Thai Chicken and cucumber salad

  • 4

Ingredients

  • 3 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced diagonally
  • 1/2 tsp raw sugar
  • 2 tbsp dried prawns (see note)
  • 1 cup (loosely packed) coriander leaves
  • 1 cup (loosely packed) mint leaves
  • 6 red shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 280 gm (about 2) chicken thigh fillets
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 150 gm (1 cup) arrowroot
  • For deep-frying: vegetable oil
  • Thai dressing
  • 50 gm piece palm sugar
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 small red chilli, thinly sliced
  • Caramelised peanuts
  • 1/3 cup raw peanuts
  • 1/4 cup finely grated palm sugar

Preparation

Step 1

For dressing, place palm sugar and garlic into a mortar and, using a pestle, pound until crushed, add fish sauce and lime juice and stir until combined, then stir through chilli.
2 For caramelised peanuts, combine nuts and palm sugar in a saucepan and stir over low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until caramelised. Pour onto a baking paper-lined tray and cool. Coarsely crush to separate nuts.
3 Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 180C. Cut chicken into 5mm pieces, stir in fish sauce, dust in arrowroot and deep-fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper.
4 Place cucumber into a bowl, scatter with sugar, stir and set aside for 10 minutes or until slightly softened. Place prawns into a mortar and, using a pestle, pound until finely ground. Combine prawns with herbs, shallot and cucumber, divide among plates, scatter with chicken and peanuts, drizzle with dressing and serve immediately