Poached Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, poached
• 4 sweet persimmons, peeled, and cut into 7 mm batons
• 3/4 to 1 continental cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthways and sliced 3mm on a diagonal
• 4 Chinese cabbage leaves, shredded
• 2 red eschallots, thinly sliced, or 8 to 10 spring onions, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup mint leaves, torn
• 1⁄2 cup of coriander, including stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 long red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
• 2 1⁄2 tbs fish sauce
• 5 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
• 5 tsp caster sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbs roasted ground rice
• 3 tbs deep fried shallots
• 4 tbs chopped, salted, roasted peanuts (optional)

Method

To poach chicken:
Cover the chicken with water in a small pot. Bring to boil and then reduce to a low simmer to cook for 45 minutes, covered. Cool completely in poaching liquid then transfer to a plate to shred finely with 2 forks (the remaining poaching liquid can be frozen to use as stock).
To make dressing:
Combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and garlic in a small recycled glass jar and shake vigorously until sugar is dissolved.
To assemble:
Combine persimmons, cucumber, cabbage, spring onions, mint, coriander and chilli (if using), chicken and dressing in a medium to large bowl and toss very gently with hands or chopsticks so as not to bruise ingredients.
Divide into 4 portions and garnish with roasted rice, fried shallots and peanuts and serve immediately.