Thank you guys so much for your sweet comments on yesterdays post – totally made my morning! I really want to do a post on the various – and I mean VARIOUS – jobs I have had over the past few months. Since completing my course it’s been a whirlwind of externships and part time gigs – from making pickles to churning ice cream (my favourite of course, but sadly not one with the potential to go long term). I’m really aiming to get a post up early next week!
In the meantime though I had to tell you about this totally delicious dinner I had yesterday.
We spent last Christmas at Louis aunt and uncle, who live in the English countryside and are basically the best cooks ever. I think I talked about them before? That’s their spice rack in the picture above, and their cookbook selection is no less impressive. I can spend hours getting lost in it, most especially with a nice bourbon by my side. This Christmas I spent a particularly long time pursuing their selection of Nigella cookbooks.
Now, truthfully Nigellas TV personality is not someone I’m particularly drawn to (understatement). On TV her movie star nose, perfectly blow dried hair and endless finger sucking are kind off too much for me, but in print her recipes are actually pretty appealing. She is definitely a chef I think I have the same taste in food as and, whilst I try to avoid lingering on the dessert section for too long (my poor hips), the salad section is definitely appealing. This is where her recipe for Asian Chicken Salad comes in!
This recipe is actually more of a ‘strategy’ than a specific recipe as such. It’s not really the salad or chicken part you need to pay attention to – just make the chicken and salad however you fancy! – it’s really the DRESSING that’s so important. As a major fan of Asian style salads in restaurants, I’ve never quite been able to nail the sweet/ tangy/ unami dressing balance… but finally I think it’s happened. Of course everybody’s tastes are a little different, so what I’ve written below is more a template than anything else. You’ll need to tweak the amounts to meet your own preferences.. but these are the ingredients to start with!
As a final note – this salad was really delicious last night, but it was also one of those occasions where the leftovers are even better. Isn’t that always the case with coleslaw style salads? I WOLFED down the second portion at lunch and am already thinking of making another double batch for lunches all next week. On account of all the cabbage and fish sauce and such this is possible more of a ‘Mommy Meal’ – but it’s a totally fine one at that. Make it soon Asian food lovers!!
Speak soon friends! xo
Asian Chicken Salad – adapted from Nigellas recipe.
Serves 2 – 3 VERY generously
2 chicken breasts, ideally free range
1 small white cabbage, cored and shredded
2 medium carrots, grated
4 inch ginger, peeled and grated on box grater
2 red onions, halved and thinly sliced (I love onion flavour – you may want to reduce to 1 onion though!)
1 – 2 small thai chillies, de-seeded (or not if you prefer things spicy!) and finely sliced.
2 limes, juiced (smash the limes against a hard surface briefly before juicing, to ensure they are easier to juice)
4 tablespoons unrefined brown sugar (I used Sucanat)
2 – 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 – 2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 – 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 – 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (or omit if you don’t like using vegetable oils – I generally dont but make an exception for Asian style salads!)
1 handful of mint, chopped
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
handful of cashew nuts (optional, but tasty! toasted almonds would probably be nice too…)
1) Bake chicken breasts using favoured method. Once cooked remove the skin (making sure to eat it yourself!) and then shred or chop the chicken, and set aside.
2) Combine next 5 salad ingredients in a large bowl and set aside
3) Combine 6 dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar with a lid. You can either whisk with a fork or shake to combine. I would start with the lower amounts of all ingredients and then taste to adjust. I like very tangy acidic flavours and I ended up using all the rice vinegar (in addition to the lime juice!) and even adding some extra fish sauce. However, everybodys tastes are different so just balance it according to your preference. I like to dip some cabbage in it, so I can get an idea of how it will taste with the veggies! The dressing will also develop in flavour as it marinates the salad.
4) Once you are happy with the dressing toss over the vegetables and mix in the chicken. Add the chopped herbs at the last possible moment so they keep their colour. Try to allow the salad to marinate for at least one hour before serving.
