Crisp, crunchy and refreshing, this classic Chinese salad is a great way of using up leftover cooked chicken (or turkey). You can substitute cashew or almond butter in the dressing and scatter the finished dish with roasted cashews or pistachios.
SERVES 4
PREP 20 MINUTES
COOK 5–10 MINUTES
200g (7oz) rice noodles (dried weight)
150g (5oz) bean sprouts
1 large carrot, cut into strips with a vegetable peeler
4 spring onions (scallions), shredded
1 ripe mango, peeled, stoned (pitted) and cubed
100g (4oz) pak choi (bok choy), thinly sliced
400g (14oz) cooked chicken breasts, skinned and shredded
a handful of coriander (cilantro), chopped
50g (2oz/scant ½ cup) coarsely chopped roasted peanuts
1 red chilli, deseeded and shredded
PEANUT BUTTER DRESSING
65g (2½oz/¼ cup) crunchy peanut butter
60ml (2fl oz/¼ cup) boiling water
1 tbsp each toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, Sriracha or sweet chilli sauce and rice wine vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp grated fresh root ginger
juice of 1 lime
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well.
Put the bean sprouts, carrot, spring onions, mango, pak choi, chicken and coriander in a large bowl and mix together.
Make the peanut butter dressing: stir the peanut butter and boiling water in a pan set over a low heat until melted and blended. Pour into a bowl and beat in the remaining ingredients. If it’s too thick, thin it down with a little more water.
Mix the rice noodles into the chicken and vegetables. Drizzle the peanut butter dressing over the top and toss gently.
Divide the salad among four serving plates and sprinkle with the peanuts and chilli. Serve immediately.