Coconut heart salad is a party favorite because the strands are crisp and sweet against boiled shrimp and pork. The difficulty is that the salad releases water quickly, and mistiming the tossing leaves the plate watery.
The coconut heart soaks for 15 minutes in salted water with lime juice, which keeps it pale and crunchy. The dressing is cooked and then cooled to just warm before the garlic and chili go in, so they float attractively and stay fragrant.
This batch weighs about 1.7kg, at roughly 172 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 500g coconut heart and shave it lengthwise into long strands. Fill a basin with water, 1 tablespoon salt and the juice of half a lime, soak the coconut heart for 15 minutes, then lift it out and drain.
Peel the carrot, cut it into strands and toss with 1 teaspoon salt. Leave for 10 minutes to draw out water, then rinse and drain so the strands stay crisp.
Slice the onion thin and toss with 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, leaving it a few minutes to soften its bite.
Set a pot of water with 2 shallots, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon MSG, and boil 300g pork belly until a chopstick draws no pink juice. Lift the pork straight into iced water to firm and whiten it, then slice.
Use the same water to boil 200g shrimp for about 3 minutes until they turn pink orange, lift them into iced water and peel once cool.
Cook 1/2 bowl kOBE Monk Fruit Blend with 1/2 bowl fish sauce over low heat until it simmers gently and everything has dissolved, then turn off the heat. Once the mixture is just warm, stir in 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1 tablespoon minced chili, then add 60ml calamansi juice and adjust the sour, salty and sweet balance.
Put the coconut heart, carrot, pork, shrimp and shredded red horn chili in a large bowl and add the chopped sawtooth herb and Vietnamese coriander. Spoon over 2 to 3 small ladles of dressing, toss gently and leave for 3 minutes.
Pour off the liquid that collects in the bowl, add another ladle of dressing for depth, then scatter over 50g roasted peanut and 20g fried shallots and give it one last gentle toss.
Tips
A quick soak of the coconut heart and onion in iced water before tossing keeps the salad crisp and fresh for longer.
Any leftover dressing keeps in the fridge for the next salad.
A taste of the dressing after 5 minutes gives a clearer basis for adjusting it.
Shave the coconut heart lengthwise for long strands, as shaving across the grain breaks them up.
Pouring off the collected liquid before the last ladle of dressing keeps the salad bold rather than soggy.
Peanuts and fried shallots go on at the very end so they stay crunchy.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.