Mango, avocado & chicken salad – with rice noodles
It all started with a mango.
I had one which had been sitting in the fruit bowl for what felt like a lifetime, and no matter how much I poked and prodded it, it didn’t seem to be getting any riper. I buried it under other fruit (supposedly works), I shut it away in a dark cupboard and kept it warm, but this damn mango just wouldn’t ripen. It was Sunday, I was eating the entire kitchen and was running out of snacks. The mango was practically screaming out my name. So I went for it. But wait. Are you ready for the greatest plot twist of 2017 so far? The mango was ripe. Yes, that mango which I had basically mothered for the past few days was ready to eat. It was the perfect balance of sweet and tangy #winning
I also had some avocados which were on their deathbed so apologies in advance because they don’t exactly look like your usual, flawless Instagram avocado. They still tasted great though – but let’s not get into different beauty standards for avocados.
This dish reminds me of home for some reason (even though we don’t really eat salad in Indonesia). I think it’s the mix of mango and citrus which makes it tropical – as well as the rice noodles which are commonly found back home. Without getting too dramatic, but regardless of whatever type of summer nostalgia this salad conjures up: it’s a fresh, healthy dish which is great for a post-workout snack or light lunch, as it doesn’t take too long to make (unless you forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer *ahem* :))))
Ingredients:
2 small avocados
1 mango
rice noodles
piece of chicken
lemon, olive oil & coriander to garnish
Boil the chicken first. It doesn’t really matter what part you use, but it’s easier with a breast fillet. That way you have no bones getting in the way
Boil the rice noodles. These don’t take long at all – around three or four minutes – any longer will result in really soggy noodles and trust me, soggy noodles are depressing
Dice the mango and avocados
Once the chicken is cooked, soak it in cold water for a couple of mins so you don’t burn your hands. Then shred into strips
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients
Squeeze a lemon over it, add some black pepper, chopped coriander and a few drops of olive oil
NB: if you’re wondering why my noodles are orange, it’s because I used leftover noodles which had sauce on them. Usually they’d be white when you boil them from raw.
This recipe can be easily changed up. You can opt out of including noodles (but carbs r lyfe) and can also add more veggies – beansprouts or cucumbers would work well as they’re both crunchy and fresh and will still keep it a light meal. If you’ve got oranges lying around, then chop ’em up and toss ’em in. If you’re a cheese fan then feta is your friend.
And there you have it. Summer in a bowl.
