TASTE OF CATER CARE FACT
Healthy salads and Summer are a perfect combination and this recipe draws its inspiration from Asia.
The salad’s chicken is poached in a Chinese style master stock flavoured with orange peel, cinnamon, star anise, mirin and ginger. The dressing is made with ponzu which is a Japanese fruit-based sauce that when translated means ‘vinegar punch’.
Ponzu sauce is made by simmering mirin, rice vinegar, katsuobushi (tuna) flakes and seaweed, then cooling the liquid, straining and then mixing it with one or more citrus fruits such as yuzu, sudachi or lemon.
INGREDIENTS
- 200ml Chicken Stock
- ½ Orange – peel only and cut in 1cm x 4cm strips.
- 2 Cinnamon Quills
- 2 Star Anise
- 2 Garlic Cloves – peel and roughly chop.
- 30gm Ginger – peel and roughly chop.
- 200gm Brown Sugar
- 160ml Soy Sauce
- 340ml Mirin
- 650gm Chicken Breast Fillet
- 250gm Soba Noodles
- 100ml Ponzu Sauce
- 100ml Mirin
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 5 tsp Brown Sugar
- 60ml Lime Juice
- 15gm Ginger – peel and finely grate.
- 8 Shallot Stems – finely slice.
- 20gm Sesame Seeds – roast until light brown in colour.
- 240gm Green Capsicum – cut in half lengthwise, remove stem, seeds and membrane and cut into 2mm thick and 4cm long strips.
- 140gm Snow Peas – top, tail, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove from heat and refresh under cold running water for 5 minutes, drain and finely slice lengthways.
- 180gm Wombok – remove outer leaves and base, finely shred, rinse and drain.
- 16 stalks Broccolini – small florets only, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove from heat and refresh under cold running water for 5 minutes and drain.
METHOD
- Add the chicken stock, orange peel, cinnamon quills, star anise, garlic, ginger, first quantity of brown sugar, soy sauce and first quantity of mirin to a saucepan over a moderate heat. Bring to boil whilst stirring regularly to ensure the sugar has dissolved. Add the chicken, bring the stock back up to boil, then reduce the heat and allow the stock to gently simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Remove the chicken from the stock and set to one side to cool to room temperature.
- Using a sharp knife, finely slice the chicken widthways into 5mm thick slices, place in a sealable container and refrigerate until required.
- Heat a saucepan half filled with cold water over a moderate heat. Once it reaches the boil, add the soba noodles and gently mix to ‘loosen’ the noodles. Bring the water back to the boil and continue to cook for 3 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Remove from heat, drain the noodles and refresh under cold running water for 5 minutes. Drain the noodles again and set to one side.
- In a mixing bowl, add the ponzu sauce, second quantity of mirin, sesame oil, second quantity of brown sugar, lime juice and ginger. Whisk until the ingredients are combined and the sugar has fully dissolved, then set to one side for 30 minutes to allow the dressing flavours to develop.
- Place the chicken, noodles, shallots, green capsicum, snow peas, wombok and broccolini into a mixing bowl and gently toss until the ingredients are combined.
TO SERVE
Place the salad into a large serving bowl, lightly drizzle with ponzu dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving with the remaining dressing in a jug.
