# ISO Mint Salad Dressing



## Golfgar4 (Jul 19, 2007)

A few nights ago, we stopped at a restaurant we'd not eaten at before.  There was a nice, varied menu, and all four of us settled on different asian dishes.

We all ordered the house salad, which came with a mint salad dressing.  It was absolutely awesome!  It was so refreshing and clean tasting.  The mint didn't overpower the salad, but came through beautifully light.  It was the consistency of a vinegrette.

We asked if we could get the recipe, but we were denied based on "Chef's secret".  I can accept that.

But I *want* to find a dressing like this.  Does anyone have a recipe for a mint salad dressing?


----------



## m1i2k9e (Aug 13, 2007)

I did a broad search and this is what I was able to dig up:

Citrus Mint Dressing

*Ingredients:*
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Lime Juice
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
1 teaspoon Parsley -- finely chopped
1 teaspoon Mint -- finely chopped
1 teaspoon Chives -- finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon-style Mustard

*Lebanese Mint dressing*

1/4 bunch fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, mashed with 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 lemons, squeezed for their juice (get rid of rest of lemon)
2 tblsp oil
1/4 cup dried mint (from your own garden is best!)

Mix all ingredients well.


Hope this helps some.


----------



## TATTRAT (Aug 13, 2007)

Here is something I used to use.

Mint
a little grated fresh Ginger
Lemon zest
Soy Oil
mirin
s+p
a little crushed red pepper

never used it on salad, but was a finishing vin for a lamb pop appitizer I had on a menu. Minty, "asiany" , good.


----------



## Golfgar4 (Aug 13, 2007)

Hey, thanks for the ideas.  Both of those recipes sound good, but I don't think they're very similar to what we had.  I guess I'll just have to go back there and twist the chef's arm to get the recipe.


----------



## jennyema (Aug 13, 2007)

Mint is used a lot in Thai and Vietnamese cooking.  Was the dressing spicy?

Vietnamese Salad with Chile-Mint Dressing Recipes at Cooking.com


----------



## Golfgar4 (Aug 13, 2007)

jennyema said:
			
		

> Mint is used a lot in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Was the dressing spicy?
> 
> Vietnamese Salad with Chile-Mint Dressing Recipes at Cooking.com


 
No.  As a matter of fact, it was very light and refreshing.  We were very surprised at how light it was, considering that all of the items on the menu had a very distintictive asian style to them.  We did expect it to be a little "zingy", but it definitely was not.  I have a feeling that it may be something that the chef concocted on his own.  He's very talented, and the presentation of all of our meals was outstanding.  I even took pictures!  See for yourself.


----------



## ironchef (Aug 13, 2007)

Golfgar4 said:
			
		

> We asked if we could get the recipe, but we were denied based on "Chef's secret". I can accept that.


 
That's lame. 

One question: are you sure that the dressing had mint IN it, or was there fresh mint leaves in the salad? I've never heard of a traditional Vietnamese dressing with mint in it per se. The mint is usually always included with the food component that the dressing or sauce will be paired with.


----------



## Golfgar4 (Aug 14, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> That's lame.
> 
> One question: are you sure that the dressing had mint IN it, or was there fresh mint leaves in the salad? I've never heard of a traditional Vietnamese dressing with mint in it per se. The mint is usually always included with the food component that the dressing or sauce will be paired with.


 
That's an interesting thought.  I actually can't say for certain, but I _believe_ that it was the dressing itself that had the mint flavor in it.  The menu clearly said that it was "The House Mint Dressing".  Would or could they say that if it didn't have mint flavor in it?  I don't know.

And I don't believe these dishes were anything near "traditional" anything.  I would describe them as an Americanized version of similar asian dishes.

I know we'll be going back there, and I plan on getting a better understanding of what they're serving.


----------



## *amy* (Aug 14, 2007)

The first thing that came to mind is mint pesto sauce - perhaps thinned out a bit (w lime juice).

Pesto


----------



## jennyema (Aug 14, 2007)

Was it lime-y and sweet? With maybe some fish sauce in it?

This is a common dressing for southeast asian salads.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f11/cambodian-summer-salad-and-roll-filling-tnt-25080.html

Mint is often added as a garnish but could be added to the dressing itself, as well.


----------



## Golfgar4 (Aug 14, 2007)

jennyema said:
			
		

> Was it lime-y and sweet? With maybe some fish sauce in it?


 
No, it was definitely mint, not lime.  I don't think it had fish sauce in it, but then again, I'm not that familiar with fish sauce so I might not even realize what it is.  And I wouldn't say that the dressing was particularly sweet.  The quickest description I can give is that it was minty and light and had the consistency of a vinagrette.

Boy, all you folks have asked great questions and really have me thinking now.  I'll just have to force myself to go back there and try it again and do some Sherlock Holming to solve this mystery.


----------



## ironchef (Aug 14, 2007)

Next time you go, ask for the dressing on the side.


----------

