Description
Thai Mushroom Salad is a refreshing Thai dish made with grilled mushrooms, a tangy lime-lemongrass dressing, fresh herbs, and nutty toasted rice powder for authentic flavor and crunch.
Ingredients
- Dressing: 1 clove garlic, minced
- Dressing: 1 jalapeño, halved (half minced, half sliced into rings)
- Dressing: 1 lime, juiced
- Dressing: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Dressing: 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Dressing: 2 tablespoons lemongrass, minced (tender white core only)
- Dressing: 1 1/4 teaspoons brown sugar
- Dressing: 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
- Mushrooms: 10 ounces mixed mushrooms (oyster, king oyster, cremini, or wild), tough stems trimmed; large caps halved
- Mushrooms: Drizzle vegetable oil (to lightly coat)
- Mushrooms: Kosher salt, to taste
- Mushrooms: Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Mushrooms: 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- Mushrooms: 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed, roughly chopped
- Mushrooms: 3 tablespoons cilantro (leaves and tender stems), roughly chopped
- Rice Powder: 2 tablespoons uncooked rice
- For Serving: Lettuce of your choosing
- For Serving: Cherry tomatoes, halved
- For Serving: Lime wedges
Instructions
- Prepare a grill for medium heat, or preheat a grill pan or heavy skillet over medium heat.
- Toss the mushrooms with just enough vegetable oil to lightly coat; season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Grill the mushrooms, turning occasionally, until cooked through and deeply golden in spots, 5–10 minutes depending on size. Transfer to a cutting board.
- Slice any large mushrooms into bite-size pieces about 1/2 inch thick; leave small mushrooms whole. You should have about 1 cup chopped, cooked mushrooms. Let cool slightly.
- Make the dressing: mince the garlic and one jalapeño half and add to a small bowl. Thinly slice the remaining jalapeño half into rings and add to the bowl.
- Add lime juice, soy sauce, extra virgin olive oil, minced lemongrass, brown sugar, and red chile flakes. Stir well and taste, adjusting with more lime, soy, or sugar as needed. Set aside.
- Toast the rice: place the uncooked rice in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until grains are toasted and golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Grind the toasted rice into a coarse powder using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
- Assembly: in a medium bowl, combine the grilled mushrooms and any accumulated juices with the sliced shallots, chopped mint, and chopped cilantro.
- Stir the dressing and pour over the mushroom mixture. Toss gently to coat evenly.
- Sprinkle the ground toasted rice over the salad and toss again to distribute.
- Serve over a bed of lettuce, topped with cherry tomato halves, with lime wedges on the side for squeezing.
Notes
- Use a mix of mushroom varieties for depth of flavor and texture.
- Toast rice slowly and stir often to avoid scorching; golden and nutty is the goal.
- Add herbs just before serving to keep mint and cilantro bright and fragrant.
- Adjust dressing to the classic Thai balance: sour, salty, sweet, and spicy.
- For extra heat, add Thai bird’s eye chilies or more jalapeño rings.
- Make-ahead: grill mushrooms and mix dressing up to 2 days ahead; combine at serving time.
- Keep toasted rice powder in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- For gluten-free, swap tamari for soy sauce.
- A charcoal grill adds a subtle smokiness that elevates the salad.
- Avoid overdressing; mushrooms absorb liquid quickly and can become soggy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 1 to 1½ cups
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: Thai Mushroom Salad, Thai mushroom salad recipe, authentic Thai mushroom salad, Thai salad, mushroom larb, mushroom larb recipe, Thai yam salad, Thai green mango salad, Thai mushroom salad ingredients