As the weather warms up, I start to think about dining al fresco and the foods that are best suited to it. Salads that enjoy a bit of marinating before serving are my favourites. This one is at its best the day it’s assembled; you can prep everything ahead of time and throw it together a few hours before eating, keeping it chilled in a cooler.
Its bright, bold flavours of fresh coriander, rice wine vinegar, Sichuan pepper, chilli and loads of crunchy vegetables and peanuts ensure its status as a summer-long favourite. Ingredients 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned 125g snowpeas, topped and tailed 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 500g total) 2 Lebanese cucumbers, julienned 1 cup chopped coriander 5 spring onions, thinly sliced 40g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped 80ml neutral oil (grapeseed or avocado) 2 small-medium garlic cloves, peeled and grated 2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1 tbsp Korean chilli flakes 10 Sichuan peppercorns, crushed to a powder in a mortar and pestle 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 20ml soy sauce 50ml rice wine vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1 chicken stock cube Method Heat a medium-sized pot of water over a high flame and bring it to the boil. Season well with salt.
Set a bowl of iced water nearby. Blanch the julienned carrots in the hot water for 30 seconds and then plunge them into ice water; do the same with the snowpeas. Drain the vegetables from the iced water but leave the pot of water on the stove and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
Cook.