My husband loves spicy food. I can handle it, in small doses. He also recently requested “crazier” salads. I aim to please.

I bought opal basil and young ginger at the Berkeley Bowl recently, as well as daikon and mixed asian greens. I wasn’t sure exactly how the salad would come together, but I knew I wanted to play with some slightly more unusual ingredients. We both had busy days planned, so I made two matching lunch salads, packed to go. This was a perfect opportunity to really spice up his salad, and I did. Mine stayed mild enough for me to enjoy, and I made his salad hot hot HOT.

Ingredients:

(Lunch salad, serves one.)

4 cups of mixed asian greens, including mizuna, tatsoi, baby mustard greens, and baby romaine.

1 fistful of opal basil, chopped.

4-5 cherry tomatoes, whole.

2 large mushrooms, sliced.

2 scallions, sliced.

1/2 cup candied walnuts.

1 knob of young ginger, peeled, sliced, and cut into small matchsticks.

9 slices of peeled daikon, halved. (Use a mandoline or a good cheese slicer to get thin slices.)

1/4 leftover roast chicken breast, cubed.

1/2 leftover roast chicken drumstick, shredded.

Spicy Sesame Oil Balsamic Vinaigrette:

(Use only what you need. Refrigerate extra for a couple of days.)

2 T extra virgin olive oil.

1 T dark sesame oil.

1 T balsamic vinegar.

1 small shallot, diced.

1 small clove garlic, smashed and minced.

1-3 hefty pinches of red chili flakes, to taste.

1/2 tsp maple syrup.

Pinch of salt, to taste.

I doubled all of the ingredients above and made two matching salads, complete with vinaigrette. I began by mixing up the vinaigrettes in little jars, giving him three big pinches of red chili flakes to my one very small pinch. I tasted my dressing, and just hoped for the best for him. Then I created a lush bed of greens for each of us, and layered all of my other ingredients in two glass bowls. I chopped and sliced and sliced and chopped, putting my knife down only to use a spoon to peel the ginger and to use a fine Norwegian cheese slicer to quickly slice the daikon into perfect, thin circles. Finally, both glass bowls were full of a colorful, hearty salad. I nestled the salad dressing jars in the larger containers, popped the lids on, and we each went off for the day.

The Verdict:

This was really amazing. Like nothing I’ve tried before, at home or in a restaurant. Full of strong, punchy flavors that worked very well together. I liked the balsamic vinegar with the sesame oil, and the bits of ginger really sparkled. The walnuts and the daikon added crunchy joy, and the sweetness of the nuts and the tomatoes worked well with the spicy dressing and the peppery greens. It was crazy, in a good way. My husband loved the chili heat, and the explosive flavor. This is one that I’m sure I’ll revisit.

Make it a Meal:

Done.

Pack it to Go:

Done.