Wednesday 7 May 2014

Chorizo Salad


Some time ago, my brother brought a Chorizo Salad to my house for our family dinner party. It was delicious! I asked for the recipe and then I forgot all about it. Then last Sunday I spotted Chorizo at a pork outlet at the supermarket. I immediately thought of my brother's salad and bought the sausages. Back home, after the Chorizo was defrosted, I opened up the packaging. That was when I realised that this was not Chorizo as Chorizo should be! 



have bought Chorizo before from Cold Storage and I know what Chorizo looks like. It is soft and has a characteristic red colour that comes from paprika or red peppers. From the packaging this one did have a reddish tinge but when defrosted it became rather pale. And it was solid like a frankfurter. Looking at the cross section after I sliced it, adoi! it further confirmed that this no Chorizo.

I was very disappointed. Kena tipu! (cheated!). Perhaps the sausages were incorrectly labelled or that was the outlet's interpretation (they make their own sausages) of Chorizo. When I looked closer at the ingredients list, it said chicken (to my horror!) in English and pork in Bahasa Malaysia (khinzir)! So which is which?


Oh, never mind. It was too late as I already had all my other ingredients ready. I found a recipe at Tesco Real Food and used it only as a guide. The recipe calls for only 2 teaspoons of sherry vinegar to 2.5 tablespoons of olive oil. I felt that the dressing was too little and used my own recipe. When I fried the sausages, I sprinkled some Hungarian paprika on them to make up for the absence of paprika. This so-called Chorizo tasted more like black pepper sausages. Though it was good for an ordinary sausage, it ain't the real deal. I had my craving for "Chorizo" Salad satisfied, sort of...and I have learnt a lesson. Next time, I'll be sure to source for the real thing from Cold Storage. Tsk..tsk..












Chorizo Salad
Recipe source : Guided by Tesco Real Food

Ingredients :
- 4 Chorizo sausages, cut into coins
- 3 tbsp olive oil for frying

- 2 tbsp Red Wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Maple syrup (or honey)
-  1 big clove garlic
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 big onion, thinly sliced
- 6 red cocktail tomatoes on vine, sliced
- a handful of Italian parsley, coarsely chopped


Method :

1. Fry the sausages in a hot pan until brown. Remove and set aside. Reserve the oil in the pan (it has loads of flavours).
2. To make the dressing, pound garlic, black peppercorns and salt till fine.
3. Mix the pounded ingredients with red wine vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil and 2 tablespoons of oil from the frying pan.
4. In a mixing bowl add fried sausages, tomatoes, onions and chopped parsley.
5. Add the dressing and toss to mix well.
6. Garnish with extra chopped parsley and serve immediately.

40 comments:

  1. Adui Phong Hong, sorry to hear you got kena tipu .... qnd even the label indicated a misleading info. You must be feeling ......grrrrrrrr!!! Nevertheless thanks for sharing this salad recipe with us.

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    1. Mel, now I know that I cannot trust the Chorizo there hah...hah...their other sausages are good.

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  2. Not a fan of chorizos, I gave away what I had left - the ones I brought back from NZ...nor chicken sausages. Beef or pork also will depend on the brand. Cold Storage selling incorrectly labelled products? Duhhhh!!!!

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    1. I bought the "Chorizos" from a pork outlet, not Cold Storage. The ones from Cold Storage are the real ones. Pricey but OK once in a while and at least I get the real thing.

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    2. i heard u used the Chorizo in instant noodles ka? It is like putting Chinese Lap Cheong into Pizza... mana boleh jalan... salah recipe, next time google how to eat chorizos ok...

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    3. Uiks! Chorizo and instant noodles??? ***Pengan***

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  3. got write there "for illustration purposes only" ka? LOL

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  4. hmmm, if i'm not mistaken there are many varieties of chorizo, can be soft like raw sausage and can be hard like cured ham depending on the varieties and the place it is made.. but then, English label said chicken and Malay label said khinzir, this one surely confusing, i thought all are made of pork, no?? anyway, don't buy that brand probably it's local production since it has Malay label??

    anyway, to me, apa-apa macam sausage also i like lah, haha!! and this salad surely looks delicious to me dei~~ thumbs up!!!

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    1. SK, you sure know quite a bit about Chrizo! This sausage made by local company and I think they salah faham what is Chorizo hmmph!

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  5. Hi Phong Hong,

    To me, the real chorizo looks quite spicy with bright red spots of fats... Sad that you bought the wrong sausages. Nevermind, lah! make another salad again loh.

