Recipe: Thai Chicken Salad

Serve with Paul Cluver Close Encounter Riesling 2016.

Fresh flavours from the East.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
¼ cup (60ml) light coconut milk
2 tbsp (30ml) fish sauce
2 tbsp (30ml) grated palm sugar
500g chicken thigh fillets
2 tsp (10ml) sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp (15ml) lime juice
150g (approx 2 cups) baby Asian salad leaves
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
1 tsp (5ml) grated ginger
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely sliced
1/3 cup each mint and coriander leaves, plus extra to garnish
1/3 cup (150g) roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Method:
Stir together coconut milk, fish sauce and palm sugar over a low heat until sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Add chicken, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Remove the chicken and reserve the liquid.Add chilli sauce and lime juice to the poaching liquid and stir to combine dressing.

Shred the chicken and mix in a bowl with salad leaves, onions, ginger, chilli and herbs. Divide between plates, garnish with peanuts and extra herbs. Serve drizzled with dressing and crispy fried noodles.

Wine pairing:
The chili and other strong flavours of the dish will increase the perception of fruit but also the perception of alcohol in a wine – wines high in alcohol becoming warm at the back of the throat. Those Rieslings that have a touch of sweetness and are low in alcohol will fit the bill perfectly here.

• Recipe supplied by Source Food – a Cape Town-based food agency that specializes in experiential marketing. They will create a recipe or meal to communicate your brand’s message.