Ingredients
- For the red onion pickle and the chicken salad:
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1
chicken (preferably whole corn fed free range/organic)
-
1
red onion
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5 tablespoons
cider vinegar, divided
-
1 tablespoon
superfine sugar
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1 pinch
each salt and pepper
-
400 grams
sugar snap peas (can also be carrot, kohlrabi, daikon, zucchini, mange-tout, or a combination of these)
-
10
hot mint sprigs, plus more for garnishing
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small handful cilantro, plus more for garnishing
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5 tablespoons
crushed peanuts, cashews, or pistachios
- For the dipping sauce:
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2
bird's eye chiles (de-seeded and finely chopped)
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1
clove garlic (finely chopped)
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1
thumb ginger, peeled and finely chopped)
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3 tablespoons
maple syrup
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2 tablespoons
cider vinegar
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5 tablespoons
premium-quality fish sauce
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Prawn crackers and/or steamed chicken rice, to serve
Directions
-
Bring 3 liters of boiling water to a boil in a pot with a lid. Season with salt, add the whole chicken, and cook for about 60 to 70 minutes, until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked all the way through.
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Meanwhile, slice the red onion as thinly as you can and add it to a bowl with 3 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let sit as you prepare the rest of the meal, mixing occasionally.
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Thinly slice the sugar snap peas lengthways and place in a large salad bowl. Chop the herbs and add them to the bowl as well.
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Prepare and mix all the ingredients for the dressing together in a separate bowl, tasting for the balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spice. Serve in dipping bowls.
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When the chicken is cooked, remove from the pot and leave to cool. (Save the stock: You can use it to make a delicious chicken rice.) De-bone and tear off the meat along the grain. Season with salt and pepper. Add this to the bowl of salad with the pickled onion (add the pickling liquid, too). When ready to serve, toss the salad together.
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Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro and mint and a sprinkle of nuts. Serve with the dipping sauce, prawn crackers, and chicken rice. (Alternatively, you can also use the dipping sauce to dress the salad.)
Best friends Issy and Meg have spent the last decade sitting across tables from each other, travelling the world knife and fork in hand. Photographing bowls of steaming noodles, exotic street food and some of the world's most exciting cooks, Issy makes up the photography side of the duo, while Meg records each bite in words. Considering their equal obsession for food and each other, it was inevitable that the two would eventually combine to become The Curious Pear, intent on bringing you reviews, food features and interviews with the culinary crowd, as well as pieces on their favourite eating spots from around the world. The Curious Pear are the contributing Food Editors at SUITCASE Magazine, bringing you a weekly food column at suitcasemag.com, as well as contributing for Time Out, Food52, Life & Thyme, Trends on Trends, Guest of a Guest and more!
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