Vietnamese chicken, cabbage and carrot salad

We all appreciate the sweet/hot/salty/sour flavours of south-east Asian food. This was the first dish we ate on a tour of Hanoi that we did with a food blogger a few years ago. We were shocked that a dish with such simple components could taste this good. You can also add beansprouts and cooked cold rice vermicelli to this salad if you want it to go further. It’s easy to get ready-cooked rice vermicelli these days. Requires 40 minutes pickling time Overview 25 mins 4 Ingredients - 120g carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks - 120g daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks (if you can’t find any daikon – it’s also called mooli – use regular radishes, sliced into rounds) - 400g cooked chicken, torn or sliced (no skin) - 500g white cabbage, quartered and dense core removed, leaves shredded - 50g coriander - 30g mint leaves - 30g Thai basil - 50g roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped - ½ tbsp peanut powder, made by pounding roasted unsalted peanuts until you have a powder - 1 medium red chilli, deseeded if you like and sliced (optional) For the pickling liquid - 135g caster sugar - 250ml rice vinegar For the dressing - 4 tbsp caster sugar - 4 tbsp lime juice - 6 tbsp fish sauce - 1-2 bird’s eye chillies, deseeded if you like and very finely sliced Method Make the pickling liquid by mixing 135g caster sugar and 250ml rice vinegar with 250ml just-boiled water, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Leave to cool, then add 120g carrots (peeled and cut into matchsticks) and 120g daikon (peeled and cut into matchsticks). Leave them for about 40 minutes; they will become lightly ‘pickled’. Make the dressing by mixing 4 tbsp caster sugar with 4 tbsp lime juice, 6 tbsp fish sauce and 1-2 finely sliced bird’s eye chillies. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. If you are going to serve this dish with noodles, then add 125ml water. If you aren’t, then add only about 3 tbsp water. Taste to see if it’s the right heat and intensity for you. In a bowl, mix 400g torn or sliced cooked chicken, the carrots and daikon (drained of their liquid) and 500g shredded white cabbage with enough dressing to coat. Divide between four bowls. Top with 50g coriander, 30g mint leaves and 30g Thai basil. Scatter over 50g roughly chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, ½ tbsp peanut powder (made by pounding roasted unsalted peanuts until you have a powder) and 1 sliced medium red chilli.