, it makes a great meal on its own: thanks to the scrambled eggs and whatever protein you put in, it's satisfying. And that dressing! So zingy.

So when I sat down after finishing the dinner prep (waiting for my husband to get home from work), I executed another table. Because mainly the only the "expert" guidance you need for pad Thai is for the dressing. This second table sums it up!

This dish is inspired by today's pick from the Eating with Ellie blogging group. If you want to join in, next week we are making Pacific rim salmon burgers from Weeknight Wonders. You are welcome to join us; no long term commitment required. Visit the others in my blogging group to see if they liked the recipe.

Are you a coleslaw lover? Or more of a zesty lime type of person?

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