Warm Vietnamese Chicken Salad
I love travelling, and especially in South East Asia. Vietnam is one of my favourites for fresh flavours that leave you feeling great after you eat them! Amazing warm the day you make it, but just as tasty cold the following day if you have any leftovers. For vegan or vegetarian options, swapping out the chicken with tofu and the fish sauce with soy sauce or tamari is just as good!
Ingredients
500g chicken breast fillets (or tofu for vegetarian/vegan option)
3 tomatoes, cut in half then sliced
2 carrots, peeled, cut into matchsticks
1 telegraph cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves chopped
1 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves chopped
2 C vermicelli rice noodles
1/4 cup roasted peanuts chopped
Dressing:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegetarian/vegan option, tamari for gluten free vegan)
2 small red chillies, finely chopped (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoons brown sugar
Method
Dressing:
Whisk lime juice, fish/soy sauce, chilli and sugar together in a jug until sugar has dissolved.
Chicken/tofu:
Place chicken in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover. Simmer, turning once, for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pan. Cool. Shred.
If using tofu, slice tofu in thin slices, pan fry on both sides until lightly browned.
Noodles:
Place all your rice noodles in a deep mixing bowl. Bring a good amount of water to boil. Pour the boiling water over the rice noodles until they are completely submerged. Every minute or two, give the noodles a stir to loosen them up. When they are completely limp, give them a taste to see if they’re cooked through. The thin vermicelli noodles will cook through in just a few minutes. Test the noodles frequently so they don’t become mushy and overcooked. Once the noodles are tender, drain them and run them under cool water to stop the cooking.
Construction:
Place noodles, carrot, tomato, cucumber, mint, coriander and chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve.
Note: This recipe is high in sodium from the fish sauce. If you are on a low sodium diet, lower the amount of fish sauce used or cut it out all together.
