PAKO SALAD

from Chef Paul Poblador of Kusina Salud restaurant, The Philippines

The salad is made from fiddlehead fern, which has a flavor similar to watercress but not as peppery (he also uses ferns in stews and soups). For the salad he blanches the ferns in icy water instead of boiling water to keep them crunchy. He adds pepper, organic tomatoes, diced purple onions, toasted peanuts, toasted garlic, and salted duck eggs (grated). Toss, sprinkle with grated processed cheese food, and top with a cut lime as garnish. Finally, sprinkle with a vinaigrette made from fish sauce, mustard, mayo, calamensi lime and a neutral oil such as soy or canola.