Noodle Salad with Chicken and Satay Sauce

A noodle salad is a great summer meal when all you want to do is throw everything in a bowl and have it on the table within thirty minutes. The only cooking here is boiling some water for the noodles and remembering to take them out within three minutes. Depending on the noodles you choose, it may only require boiling the kettle. The rest is all about blitzing and chopping. And with a little extra help in the kitchen from those who like to watch, its an easy meal to prepare.

This recipe is based on Jamie Oliver’s, Chicken Skewers and Fiery Noodle Salad, from his book, 30 Minute Meals. The problem I have with this book, is that I find it really stressful to cook from. Although everything is laid out so you go from step to step, I find it makes me anxious, worrying whether my completion of steps is within the set timeframe and if not will that have a knock-on effect with all the other steps. His thirty minute meals invariably take forty-five, and by the end of it I feel exhausted. So I’ve ditched the making of skewers, opted for a store bought barbecue chicken and made the whole thing calmer to prepare.

Once all the elements are prepared, I like to assemble the salads in a separate bowl for each person. That way you can cater to the individual: leave the capsicum out, or add extra carrot, its simple. Its also a good way to make sure everyone gets the same amount in their bowls. That’s the problem I have when making stir fry. Nothing’s ever even, someone always gets all the snow peas no matter how hard I try.

Satay Sauce

• 1/2 bunch of fresh coriander
• 1 fresh red chilli
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 heaped tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2cm knob of fresh ginger
• 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce

Noodle Salad

• 250g dried egg noodles
• 100g unsalted cashews, roasted and chopped
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 1/2 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 -2 tablespoons soy sauce
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon runny honey
• 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 baby cos lettuce

1 roast chicken

What to do:

Start by making the satay sauce. In the bowl of a food processor put the coriander (stalks and leaves), roughly cut chilli, garlic, and ginger. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, zest and juice of the lime. Add a couple of splashes of water and blend to a paste. Season to taste. It needs to be somewhere between smooth and runny. If its too thick add a little extra water.

Shred the chicken and put it back in the fridge until you need it. You won’t need the whole chicken. For 4 people, I usually use both breasts. The rest can be saved for lunch.

Lightly roast the cashews in a dry frying pan over a low heat. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Alternatively, buy roasted cashews.

Cook the noodles according to the instructions of the packet. Rinse under cold water and leave to drain.

In a large salad bowl, put the diced red onion, finely chopped chilli, and the chopped coriander, using the stalks and the leaves. Add the soy sauce, juice of the lime, a couple of lugs of olive oil, sesame oil, fish sauce, and honey. Mix well then taste and correct the seasoning. Refresh the noodles under cold water, then add to the bowl. Toss everything together so that the noodles are well coated with the sauce.

To make the salad:

 

Place a layer of lettuce in the bottom of each bowl. Divide the noodles between the bowls.

Add carrots, cucumber, and capsicum

Top with the  chicken,  a dollop of satay sauce and a handful of chopped cashews. Mix it all together.