Ensalada de chonta

As tradition built it

Ensalada de chonta

Serves 4 . 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 400g chonta (palm heart), fibrous outer layers removed, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup, thinly sliced onion, first briefly soaked in cold salted water to soften its sharpness
• 1 cup, wedges or cubes tomato
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp, ground pepper
• 1 pinch sugar, a touch
• 2 tbsp, chopped cilantro
• 2 cups leaves lettuce, to serve over

Method

1. Wash the chonta, remove its fibrous outer layers, cut into thin strips and rinse in fresh water to keep it crisp.
2. Soak the onion briefly in cold salted water to soften its sharpness, then drain.
3. Combine the chonta and onion with tomato, dressed in lime juice, oil, salt, pepper and a touch of sugar.
4. Fold cilantro through at the end to preserve its aroma.
5. Serve over lettuce.

What a modern chef changes

Mandoline shave, vacuum cure, dehydrated tomato

Method

1. Shave the chonta on a mandoline for a genuinely finer, more consistent julienne than hand-cutting achieves, then hold it briefly under vacuum with the lime dressing for an even, controlled cure through the whole strip rather than only the surface.
2. Dehydrate a portion of the tomato into concentrated, chewy pieces alongside the fresh dice, a real textural contrast the standard salad does not offer.
3. Finish with a fine dust of dried, ground ají charapita from the spice grinder for heat without disturbing the salad's essential simplicity.