SALAD OF CHICKEN, HERBS & PEANUTS

I do like Thai flavours. I like to be assaulted. Not that I cannot also appreciate subtle food. I have a soft spot for that too. But give me a robust combination of chillies, tang of lime juice and fish sauce, some sweetness from palm sugar, the freshness of herbs, pungency of eschallots, comfort of roasted peanuts ... well you get the drift.

This is not a recipe, but more a list of basic ingredients. I figure you can work out what to do from this list.

So, in this salad is - two sliced roasted chicken cutlets (thighs with bone and skin), a couple of tablespoons of coarsely ground roasted peanuts, a bunch of mint, a couple of handfuls of coriander leaves, a sliced Lebanese cucumber, a teaspoon of ground roasted rice, some sliced lemongrass. The dressing is a mix of palm sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, coconut vinegar, peanut oil, sesame oil and a teaspoon of potent chilli paste from David Thompson - page 298 of his Thai Cooking book.

SALAD OF CHICKEN, HERBS & PEANUTS