This delicious salad is simple to make and positively zings with the flavors of fresh lime, cilantro, mint, ginger and chili.

Even though it takes less than 30 minutes to assemble, I like to make this up to 24 hours ahead for the flavors to develop. I’ll keep it in the fridge until I’m ready to serve it, which is a bit unusual for a salad but this is a substantial main course dish; absolutely perfect on a warm day.

If you’re still waiting for that first warm day,  you’ll definitely want to earmark this recipe for later!

Asian Turkey & Rice Noodle Salad

ASIAN TURKEY & RICE NOODLE SALAD

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

7 oz (200g) of thin rice noodles

1 small red chili, seeded and sliced

2 medium carrots cut into thin matchsticks

A small red onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon of Tamari or low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon of hi-temp cooking oil

14-16 oz (400-450g) of ground turkey

A small bunch of cilantro (fresh coriander), leaves stripped and coarsely chopped

A handful of fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

For the dressing:

The juice of 3 limes

1 fat clove of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

1 and 1/2 tablespoons of nam pla (Thai fish sauce)

1 and 1/2 tablespoons of soft light brown sugar

Action:

Start by whisking together the dressing ingredients then set it aside.

Put the dried noodles in a large bowl and cover them with boiling water – after 4-5 minutes drain them (you want them to be a little ‘al dente’ rather than mushy).

In another bowl, combine the red onion, carrot and chili with the drained noodles and toss everything with half of the dressing. Set aside.

In a wide saute pan, heat the oil and brown the turkey mince until completely cooked trough then stir in the Tamari. Transfer to a separate bowl and allow to cool then stir in the remaining dressing. You can make it ahead up to this point – just cover and chill.

To serve, toss everything together with the cilantro and mint.