When it’s hot out and you’re hungry, what comes to mind for lunch? A salad!
The next question is: Do you want a regular salad or not your average salad?
Well, if you haven’t been introduced to these exotic salads yet, I highly recommend to try them out next time you’re out for lunch or dinner. Two thumbs up for both the Vietnamese Bun Tom Thit Nuong Cha Gio (don’t ask me to pronounce that) and the Mexican Taco Loco.
While I enjoyed these at restaurants, I have not thought about trying them at home. If you want to give it a shot, I’m listing some links below for your perusal.
Vietnamese Bun Tom Thit Nuong Cha Gio Salad
First time I had this salad, I was going on a whim, wanting to try something different. And let me tell you, it was different! My taste buds were pleasantly surprised and everything this restaurant description says is true!
“Pork slices, charred to a caramelized thin crust to bring out the sweet marinade and scent of lemongrass, fresh garlic and shallot onion. On a bed of fresh beans sprouts, sits a mound of cool rice vermicelli noodle with your selected meat topping along with charred shrimp, a crispy eggroll and accented by crushed peanuts, mixed greens, cool cucumber and pickled carrots and daikon. A Saigon Cafe’s homemade fragrant sauce will complete your dish.”
The pork and egg-roll were still warm, but the rest of the dish was nicely chilled. The flavors were so well-balanced, I could not stop eating!
I’m so happy I’ve discovered this dish at Saigon Café in Atlanta, but you should be able to get it at any Vietnamese restaurant.
If you wan to try it out at home, here are some great recipes I found.
Vicky Pham’s version of Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio
A Spicy Perspective version of Bun Cha Gio
Mexican Taco Loco Salad
It must have been over 7 years since I last had this salad but last Saturday, when I dived into one, all memories came flooding back. You know that feeling of something on the menu that keeps calling your name and doesn’t make anything else seem good enough? That was Taco Loco for me! And it was as good as I remember!
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This salad is layered with tasty shredded chicken and lettuce, drizzled with cheese dip sauce, topped with shredded cheese, chopped tomato and (sour) cream in a (big) fried taco shell. Again, I couldn’t stop eating and almost finished the whole thing! But, since I’m trying to cut carbs, I only nibbled on a corner of the taco shell. The combination of warm chicken and cheese dip with the chilled lettuce and tomato, fried taco for texture, hmmm, it was yum yum good!
La Parilla in Marietta is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants and anything I ever had there, was delicious! You may be able to find Taco Loco at other Mexican restaurants, but everyone makes it differently.
Most recipes online use ground beef, but you could swap the beef for chicken. After searching for a while, I found this one, posted in 2010.
Once I’ve tried it myself, I’ll be posting my own recipe soon.
Homemade Chicken Taco Loco recipe from Tasty Kitchen
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