Salad days are here again, so Angela Day dishes up some crunchy and vibrant plates.
On the menu:
Thai chicken, rice salad
Spicy haloumi and couscous salad
Strawberry, asparagus and prawn salad
Salmon flower salad
Celery, avocado and pecan salad
THAI CHICKEN RICE SALAD
Serves 8
500g chicken breast fillets
250ml chicken stock
250ml basmati rice
15ml peanut oil
2 stalks of lemongrass, finely sliced
1 packet of spring onions, finely sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
125ml chopped fresh coriander
125ml chopped fresh mint
1 red pepper, finely diced
125ml toasted cashew nuts
LIME CHILLI DRESSING
60ml lime juice
60ml sweet chilli sauce
30ml honey
30ml fish sauce
5ml toasted sesame oil
Gently poach the chicken in the stock for 10 minutes. Remove and slice. Transfer to a bowl.
Cook the rice in a pot of boiling, salted water for about 20 minutes. Remove and rinse well under cold water. Drain thoroughly, and then add to the chicken.
Heat the peanut oil in a frying pan and fry the lemongrass, spring onions and chilli for 2 minutes.
Add to the chicken and rice with the chopped herbs, red pepper and cashew nuts.
Pour over the dressing, mix well and refrigerate for a few hours before serving for flavours to amalgamate.
DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients and whisk well.
SPICY HALOUMI AND COUSCOUS SALAD
Serves 8
250ml couscous
250ml hot vegetable stock
250g pack of spicy haloumi cheese, cut into slices
2 bulbs of fennel, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, cut into julienne strips
1 packet of spring onions, finely sliced
pomegranate rubies
HARISSA DRESSING
60ml olive oil
30ml lemon juice
10ml harissa paste
15ml honey
salt and pepper
Put the couscous in a large bowl, stir in the hot stock, cover with cling film and set aside for 5 minutes.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and fry the haloumi, with no oil, for a few minutes until browned on either side. Remove and set aside.
Fluff up the couscous and add the fennel, carrot, spring onions and half of the pomegranate rubies.
Pour over the dressing and mix well. Transfer onto a serving platter, arrange the haloumi on top and scatter over the rest of the pomegranate rubies.
DRESSING: In a jug, combine the ingredients and whisk.
STRAWBERRY, ASPARAGUS AND PRAWN SALAD
Serves 6
400g cooked prawn tails
60ml orange juice
30ml olive oil
5ml chopped garlic
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 packet of spring onions, sliced diagonally
400g strawberries, washed and halved
100g fresh asparagus tips, blanched
100g salad cheese balls
DRESSING
60ml olive oil
30ml sherry vinegar
30ml honey
salt and pepper
Marinade the prawns in the orange juice, olive oil, garlic and chilli for an hour in the fridge.
In a serving bowl, combine the spring onions, strawberries and asparagus. Pour over the dressing.
Drain the prawns from the marinade and place on top of the salad with the cheese balls.
DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients in a jug and whisk well.
* Salad cheese balls are available from Woolworths. They can also be replaced with feta or goat’s milk cheese.
SALMON FLOWER SALAD
Serves 6
finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
15ml castor sugar
45ml chopped fresh dill
300g piece of salmon or trout fillet
1 packet of mixed salad leaves
4 radishes, finely sliced
1 small cucumber, sliced into ribbons
edible flowers
olive oil, for drizzling
Combine the lemon zest and juice, sugar and dill in a shallow, ovenproof dish.
Place the salmon in the marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and roast the salmon in the marinade for 10-15 minutes.Remove, cool and coarsely flake.
Arrange the salad leaves on a serving platter with the radish, cucumber and edible flowers.
Put the salmon pieces on top and drizzle with a little olive oil.
CELERY, AVOCADO AND PECAN SALAD
Serves 6
4 sticks of celery, sliced
2 avocados, skinned and diced
1 green apple, cubed
the juice of 1 lemon
200ml mayonnaise
50ml cream
10ml wholegrain mustard
salt and pepper
125ml toasted pecan nuts, coarsely chopped
250g streaky bacon, crispy fried and crumbled
Combine the celery, avocado and apple and pour over the lemon juice.
Combine the mayonnaise, cream, mustard, salt and pepper in a jug and whisk well.
Pour this over the celery and avocado mixture with the pecan nuts and gently mix until well combined.
Serve sprinkled with crispy bacon.
* The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.