Fragrant Chicken Salad With Sweet and Sour Mango Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 14 ounces coconut milk
• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar

For the salad

• 1 large ripe mango
• 1/4 cucumber
• 4 scallions, finely sliced on an angle
• 1 red fresh chili pepper, Seeded and finely sliced
• handful mint leaf
• handful cilantro leaf
• 1/4 chinese lettuce, finely shredded
• 1 ounce roasted peanuts, chopped

For the dressing

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 inch gingerroot, grated
• 1 lime, juice and zest of
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar

Directions

1. 1

   Bash the ends of the lemongrass with a rolling pin to release all of the juices.

2. 2

   Place in a saucepan with the coconut milk and a pinch of salt, and bring to the boil.

3. 3

   Add the chicken breasts, cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Remove from the heat and leave the chicken to cool in the coconut milk for about 10 minutes.

5. 5

   Cut the cheeks off the mango, cut into strips and slice off the skin. Keep to one side.

6. 6

   Trim the remaining mango flesh from the stone, place in a small food processor and blitz to a puree. Alternatively bash to a pulp in a pestle and mortar.

7. 7

   Mix in the fish sauce, ginger, lime juice and zest and the palm sugar. Taste and add any additional fish sauce if needed. If the dressing seems too thick, loosen with a splash of water.

8. 8

   Cut the cucumber in half, scoop out the seeds and thinly slice on an angle into half moon shapes.

9. 9

   Toss with the scallion, red chili, mint leaves, cilantro leaves, Chinese lettuce and the dressing. Spoon onto 2 plates.

10. 10

    Pat the mango dry with kitchen paper, and then scatter/rub some of palm sugar over the top.

11. 11

    Scatter/rub the remaining palm sugar over the top of the chicken. To caramelise the sugar, place on a hot frying pan.

12. 12

    Slice the chicken in half and sit on top of the salad with the mango.

13. 13

    Finally scatter with the chopped peanuts and serve.