After travelling around South East Asia I have been obsessed with the delicious sweet/salty/sour flavours that are typical of the region (thank goodness for China Town in London). During my time away I was fortunate to sample multiple cuisines, allowing me to change my standpoint on fish sauce… I no longer consider it pungent, only delicious and ‘strong smelling’! I learnt that South East Asian food stretches beyond Thai Green curry and focuses on creating an array of flavours on your palate, primarily through fresh ingredients, tonnes of spices/herbs and a pestle and mortar (always!!!).
Cooking up a storm in Chiang Mai, Thailand
This recipe utilises some of the core Asian flavours, which is the essence of its deliciousness! The peanut dressing is particularly moreish… thankfully you can eat a tonne of this salad and still feel saintly in the healthy eating department!
I like to make a big batch of this salad to last me a few lunches/dinners, and cook up a few pieces of chicken at a time to then store in the fridge. If you want a sneeky short cut, you can purchase pre-cooked chicken and sprinkle it with five-spice, and if you are seriously time poor you can use a pre-made coleslaw mix found in the salad aisle of most UK supermarkets.
Now if only I could get back to S.E.A as easy as I can make this salad…
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tsp chinese five spice
- 1 small head of cabbage, shredded thinly
- 2 carrots, peeled into strips
- 1 red pepper, sliced thinly
- Bunch of coriander, chopped loosely
- 6 spring onions, sliced
- Seasame seeds, toasted
- Crispy shallots (optional – you can buy them pre-made in most supermarkets)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsps soy sauce
- 2 tbsps vinegar
- 2 tbsps brown rice syrup
- 1/2 lime’s fresh juice
- 1 tbsp sesame seed oil
- ½ tsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsps peanut butter (smooth)
- 2 tbsps rice wine vinegar
- Thumb size piece of ginger, chopped
Method
- Having sliced all the vegetable thinly (if you have a food processor, use the slicer = so quick!), combine them all and sprinkle the coriander over the top
- Put all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly using a hand blender
- Using a meat mallet, bash the chicken until it is flat and around 5cm thick. Sprinkle the five spice evenly over the 2 breasts, alongside salt and pepper and coat well
- In a heavy based pan, add a small amount of oil and bring to a high heat. Fry the chicken breasts until charred (around 8-10 minutes)
- Slice the chicken thinly
- Toss the salad with the dressing. Top with the chicken, sesame seeds and crispy shallots
- Either eat it warm or chill the chicken and put it in your lunchbox! For best results, keep the leftover salad and dressing separate until ready to eat
Beyond the Sugar Veil 
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