    Zoe

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    1. Hi Zoe! I will buy the real Chorizo and make the salad again. What a let down :(

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  6. Phong Hong, I used to love chorizo in making risotto, then I realised that not some types of chorizo actually got a mix with veal then now, I have to study the label very carefully before buying. This dish of chorizo salad looks simple but tasty, like how you paired up the salad with siew yok, hahaha

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    1. Hi Jessie! It would be nice when cooking paella. But must make sure it is betul-betul Chorizo!

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  7. Adoi! "Cham liao" they no QC check meh?! Anyway your salad looks very attractive and appealing.

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    1. Karen, I suspect they don't understand what is Chorizo hee..hee..

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  8. Can I exchange my Spanish Tortilla with your not really real Spanish Chorizo? must be feel comfortable eating this type of salad during hot weather..

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    1. Sonia, shy lah to give you fake Chorizo hee..hee...

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  9. Hi Phong Hong, real or not Chorizo, this salad looks good to me.

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    1. Thanks, Kimmy! I will make the salad again but this time with the real thing!

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  10. Elo twin! (We were separated from birth I know).. Just got back today.. Was having training yesterday.. I know what you wanted to ask.. Got depression mou? Well, not so much wor this time.. Maybe becoz I was bz? If bz, I guess no time to "think" of "that thing".. So it's good to keep myself bz, but it doesn't work all the time.. Sometimes, even if I'm bz, that depression still comes..

    I've eaten chorizo in a German restaurant a few years ago.. We ate at Bavarian Bierhaus, so it was all pork and chorizo and sauerkraut.. Nice.. Not a fan of sauerkraut, but a fan of meat and sausages and pork and cheese and knuckles and all, you name it..

    I will only poke and eat all your chorizo and leave out all the greens and vegetables, teehee *evil grin*

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    1. Morning, my young twin! Was wondering where you were. Oh, training kah? I used to like training sessions because very relax. But next day get back to work, lots of things to catch up. Yah, keeping busy is a good distraction from whatever "thing" bothering you. Should keep busy more lah like that.

      I have eaten at Bavarian Bierhaus a few years ago. I like their sausage platter. Eh, I also don't like sauerkraut. Funny taste hor? Other than that the porky stuff is good. Another place for porky goodness is El Cerdo (In Spanish it means The Pig) in KL. But very expensive. I save money then go there once a year hee..hee..

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  11. Hi Phong Hong,
    Got cheated huh? Once bitten, twice shy, looks like you are not going to go there again for your chorizos! Chicken or pork? Bad labelling! :)
    The salad looks good, I like chorizo and would have finished the whole plate in minutes!

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    1. Hi Joyce! Aiyah! I went to Cold Storage this morning and I forgot about the Chorizo! Getting old....

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  12. Oh no, Phong Hong! I bought this before and was wondering too what had happened to the labelling, hahaha... Well, once bitten, twice shy. I still prefer Cold Storage for frozen meat, fresh and most of the time, reliable. Anyway, your so called chorizo or hot dog or whatever it is, still looks very tempting and delectable! So, it's your creativity and talent that managed to whip up such a irresistible dish, no matter what ingredients you used! Thanks of sharing and warmest regards :)

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    1. Hi Ivy! I meant to buy Chorizo this morning but I end up buying other things at Cold Storage hah...hah....

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  13. Hi Phong Hong, haven't try chorizos. Wah, the labeling can be so misleading. :))
    Anyway your salad look very appetizing and the colour is beautiful. You're an excellent cook.

    Have a nice week ahead,regards.
    Amelia

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    1. Hi Amelia! Thank you for your compliments! **blush**blush**

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  14. Dear Phong Hong, drop by to say Happy mother's day to you. Have a pleasant weekend

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    1. Happy Mother's Day to you Angeline!

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  15. I've made that same "type" of mistake too... but with Mexican Chorizo instead of Spanish. You'd think they'd be the same. They aren't even close. I do like a meat salad, Phong... you know just how to get my motor running this morning.
    Have a great day!

    BTW - tried that omelette yet? :)

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    1. Hi Toby! Oh, I would not know the difference between the varieties of Chorizo! Very trick this :D

      I haven't tried the omelette yet but I will get to it!

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  16. Hi PH,
    Thanks for sharing this post,next time when i go to Cold Storage I will keep an eye to the Chorizo.It is a new thing to me.
    Happy mother's day!

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    1. Hi Aunty Young! Happy Mother's Day!

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  17. Oh my goodness. I am drooling over this!! This looks great!

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    1. Thanks, Cathleen! Bummer about the Chorizo :(

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  18. Oh dear, what a mix-up! So funny! Can't believe the printing error. This such looks like an amazing salad, dear. Here's dropping by to wish you a Happy Mother's Day! xoxo

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  19. Happy Mother's Day to you, Shirley!

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  20. Wow now I am craving for sausages!

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