Recipe: California Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce (copycat recipe)

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN THAI CRUNCH SALAD
(copycat recipe)

"Menu Description: Shredded napa cabbage, chilled grilled chicken breast, julienne cucumbers, endamame, crispy wontons, peanuts, cilantro, julienne carrots, red cabbage and scallions tossed with a lime-cilantro dressing. Topped with crispy rice sticks and Thai peanut dressing."

FOR THE LIME-CILANTRO DRESSING:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup honey
4 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp garlic
pinch salt
pinch ground black pepper

FOR THE SPICY PEANUT SAUCE:
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
6 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp chili sauce (or chili garlic sauce)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 cup water

FOR THE CHICKEN:
4 small chicken breast fillets
vegetable oil

FOR THE CRISPY WONTONS:
2 or 3 cups vegetable oil or shortening
8 wonton wrappers

FOR THE SALAD ADDITIONS:
1 handful bean threads
1 cup shelled edamame
1 cup unsalted peanuts

FOR THE SALAD:
12 cups chopped napa cabbage, (1 large head)
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 cups shredded or julienned carrot
1 cup julienned cucumber
4 green onions, chopped (green part only)

TO MAKE THE LIME-CILANTRO DRESSING:
Make lime-cilantro dressing by combining all ingredients in a blender on high speed for 20 seconds, or until cilantro is chopped fine, but not entirely pureed. Cover and chill.

TO MAKE THE SPICY PEANUT SAUCE:
Make spicy peanut sauce by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium/low heat. Heat until sauce is hot, but not boiling, and sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture into a blender and blend for about 20 seconds. Cover and chill.

TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN:
Flatten chicken breasts by covering them with plastic wrap and pounding them thin with a kitchen mallet. Rub oil on each breast, sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper, and grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until done. Wrap and chill the cooked chicken.

TO MAKE THE CRISPY WONTONS:
Make crispy wontons by heating 2 cups of vegetable shortening or oil in a medium saucepan to 375 degrees F. Slice a stack of 8 wonton wrappers into 1/4-inch wide strips. Slice those strips in half. Fry them in hot oil for about 30 seconds or until light brown. Drain on paper towels.

TO PREPARE THE SALAD ADDITIONS:
Fry a big handful of beans threads in hot oil for about 10 seconds or until they float to the top of the oil. Drain on paper towels.

Cook edamame following the directions on the package. If the soybeans are in the pods, remove them and chill the beans after they have cooked.

Toast the peanuts by heating them up in a skillet over medium/low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, just until they start to brown. Immediately remove them from the heat so that they don't burn.

TO MAKE THE SALADS:
Now you're ready to build the salads. For each serving, combine 3 cups napa cabbage, 1/2 cup red cabbage, 1/2 cup carrot, 1/4 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup edamame, 1/4 cup toasted peanuts, 1/4 cup crispy wontons, and a couple tablespoons of chopped green onion in a large bowl.

Thinly slice a cold chicken breast into bite-size pieces and add it to the salad. Pour 4 to 5 tablespoons of cilantro-lime dressing over the salad and toss well. Carefully pour tossed salad onto a serving plate. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup crispy bean threads on top of the salad.

Spoon Spicy Peanut Sauce into a squirt bottle (or a small plastic storage bag with the tip of a corner snipped off) and squirt the sauce in a sweeping motion over the top of the salad. Repeat for remaining salads.

Adapted from source: More Super Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur (Plume, Penguin Group, 2007)