Vietnamese Noodle Salad

Method

• step 1

  A pinch of brown sugar goes in to a small deep bowl, mixed with the juice of a lime and a teaspoon each of fish sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine). Add in 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil (or any other plain oil), ½ a minced garlic clove and half a red chilli chopped small with the seeds in. Give this Asian broth a stir to mix and add in 3 shredded spring onions. Leave to sit for an hour or so.

• step 2

  Put a portion of dried rice or glass noodles in a bowl of boiling water and leave to one side until soften.

• step 3

  As the noodles soften, chop 150g of sweetheart cabbage fairly finely and shred a carrot with a vegetable peeler and slice a couple of radishes, rough chopped 10g of fresh mint and tear up 20g of coriander and a cooked chicken breast.

• step 4

  When the noodles are softened drain and run through with cold water to cool them mostly, but a little warmth helps it take on flavour.

• step 5

  Mix all of the ingredients together well to coat in the noodles, vegetables and chicken in the piquant-Asian liquor. It works best if you leave it to stand for at least 30 minutes. If you're leaving to stand longer (over might for example) then cover and pop it in the fridge and only add the mint and coriander before serving, amkkng sure it's room temperature.

• step 6

  Apply to your face - preferably al fresco in a sunny park with crisp white wine on a lovely picnic.