Salad is a quintessential dish for the summer season, with everyone having their unique way of savouring it. Some enjoy a basic garden salad as a side dish, while others transform it into a full meal by adding fats, proteins, and carbohydrates — think chicken Caesar or a bean salad. Most people concur that a splash of dressing enhances its taste, but many store-bought dressings spoil before they can be fully used.
A straightforward blend of just three pantry staples could be the answer to your salad dilemmas when you’re stuck with eating it plain. Shared by Simply Recipes, this creamy salad dressing requires only three ingredients and can be prepared from scratch in merely five minutes.
It’s also versatile, complementing all sorts of simple salads, especially those with chicken, and is excellent on cabbage for homemade coleslaw.
Rachel Knecht from Simply Recipes reveals she makes the sweetened dressing recipe “on repeat” to drizzle over her favourite salad that combines grilled chicken, white rice, chilled iceberg lettuce, and shaved carrots, reports the Express.
The fundamental recipe is straightforward: just mix rice vinegar, sugar, and mayonnaise. Rachel mentions: “Sometimes you’ll find sesame oil or poppy seeds added. I add salt, but again, you could skip it if you want to.”
Regarding quantities, Rachel’s formula produces around half a cup of dressing, sufficient to cover one head of iceberg lettuce (approximately four servings).
Creamy salad dressing recipe
Rachel’s basic recipe offers a simple way to tailor your dressing to your palate, describing her own version as “more tangy than sweet”. She advises that you can sweeten the mix by adding sugar a teaspoon at a time.
She also recommends using full-fat mayonnaise to prevent curdling when combined with vinegar, ensuring the dressing remains perfect for up to two days in the fridge without hardening or separating.
Ingredients
1/4 cup rice vinegar
Two tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup full-fat mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
One teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
Method
Rachel’s basic recipe offers a simple way to tailor your dressing to your palate, describing her own version as “more tangy than sweet”. She advises that you can sweeten the mix by adding sugar a teaspoon at a time.
She also recommends using full-fat mayonnaise to prevent curdling when combined with vinegar, ensuring the dressing remains perfect for up to two days in the fridge without hardening or separating.
To whip up the dressing, start by mixing rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl or jug with a spout, whisking until dissolved.
Once the sugar and salt have fully dissolved, blend in the mayonnaise until you achieve a smooth consistency. At this stage, if desired, incorporate sesame oil and poppy seeds as well.
For an extra kick, season generously with pepper. Drizzle the freshly made dressing over a bowl of crisp salad leaves, tossing thoroughly to coat each leaf.