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Thai Turmeric Chicken Salad

This Thai Turmeric Chicken Salad is a veggie packed salad that's LOADED with amazing and delicious flavours! Serve this with salad on its own as a lighter meal or add rice to make it more substantial. 
Prep Time4 hours
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian, Thai
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 0.5 hole black peppercorns
  • 1 ts whole coriander seeds
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 0.5 tbsp turmeric
  • 1.5 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1.5 tbsp  brown sugar
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp  inely chopped coriander cilantro (stalks & leaves)
  • 2  chicken breasts

Salad

  • 1/2 cucumber, sliced into matchstick
  • 2 carrots, sliced into matchstick
  • 1/2 head of a small iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 2 handfuls of finely shredded red cabbage (about 1-2 cup packed)
  • 1 shallot, sliced
  • mungbeans
  • peanuts

Salad Dressing

  • 1 (2 tbsp) lime 
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 glove
  • 1 bird eye chilli
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander /cilantro
  • rice wine vinegar
  • 1-2  tsp sugar

Instructions

  • Grind the black pepper and coriander in a pestle and mortar. 
  • Add the garlic and coriander and grind until it becomes a paste. 
  • Add the fish sauce, turmeric, sugar and soy and whisk until combined and the sugar's dissolved. Set aside.
  • Take the two chicken breasts and slice them horizontally so you get two thinner pieces of chicken breast (or 4 in total as there are two breasts) 
  • Place the breast in an airtight container or in a plastic bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Rub the marinade all over the chicken so each piece is covered with the marinade. 
  • Set aside and marinade overnight or at least for a couple of hours (read notes).
  • Grill the chicken either on a BBQ on medium heat or in the pan (or in a griddle pan) with a little bit of oil on medium heat. 
  • Serve the chicken with on a bed of salad and rice!

Salad + Dressing

  • Place all ingredients for the salad in a bowl (except for the peanuts)
  • Prepare the dressing by placing garlic, chilli and coriander in a pestle and mortar and grind until paste like (it's ok if there are small bits of garlic, chilli or coriander - the most important things it that you don't want to have big chunks of any of the ingredients) 
  • Add the fish sauce, lime, vinegar and sugar. Mix until sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust the flavour - If you want it more sour, add more lime! More salt? Add fish sauce! Is it too sour? Add a little bit more sugar!
  • Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving and add a few handfuls of fresh coriander leaves, peanuts and perhaps some fresh chopped chilli if you like it hot!

Notes

  1. If marinating the chicken for a shorter time such as 1-2 hours, score the chicken if using chicken breast. This will create more surface area for the marinade to penerate the meat and it will become more flavourful. 
  2. The dressing is HOT! If you're sensitive to the heat from chilli, remove the seeds and the white membranes inside the chilli before you add it to the salad and use less chilli. 
  3. The dressing is best made in a pestle and mortar, as this will help to release the flavours and oils from each ingredient.
  4. Prep time INCLUDES time for marinating the chicken. Prep time is around 10 minutes without marinating time.