Squid Salad Thai Style 泰式魷魚沙律

I love salads. In cooler weather, I like salads tossed with warm meat. In the Fall or Winter, a warm spinach salad with bacon and drippings would be the perfect accompaniment to any entree.

But in the hot and humid Texas summers, I would trade anything for a cool, fresh salad. One of my favorites is the squid salad. (My 3-year-old loves the little squid "circles".) It's tasty and versatile. You can basically use any combination of your favorite veggies. And, it's a meal of its own that takes only 15 minutes to prepare! What's not to love about it! Here's the recipe (pictures of this dish and its recipe in Chinese will be uploaded soon):

Ingredients

(serves 2)

12 oz squid (preferrably fresh), cleaned and sliced
6 oz of your favorite mixed salad greens (I like something with a spicy touch, such as, arugula)
1/2 cup radish, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup sprouts
a handful of Thai basil (optional but strongly recommended), chopped
a handful of mint (optional), chopped
a "cake" of dried rice noodles, thoroughly soaked and cut into shorter pieces (makes about 2 cups)
1/4 cup Thai sweet chilli sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil (don't use olive oil or sesame oil - I know it sounds like a good idea, but in reality, these oils have too strong of a taste that's not a good match for this salad)

(1) Blanch the squid in a pot of boiling water for about 2 to 3 mintues, until it turns opaque.
(2) Drain the squid and rinse it under cold water. Drain again.
(3) Toss the squid with all the vegetables, herbs (if using), and rice noodles.
(4) In a separate bowl, whisk the last 4 ingredients well & dress the salad right before serving.

*When I was in San Francisco, I like to get organic salad greens at the farmers market, where they'll put colorful, edible flowers with the greens. It makes me happy looking at the tiny pink, yellow, and blue flowers sprinkled on the salad.