Tea Leaf Salad Recipe

Prepare vegetables

Thinly shred the cabbage and carrot. Trim and slice the green beans very thin (bias or fine chop). Slice tomatoes thinly into wedges or rounds. Place shredded cabbage, carrot, green beans, tomatoes, sliced shallots, and chopped cilantro into a large mixing bowl and toss gently to combine.

If using cooked protein (chicken or tofu), shred or cut into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl.

Taste the fermented tea leaves (laphet). If very salty or strong, rinse lightly under cold water and squeeze out excess liquid. Otherwise use as-is. Add the tea leaves to the bowl with the vegetables and gently toss to distribute.

Warm the oil gently in a small pan until just hot (do not smoke) — about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar, turmeric (if using), and chili. Slowly whisk in the warm oil to emulsify the dressing. Taste and adjust: more lime for acidity, more fish sauce for saltiness, more sugar for sweetness.

If your fried garlic or split peas are not ready-made, thinly slice garlic and fry in 1/4 cup oil over medium heat until golden and crisp; drain on paper towel. For split peas or chickpeas, roast with a pinch of salt until crunchy. Toast peanuts and sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and slightly browned; cool then coarsely crush the peanuts.

Combine fried garlic, crushed peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and crispy split peas in a small bowl to use as the crunchy topping.

Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the salad bowl and toss everything together gently but thoroughly so the tea leaves and vegetables are evenly coated. Add more dressing to taste if needed.

Scatter the crunchy topping (fried garlic, peanuts, sesame, split peas) over the dressed salad, reserving a little to finish at the table for extra texture.

Garnish with quartered hard-boiled eggs if using and an extra sprinkle of chopped cilantro. Serve immediately so the crunchy elements remain crisp.