This is an exciting meal. The inspiration for the salad came from a page I ripped out of a Good Housekeeping magazine ages ago, but I’ve adapted it to my tastes and decided on the accompaniments.
The salad is enough for 3, but you won’t want to leave any. The rest serves 2.
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 100g Couscous
- 50g Macadamia Nuts
- 1 tbsp Caster Sugar
- Pinch of Dried Chilli Flakes
- Approx 3 Leaves of Savoy Cabbage (About 60g), Finely Shredded
- 1/2 Mango, Peeled, Stoned and Cut into Thin Strips
- 1/2 Papaya, Peeled, Deseeded and Cut into Strips
- 1/2 Fresh Red Chilli, Deseeded and Finely Sliced
- Large Handful of Mint and Coriander, or Parsley, Leaves Picked and Roughly Chopped
For the Dressing:
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1/2 Lemongrass Stalk, Chopped into Small Pieces
- 2 tsp Maple Syrup
- Scant tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- Dash of Soy Sauce
- Pinch of Dried Chilli Flakes
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- Make the dressing. Put all the ingredients in a small pan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 mins, or until thick and syrupy. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
- Prepare some baking parchment on a baking tray. Caramelise the nuts by heating a dry frying pan over medium heat. Add the sugar and a splash of water. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then boil until the mixture caramelises to a deep amber (swirl the pan rather than stirring). Stir in the nuts, chilli flakes and a big pinch of salt. Empty onto the baking parchment, leave to cool, then chop.
- Add some sunflower oil to the pan used for the nuts and fry the chicken until cooked through. The skin will be beautifully and subtly caramelised. Prepare the couscous according to the packet instructions.
- Put the prepared cabbage, mango, payaya, chilli and herbs into a large serving bowl. Toss through the nuts and dressing.
- Just before serving, stir the remaining herbs through the couscous, slice the chicken and prepare your plates!
Since keeping this blog, I’ve noticed a definite ‘fruit with meat theme’ appearing.
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