Coconut Chicken and Pickled Cucumber Salad
Photography by Vanessa Wu.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
4 chicken breasts, skin on
Poaching Liquid
1 x 400 ml tin coconut cream 500 ml chicken stock
1 stalk lemongrass, tender heart only, bruised
3 cm piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 coriander roots, scraped clean, roughly chopped
6 kaffir lime leaves – optional juice of 2 limes 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Cucumber Pickle
250 ml rice vinegar
1⁄2 cup caster sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 cm piece ginger, peeled and julienned
1 long red chilli, seeded and finely sliced
1 large telegraph cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced 1⁄2 cm
To serve
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
1⁄2 cup fresh coriander leaves
1⁄4 cup roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
METHOD
Chicken: Combine the coconut cream with all the other poaching ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer to infuse for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and poach gently for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the broth. If cooking the day before store in the refrigerator.
When ready to assemble the salad slice the chicken, reserving the broth to use as a delicious soup base.
Pickle: Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes then cool. Put the chilli and cucumbers in a large bowl. Pour over the cooled vinegar mixture and toss. Leave for at least 1⁄2 an hour.
To serve: Add the sliced chicken, spring onions and coriander to the cucumber and combine. Lift the salad onto a serving platter, leaving the excess pickling liquid behind. Sprinkle over the cashew nuts. Serves 6

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