Grapefruit brings healthy zip to Thai salad

Grapefruits are among the first citrus fruits to arrive on store shelves in late fall, and they bring with them a welcome punch of vitamins A and C.

Sweet and juicy, a medium-sized grapefruit also delivers 3 grams of dietary fiber. This could help keep you feeling full for longer — no small thing when holiday meals and party treats tempt with high-cal bites.

“East” by Meera Sodha, which features a collection of Asian-inspired vegetarian and vegan recipes, features grapefruit in a salad that bursts with Thai flavors.

The fruit along with shredded cabbage, carrots and iceberg lettuce are tossed with a soy sauce-based dressing that is sweet, sour, savory and slightly spicy all at the same time.

Crushed cashews add a nutty finish, and there’s also the salty crunch of crispy fried onions. It’s wonderful, easy to make and incredibly satisfying.

I used a pink grapefruit, which is little less bitter than white grapefruit, but any variety would work well. You could substitute grapefruits with oranges or mandarin oranges.

Thai Salad With Grapefruit and Cashews

Serves 2 for lunch or 4 as a starter. FROM “East” by Meera Sodha (Penguin; 2019)

1 pink or red grapefruit

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)

3 cups finely shredded red cabbage

1/2 pound carrots (2 medium), peeled and julienned

3 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce

1/3 cup torn up Thai basil leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 bird’s-eye chiles, very finely chopped

11/2 to 2 teaspoons sugar (to taste)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup unsalted cashews, roughly chopped

2/3 cup crispy fried onions

Place the grapefruit on a chopping board and cut a third off the end. Squeeze the juice of this third into a small bowl to get around 1/4 cup of juice. Add the lime juice and keep to one side.

Slice the peel off the other two-thirds of the grapefruit, cut the flesh into segments and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the cabbage, carrots, lettuce and all but a handful of the basil leaves and mix. Add the salt, mix again, and set aside while you make the dressing.

Pound the garlic, chiles and sugar into a paste using a pestle and mortar. Add the soy sauce and muddle, then add the grapefruit and lime juice and mix again. If your pestle and mortar is large enough, add the oil and mix. If not, decant the dressing to a bowl, then add the oil and whisk to combine.

Pour the dressing over the salad, mix well, then tip on to a platter or into a salad bowl. Top with the remaining basil leaves, chopped cashews and fried onions. Serve immediately.