Thai noodle salad recipe

With crispy shallots, Asian herbs and pan-fried butterfly prawns

Ingredients

• 350g cooked fine rice noodles8 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced into rings
• 50g beansprouts, rinsed and drained well
• 12 large tiger prawns, cooked and peeled
• ½ red pepper thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp fresh coriander
• 2 tbsp chopped mint
• 2 cm ginger, peeled and chopped
• Grated rind of 1 lime
• ½ large red chilli, very thinly sliced
• Oil for frying
• Dressing
• 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• Juice of 2 limes

Method

1. Heat enough sunflower oil to half fill a medium saucepan, and fry the 8 finely sliced shallots in small batches until golden brown and crisp. Drain well on kitchen towel and set to one side. Meanwhile, toss together the cooked rice noodles, the shallot rings, red pepper, beansprouts, mint, coriander, ginger, red chilli and the grated lime rind.
2. Mix together all the ingredients to make the dressing.
3. Split the cooked tiger prawns in half just up to the tail and fan out like a butterfly. Heat a frying pan with 1 tbsp of sunflower oil and toss in the prawns. Fry for 1 ? 2 minutes, tossing the pan at regular intervals. Drain.
4. To serve, place a portion of the rice noodle salad on a plate or in a rice bowl, garnish with three prawns per portion and spoon over the dressing. Top with a pile of the crispy shallots. This dish can also be served with a dash of soy sauce.