Nothing quite beats a refreshing salad in the Summer months and this variation from The Art Of Eating Well by Hemsley + Hemsley makes for the perfect addition to your Summer salad repertoire. Read more for Melissa and Jasmine’s introduction to one of their favourite Summer recipes…..
Featuring cooling cucumber noodles and vibrant Asian flavours, this dish can be enjoyed as a deliciously nourishing lunch or a tasty quick and easy dinner and is the perfect way to use up leftover chicken or enjoyed just as easily with fish or sliced seared beef. In terms of veggies, we love using raw chopped pak choi, but you could substitute with Chinese-style cabbage or finely shredded English cabbage too.
Eat this within a few hours as the cucumber will start to get a little watery, or simply make everything else up in advance and prepare the cucumber noodles just before serving. If you plan on packing this for lunch, layer the chicken first, then arrange all the veg on top so they don’t get squashed and be sure to take your dressing in a separate jar to keep the veggies crisp and fresh all day long!
INGREDIENTS
For the Salad…
• 2 tbsp black or white sesame seeds
• 2 cucumbers
• 1 small head of romaine or cos lettuce, shredded into ribbons
• 1 small head of pak choi or 150 g Chinese cabbage shredded into ribbons
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• a handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 250 g cooked shredded chicken
For the Sesame Dressing…
• 5 tbsp sesame oil (not toasted) or extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• juice of 1 lime or 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp raw runny honey
• 1 tsp tamari or sea salt
Optional additions…
• 1 finely chopped red chilli, to garnish
No leftover chicken?
Roast 2 large chicken thighs at fan 200°C/Gas mark 7 for 25–30 minutes until cooked, then shred quickly with 2 forks to cool the meat quickly
METHOD
1. Gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant.
2. Use a spiralizer or julienne peeler to make the cucumber noodles. Or use a regular vegetable peeler to slice the cucumbers lengthways into wide pappardelle-style ribbons. You might want to cut the long, spiralized strands in half to make them easier to eat.
3. Prepare the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients in a bowl or shaking them together in a jam jar.
4. Add the lettuce, pak choi, spring onion and coriander to a bowl.
5. Pour over the dressing and mix everything together (hands are best).
6. Plate up with some shredded chicken and top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
So there you have it – a quick, easy and nourishing lunch or dinner option to keep your body fueled and your skin glowing this sunny season. Get more recipes like this one in The Art Of Eating Well by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Press, £25) Photography by Nick Hopper, launching in-store and online now and be sure to book your ticket for an exclusive talk and book signing in-store on July 3rd! Ticket price includes a copy of the book to collect on the night for signing.
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