Recipes Chopped Vegetable Salad Be the first to rate & review! At his eponymous Honolulu restaurant, superstar chef Alan Wong makes this version of the classic American salad with baby lettuces instead of iceberg. Terrific Green Salads By Alan Wong Alan Wong F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: Alan Wong’s, the Pineapple Room by Alan Wong, Alan Wong’s Amasia (Hawaii) What’s your signature dish? Ginger-crusted onaga, which was inspired by the traditional Chinese recipe for cold ginger chicken. We encrust a piece of onaga fish with ginger-scallion oil and top it with panko. It gets toasted in a broiler, and served with sautéed Hamakua mushrooms and Lahuku corn and a miso-sesame vinaigrette. The acidity in the vinaigrette is meant to bring out the sweetness in the fish. Who is your food mentor?Andre Soltner of Lutèce in New York City. He taught me that having a good foundation is the most important thing in cooking. What’s your favorite cookbook of all-time?Le Menu Gastronomique: An Interpretation of Nouvelle Cuisine, by Jack Gillon. It taught me to put my ego aside and cook for the occasion, which is sometimes a difficult thing to do. For example, when you’re cooking for a wedding, it’s more important to celebrate the couple and their wedding than the food. What’s a dish that tells your story as a chef? Da Bag. It utilizes the French technique of en papillote, but with aluminum foil instead of parchment paper. Pork and clams are a classic combination of flavors, and this dish uses Kalua pig (Hawaiian slow cooked, smoked pork). It’s also a surprise because it gets served to the guests looking like a big Jiffy Pop bag, and it’s opened tableside. What's the most important skill you need to be a great cook? A great attitude. What’s the best bang-for-the-buck ingredient? Eggs. You can use them in so many ways, for all meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. What’s your current food obsession? Noodles. I can eat them every day, and I’m working on my own noodle pop-up. What do you eat in the kitchen while standing up? Kimchi right out of the jar, and my favorite snack is arare (Japanese rice crackers). Best bang-for-the-buck food trip? Singapore. The street food and hawker stalls have delicious food that costs very little. If you were going to take Thomas Keller, Tony Bourdain or Mario Batali out to eat, where would you go? I would take Thomas Keller to Side Street Inn in Honolulu. I know he likes to try simple, local food, and this is one of my favorite places. We’ve already taken Tony Bourdain there, and he enjoyed it. If you were facing an emergency, and could only take one backpack of supplies, what would you bring? My knife, drinking water, rice, taro and pipikaula (Hawaiian-style dried beef). And I’d eat fresh fruits that I would find. What ingredient will people be talking about in five years?Natto (Japanese fermented soybeans). It’s the next superfood. What’s the most cherished souvenir you’ve brought back from a trip? The group photo taken of me with our vice president of development Leigh Ito, wine director Mark Shishido, and pastry chef Michelle Karr-Ueoka, at the ruins in Ephesus, Turkey. We took it during a cruise through the Mediterranean last November. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 29, 2015 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Petrina Tinslay Yield: 4 Ingredients 3 tablespoons canola oil 1 tablespoon black bean salsa 2 teaspoons minced serrano or jalapeño chile 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil Salt and freshly ground pepper 4 ounces sugar snap peas 4 ounces green beans 1 cup small broccoli florets 5 baby beets—trimmed, scrubbed and halved lengthwise 4 cups (packed) mixed baby greens, such as frisÉe and romaine 2 plum tomatoes, cut into eighths 4 ounces feta cheese, preferably French, cut into 1/2-inch cubes Directions In a bowl, combine the canola oil, salsa, chile, garlic, sherry and rice vinegars, soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the sugar snap peas until just tender, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sugar snaps to a colander and refresh under cold water; pat dry with paper towels and transfer to a large bowl. Repeat the process with the green beans, broccoli and beets, cooking each vegetable individually until just tender. Add the greens, tomatoes and feta cheese to the bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well and serve. Make Ahead The recipe can be prepared through Step 2 up to 1 day ahead; refrigerate the vegetables and dressing separately and bring to room temperature before assembling the salad. Rate it Print