From the menu of … Rain Thai and Sushi Bar, 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta. 404-325-6963; www.rainatlantaga.com
Q. I love and often crave the Spicy Crispy Duck Salad at Rain Thai and Sushi Bar located next to the Tara Theatre. Besides crispy duck, the salad has apples, grapes, cherry tomatoes, red onions, etc. I would love to know the seasonings for the salad. It is spicy, sweet and tropical in flavor. Thank you.
Becky Williams, Atlanta
A. This salad is quick to put together and full of herbal and tropic flavors as Williams suggests. The most time consuming part will be tracking down a duck breast. They’re generally available at Whole Foods Markets and at the DeKalb Farmers Market as well. After that, a little chopping, a little frying and the salad is ready to serve.
The restaurant deep fries the unseasoned, unbattered duck breast. Since most homes aren’t equipped with a deep fryer, we offer a pan frying option here.
Rain Thai and Sushi Bar prepares its own sweet chili paste. You can also make your own with one of the many recipes online, or purchase sweet chili paste at almost any grocery store or Asian food market.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of restaurant in the subject line.
Rain Thai and Sushi Bar’s Spicy Crispy Duck Salad
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves: 1
Peanut oil for frying
1 (6-ounce) duck breast, trimmed, skin removed, patted dry
5 teaspoons fish sauce
5 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons ground roasted peanuts
2 teaspoons sweet chili paste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 apple, cored and cut into 1/8-inch sticks
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
6 grapes, cut in half
1/8 red onion, thinly sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon whole roasted cashews
Lettuce
In a small skillet, add just enough peanut oil to barely cover the surface of the pan. Turn heat to high and bring oil just to smoking point. Carefully add duck breast and allow to brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn breast, reduce heat to medium, and cook until breast is just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool slightly, then cut into strips.
While duck is cooking, make dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, peanuts, sweet chili paste and sugar. Set aside.
While duck is cooling, toss apple, tomatoes, grapes, red onion, green onion and cilantro in a serving bowl. When duck has cooled enough to handle, thinly slice into strips and add to salad. Toss with reserved dressing. Serve on lettuce leaves, garnish with cashews and serve immediately.
Per serving: 528 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), 12 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 41 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 33 milligrams cholesterol, 158 milligrams sodium.
