Fresh Gotu Kola Salad: Easy Recipe & Healthy Cooking Tips

Gotu Kola salad is a refreshing, easy-to-make, and highly nutritious dish, especially perfect for hot summer days. With the fresh flavor of Gotu Kola combined with other ingredients, this salad is not only delicious but also offers numerous health benefits. This article will provide you with a detailed guide on how to make Gotu Kola salad and offer helpful cooking tips to easily prepare it at home.

Ingredients and How to Choose Gotu Kola

To make Gotu Kola salad, you will need to prepare the following ingredients:

• Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica): 200 grams
• Onion: 1 bulb
• Carrot: 1/2 root
• Lime: 1 fruit
• Chili: 1 fruit
• Shallot: 1 bulb
• Garlic: 3 cloves
• Vinegar: 1/3 cup (rice bowl size)
• Fish sauce: 2 tablespoons
• Oyster sauce: 1 teaspoon
• Cooking oil: 1/2 tablespoon
• Salt/sugar/pepper: a pinch

How to Choose Good Gotu Kola

When selecting Gotu Kola for salad, keep the following points in mind:

• Choose young, fresh green Gotu Kola with plump, watery stems. Young Gotu Kola will make the salad crunchier and sweeter.
• Avoid older Gotu Kola with dark green leaves, as they tend to be bitter.

Fresh Gotu Kola leaves, vibrant and ready for salad

How to Make Gotu Kola Salad

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients

• Gotu Kola: Wash thoroughly, soak in diluted salt water for about 15 minutes to remove dirt and bacteria. Then, drain and chop into smaller pieces.
• Onion: Peel, wash, and slice thinly.
• Carrot: Peel, wash, and julienne into thin strips.
• Chili: Wash, deseed, and slice thinly.
• Shallot and Garlic: Peel and mince finely.

Step 2: Make the Dressing

• Prepare the dressing by mixing vinegar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, cooking oil, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Stir well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Step 3: Mix the Salad

• Place Gotu Kola, sliced onion, julienned carrot, and chili into a large bowl. Add the dressing and mix thoroughly by hand to ensure all ingredients are well-coated and absorbed.

A vibrant bowl of mixed Gotu Kola salad, ready to be served

Step 4: Finish and Enjoy

• Let the salad marinate for about 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. You can sprinkle some crushed roasted peanuts on top for extra flavor.

This Gotu Kola salad is not only delicious but also very nutritious, helping to cool the body and promote good health. You can serve it as a side dish with family meals or enjoy it as a light snack.

Cooking Tips and Notes

• To maintain the crispness of the Gotu Kola salad, you should mix it just before serving and avoid letting it sit for too long.
• You can substitute vinegar with fresh lime juice for a fresher flavor.
• If you prefer a spicier taste, you can increase the amount of chili or add a bit of chili paste to the dressing.

Freshly picked Gotu Kola leaves, ready for salad preparation

Conclusion

Gotu Kola salad is a simple dish that offers many health benefits. With the detailed guide and cooking tips above, you can easily make this salad at home to treat your family and friends. Give it a try and experience the fresh, nutritious flavors of Gotu Kola salad!

To discover more delicious salad recipes, you can refer to how to make jellyfish and lotus stem salad. We wish you success and bon appétit!