5 Great Recipes from Nigella Lawson

The recipe is adapted from the Best of Nicole Routhier and is, or so she explains, the Vietnamese equivalent of coleslaw, but this doesn’t quite sum up its fresh appeal and ability to spruce up a girl’s flagging spirits. This is a real reviver.

Serves 2-4

Since it’s easy to buy a chicken breast ready-cooked, that’s what I generally use, but obviously if you’ve got a leftover chicken in the fridge I suggest you use that. Likewise, consider using the baby cabbages you see around these days: they are exactly the size you need and easier than hacking away at a big bruiser. All the less familiar ingredients can, as ever, be bought at a supermarket. And by all means leave out the oil in the dressing if including it would make you feel less than virtuous.

This makes a lot, but I find it’s very easy to get through – and it stays in the fridge for a day or two to provide instant midnight pickings of not-too injurious sort.

1 chilli, preferably a hot Thai one, seeded and minced
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp rice vinegar
1 ½ tbsp lime juice
1 ½ tbsp Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce (nuoc nam or nam pla)
1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
half a medium onion, finely sliced
black pepper
200g white cabbage, shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded, julienned or grated
200g cooked chicken breast, shredded or cut into fine strips
fat bunch of mint, about 40g stemmed weight

1. In a bowl, combine the chilli, garlic, sugar, vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, oil and onion and black pepper to taste. Put to one side for half an hour.
2. Then in a big plate or bowl, mix the cabbage, carrot, chicken and mint. Pour over the onion-soused, chilli-flecked dressing and toss very well – slowly and patiently – so that everything is combined and covered thinly. Taste to see if you need salt or pepper.
3. Serve on a flat plate with maybe a bit more mint chopped on top.