Duck, noodle and Asian herb salad

Tamara West

For real ease of preparation, buy a roast duck from a Chinese restaurant (the ones hanging in the window). For a more economical version, roast chicken can be used instead. It’s the freshness of the herbs, crunchy textures and well-balanced dressing that make this salad so delicious.

For the salad

100 g	Dried vermicelli noodles (Main)
2 cups	Duck, shredded (Main)
2	Spring onions, thinly sliced
1	Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways, thinly sliced
75 g	Green beans, thinly sliced
½ cup	Daikon, or radish matchsticks (optional)
2 handfuls	Mung bean sprouts
1	Kaffir lime leaf, central stem removed, very finely sliced
¼ cup	Thai basil leaves
¼ cup	Vietnamese mint leaves, sliced, if you can't find this use normal mint
1 cup	Fresh coriander, chopped
¼ cup	Roasted peanuts
3 Tbsp	Shallots, crispy-fried (optional)
1	Red chilli, finely sliced (optional)

For the dressing

4 Tbsp	Lime juice
1 ½ Tbsp	Soy sauce
1 Tbsp	Sesame oil
2 Tbsp	Fish sauce
2 Tbsp	Palm sugar, grated, or use brown sugar

Directions

1. Place rice vermicelli in a dish or bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside until soft and cooked through, about 6 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Use scissors to snip noodles in several places to shorten the strands (this will make it much easier to eat).
3. Mix all dressing ingredients together.
4. Reheat duck until warmed through.
5. In a large bowl, toss noodles, duck and remaining salad ingredients together, and toss with the dressing just before serving. Serve immediately.