Chicken and shrimp cellophane noodle salad

Serves 6-8 You will need:

7g dried Chinese mushrooms (such as wood ears) 600ml chicken stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper Skinless chicken breasts or legs 200g cellophane noodles 3 tablespoons nam pla (fish sauce) 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 1 scant tablespoon caster sugar 2-4 Thai chillies, finely chopped 1 red onion, thinly sliced 2 scallions, thinly sliced at an angle Half a cucumber, halved lengthwise, deseeded and sliced at an angle 32 cooked prawns or 48 smaller shrimp 2 large handfuls of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped A couple of red and green chillies, thinly sliced, to serve 1 Put the dried Chinese mushrooms into a bowl, cover them with boiling water and allow them to soak for about 15 minutes. Drain them, rinse them and trim off any hard bits. Slice them into thin strips, and set aside. 2 Bring the chicken stock to the boil, add a good pinch of salt, then tip in the chicken breasts or legs, whichever you’re using. Bring the stock back to the boil and simmer the chicken gently for 6-8 minutes — or longer if you are using chicken legs — until the chicken is cooked through. Two minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the mushroom strips you set aside earlier. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool. Then shred the chicken and set both the shredded chicken and the cooked mushroom strips aside. 3 Put the cellophane noodles into another bowl, and cover them with boiling water. Allow them to stand for five minutes until they are softened, then drain them. 4 To make the dressing, in a jug, mix the

nam pla, the freshly squeezed lime juice, the caster sugar and the finely chopped Thai chillies in a bowl. Add the thinly sliced onions and the thinly sliced scallions, and mix well. 5 Put the cucumber slices in a large bowl with the cooked noodles, the cooked prawns or shrimp, whichever you’re using, the shredded chicken and mushrooms strips you set aside earlier, and some of the roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves — reserve some coriander to use as garnish at the end. Tip in the dressing from the jug, and toss gently. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary. 6 Serve garnished with the remaining chopped fresh coriander leaves and a few slices of the red and green chillies.