VEGGIE SALAD THE ILOCANO WAY

My local vegetable salad is simple and easy to prepare. But I usually prepare a unique salad dressing to make my salad taste better.

My homemade salad ingredients

FINGER PEPPER PICKLES

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg finger pepper, cut aprox. 1/2 cm thick
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb size ginger, minced
• salt and pepper
• Del Monter Vinegar

Put the cut chilies in a jar preferably with plastic lid, then add all the other ingredients with 2 tbsp salt. Add Vinegar up to the brim of the jar. Cover tightly and set aside. It can be ready after 24 hours.

STRING BEANS PICKLES:

Ingredients:

• 30pcs string beans, cut aprox. 2 cm long
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, cut into quarters
• 1 thumb size ginger,thinly slice
• salt and pepper
• Del Monte Vinegar

Put the cut string beans in a jar, preferably with plastic lid, then add all the other ingredients with 1 tbsp salt in each jar. Add Vinegar up to the brim of the jar. Cover tightly and set aside. It can be ready after 24 hours.

FISH SAUCE:

Note: The fermented fish is usually prepared by my mother-in-law, something I haven't tried to make, but I probably will in the future because my husband likes the cooked fish sauce with his vegetable salad.

In every 1kg fermented fish,  you need the following to make the sauce:

• 1 medium onion, thinly slice
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 thumb size ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp whole pepper
• 2 tbsp Bertolli Classico olive oil
• 1 tbsp local vinegar, to preserve the sauce

Heat the oil in a pan, then stir fry the onion, garlic and ginger until slightly golden brown. Add the fermented fish(remove the bones by using a strainer) and let it simmer for 20 minutes, add pepper and vinegar. Wait for the mixture to cool down completely then put in a jar, preferably with plastic lid.

1. KAMOTE LEAVES SALAD

Ingredients:

Young sweet potato leaves, freshly picked from my backyard

• young leaves of sweet potato
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/4 onion, minced
• 2 tbsp. cooked fermented fish sauce
• pepper
• finger pepper pickles
• pickled string beans

Preparation:

1. Soak the sweet potato leaves in 1 liter water with 2tbsp salt for 15mins, rinsed well.
2. Prepare the salad dressing: diced tomatoes, 2-3 tbsp finger pepper pickles, minced onion and some pickled string beans, mix all the ingredients in 2 tbsp of fish sauce.
3. Boil 200ml water, then dip the  leaves in the boiling water, cover,  switch off stove and leave for aprox. 3 minutes.
4. Drain the leaves, put in a plate and mixed it with the sauce.

2. OKRA SALAD (LADIES FINGER SALAD)

Ingredients:

• 20 pcs okra
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/4 onion, minced
• 2 tbsp. cooked fermented fish sauce
• pepper
• finger pepper pickles

Preparation:

1. Make sure to rinse well the okra with running water.
2. Boil the okra in 200ml water for approximately 5minutes or until okra is tender soft, drain and arrange them in a bowl/plate the way you like it. 
3. Prepare the salad dressing: diced tomatoes, 2-3 tbsp finger pepper pickles, minced onion, mix all the ingredients in 2 tbsp of fish sauce.