2cmpiece of fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
15gfresh coriander roughly chopped
10gof fresh mint leaves roughly chopped
1teaspoonlight soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2tablespooncold water
Chicken satay skewers:
4wooden skewers soaked in water
2chicken breasts
4tablespoonof satay sauce
Noodle salad:
300gNoodles
1star anise
2tablespoonrapeseed/olive oil
½red onion diced
1red chilli deseeded and finely sliced
½red bell pepper sliced into 2 cm long match stick pieces
1teaspooncider vinegar
½teaspoonground coriander
½teaspoonhot chilli powder
½teaspoonground cumin
½teaspooncayenne pepper
Juice of ½ lime
10gfresh mint leaves finely chopped
10gfresh coriander finely chopped
50gcashew nuts roughly chopped
Drizzle of honey
Instructions
To make the satay sauce:
Place all the satay sauce ingredients into a food processor and blitz together. Gradually add small amounts of cold water until a smooth consistency is reached.
Preparing the skewers:
Ensure the wooden skewers have been thoroughly soaked in water, this is to prevent them from igniting during the cooking process.
If baking the chicken skewers then pre heat the oven to 170-180 degrees C. If your oven is a little on the hot side then stick closer to 170. Skewers can also be cooked under the grill or on the BBQ (weather dependent).
Slice up the chicken into even square 2-3cm pieces. Carefully skewer the chicken onto the wooden sticks. Try to spread the pieces evenly along the stick, leaving enough room to hold the stick at the bottom. 2 chicken breasts should be enough for 4 full skewers.
Lay the chicken skewers flat on a large plate or in a large container. Spoon over the satay sauce ensure all sides are fully coated. Cover the chicken and place in the refrigerator whilst the noodle salad is prepared (see below). If you have the time the chicken can be refrigerated for a few hours to allow the lovely satay flavours to infuse into the flesh, however, this is not essential.
To make the noodle salad:
Cook the noodles according to the instructions with 1 star anise thrown in. Once cooked; rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and to cool the noodles. Then remove the star anise, place in a large bowl and set to one side.
In a frying pan heat the tablespoon of oil and gently fry the red onion until just cooked (I like to partly cook the onions in order to remove the really strong taste but at the same time trying to retain some of the bite and colour). Then add the chopped red chilli and red pepper and continue to cook for a further minute. Transfer the onions, chilli and pepper to small bowl and set to one side to cool.
In an additional small bowl (lots of bowls in this recipe!) make the dressing by gently whisking together the remaining oil, cider vinegar, lime juice and the spices. Ensure the spices are fully incorporated into the liquid.
Now to make the salad: add the onion mix, dressing and fresh herbs to the noodles and toss together well. This can get a bit messy so you may wish to transfer the noodle salad to a clean serving bowl before topping with the chopped cashew nuts and a drizzle of honey. Place the salad in the fridge to chill whilst the chicken skewers are cooked.
To cook the skewers:
If baking place the chicken skewers on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes, turning the skewers every 10 minutes to ensure all sides are evenly cooked. The sauce should dry out evenly and turn slightly golden as the chicken bakes. If grilling or cooking on the BBQ then place the skewers directly on the grill tray and turn regularly. Cooking time should be similar at around 30 minutes.
Once cooked serve immediately alongside the crunchy noodle salad.