A Simple Summer Salad that Explodes with Flavor

Kedai Makan — Kevin Burzell and Alysson Wilson’s Malaysian spot that began as a pop-up in 2013 and evolved into a now-shuttered brick-and-mortar in Capitol Hill — was one of the first places I ate in Seattle after moving here during the pandemic in 2020. I remember plenty of standouts: the roti jala, its delicate egg-net perfect for tearing and dragging through curry; the Malacca-style Hainanese chicken rice. But the dish I never fail to order — and that has never failed to impress visiting friends — is the Kerabu Timun Nanas, a sweet-hot-funky-herbaceous salad of pineapple, cucumber, and red onion dressed with fish sauce, dried shrimp, and toasted coconut. It's one of those dishes that punches every nerve on your tongue all at once.

The restaurant closed briefly in 2022 before reopening under new ownership with two locations. I haven’t tried the new version yet (I’ve heard the food isn’t quite the same, but I’ll reserve judgment), but that first closure pushed me to develop my own take on that salad — now a staple at home that comes together in about 15 minutes.

I never measure my ingredients for this one, instead relying on my tongue to balance out the heat with chilies, the funkiness with fish sauce and dried shrimp, the acidity with lime juice, and the sweetness with sugar until it tastes about right, but if it's your first time, a scale or some measuring spoons is probably a good idea so you can get an idea of the base flavor.

The real key to this salad is using the mortar and pestle to form the dressing. Using the mortar and pestle crushes garlic and chili cells which releases more flavorful aromatic compounds than chopping them. I combine garlic and chilies with sugar (palm sugar if you've got it, a course dark brown like turbinado if you don't) and crush them into a paste before adding fish sauce and lime juice. A good, course granite mortar and pestle will make short work of dissolving the paste and forming the dressing right in mortar.

Toasted coconut adds a nice nuttiness to the salad. I buy shredded unsweetened coconut flakes and toast them in a skillet with just a little oil until they're golden brown and fragrant. I add store-bought fried shallots, some tiny dried shrimp, and a ton of herbs finish it off.

While those basic flavoring ingredients — the fish sauce, fried shallots, toasted coconut, and dried shrimp — may not be staples in your home right now. Make this salad once and they will be.

Spicy Pineapple and Cucumber Salad with Fish Sauce, Chilies, Herbs, and Lime

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

What I like about this recipe:

• Making the dressing in the mortar and pestle extracts maximum flavor out of the aromatics.

• The combination of chilies, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice hits hot, sweet, salty, umami, and sour notes all at once.

Yield: Serves 6

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil

1/2 cup (40g) shredded unsweetened coconut

2 medium cloves garlic

1-4 red or green Thai bird chilies, chopped

1/4 cup (50g) palm or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons (30ml) fish sauce

2 tablespoons (30ml) fresh lime juice

2 cups (200g) sliced cucumber (about 3 Persian or Japanese cucumbers, or 1 English cucumber)

4 cups (400g) chopped pineapple (about 1 whole)

1 cup (100g) thinly sliced red onion

1/2 cup (20g) roughly chopped cilantro, basil, Thai bail, mint, or dill (or a mixture)

1/4 cup (20g) fried shallots

A small handful dried shrimp, roughly chopped (optional)

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the coconut and toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate to cool. You can toast the coconut up to a few days in advance. store in a sealed container at room temperature.

2. In a large granite mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, chilies, and sugar until it forms a paste. Add the fish sauce and incorporate using a circular motion until the sugar is dissolved. Incorporate lime juice.

3. Combine cucumber, pineapple, onion, herbs, fried shallots, toasted coconut, and dried shrimp in a large bowl. Pour in the dressing and toss to combine. Taste and adjust flavor with more fish sauce, lime juice, or chilies as desired.