Vietnamese cuisine is renowned for its use of fresh ingredients, a combination of herbs and vegetables and a pleasantly colourful dishes. Australian expat Katie Mortlock has shared her Vietnamese chicken salad recipe which is a recreation of a favourite cafe meal. “Back when I was a uni student, I used to visit a Vietnamese café that made an amazing chicken salad. I scoured recipe books and played with the ingredients until I managed to re-create it. It has been a favourite recipe of mine for over 20 years now. I love the combination of the sweet and sour dressing, the fresh ingredients and the kick of chilli. It’s a perfect meal for the hot Singapore weather.”
Serves four
Ingredients
• ½ wombok (Chinese cabbage), shredded
• 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 1 carrot, grated
• 3 or 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 handful bean sprouts
• ¼ cup Vietnamese hot mint, chopped (can substitute with basil and mint)
• Handful coriander, chopped
• ½ cup rice vinegar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• Optional: Chopped peanuts for garnish
• Optional: Fried shallots for garnish Instructions for dressing Combine rice vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, fish sauce and chilli in a bowl, and set aside.
Instructions for salad
1. Combine wombok, chicken, carrot, spring onions, bean sprouts and herbs in a salad bowl, and toss to mix.
2. Add dressing and mix thoroughly.
3. Top with chopped peanuts and/or fried shallots.
Tip: Serve with prawn crackers!
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This article first appeared in the October 2018 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase a copy or subscribe so you never miss an issue!