Thai chicken, litchi and cucumber salad

A abulous lunch or light supper dish. Replace the chicken with grilled fish if you prefer.

INGREDIENTS

150ml mirin, a type of rice wine (or use sherry)

500ml (2 cups) water

1 whole chicken, about 1.5kg

1 stick lemongrass, finely chopped

45ml (3 tbsp) lime juice

5ml (1 tsp) palm sugar

5ml (1 tsp) sesame oil

250ml (1 cup) coconut milk

4 small cucumbers (or large), cut into ribbons using a vegetable peeler

250g litchis, peeled and pitted

Pea sprouts or watercress, to garnish

METHOD

Heat the mirin and water in a large saucepan. Place the chicken in the liquid, cover and poach for 45 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes in the liquid before removing.

Discard skin and bones and shred the chicken. Reserve 100ml of the cooking liquid.

In a small saucepan, heat the lemongrass with the lime juice, sugar, sesame oil and coconut milk. Just before boiling, remove from heat and set aside. Mix the remaining ingredients with the shredded chicken and coconut dressing. If you like, top with roasted cashews for extra crunch. Serves 4