SPICY CORIANDER SALAD

Here’s another one that can be made with leftovers – in this case rice. But it’s equally nice if you leave the rice out and have it as a salad with pan fried chicken breast, a steak or burgers. I sometimes have it on its own, and at other times to accompany a barbecue. The nicest thing about it is that you can use whatever vegetables you have at hand; I have listed some of my favourites with a note for those that absolutely have to be in it.

There’s a lot of chopping involved, and that leads me onto the top tip I learnt in hotelschool. Invest in good knives and keep them sharp! Many great cooks have seen their food ruined by dull knives.


Ingredients:
Rice (or not if you prefer the version without)
Red or yellow bell peppers cut into half inch chunks (I prefer not to use the green ones since they have a tendency to remind me of my meal for the rest of the day)
Red Onion – roughly chopped (a MUST)
Cucumber – rough sliced and quarter (A MUST)
Mange tout or sugar snap peas – cut in half
Cherry tomatoes – whole if tiny, halved if bigger
Carrots – I tend to julienne cut these, into French fry sized sticks
Masses of chopped coriander (CAN NOT DO WITHOUT)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – just to coat it a bit
Lemon juice – to taste
A tad of balsamic vinegar, and I mean a tad
A tad of soy sauce – again!
Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce – as much or as little as you like depending on how hot you like it

How to:
Mix the lot in a bowl, leave in fridge for less than an hour (or the tomatoes make the rest go soft) and serve!