This is a scrumptious way to enjoy any leftover turkey (or chicken for that matter). We go mad for this after Christmas Day at my house, enjoying the contrast in flavours from the typical ‘big day’ fare of roasted meat, rich sauces and fruity puddings.
It’s a very savoury dish, in the way that satay sauce is, a little bit spicy and with crunch vegetables for added freshness. It’s pretty much a store cupboard recipe that requires no actual cooking and is great year-round for whenever you have some leftover cooked chicken.
You can use the dark turkey meat rather than the breast if you want, but I find it is better to save the brown meat for stews or casseroles, as it doesn’t break up into shreds as easily as the white meat when cooked for a long time and constantly stirred.
SERVES 6-8
◆ 6 x 50g nests dried rice vermicelli noodles
◆ 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
◆ 1 tbsp fish sauce
◆ 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
◆ ½ cucumber, cut into fine matchsticks batons,
◆ 4 large Chinese leaves (around 200g in total), thinly sliced diagonally
◆ 4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced diagonally
◆ 550g cold cooked turkey (or chicken), preferably breast, pulled into bite-sized pieces
◆ 1 red chilli, very thinly sliced diagonally
◆ Handful of dry-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
FOR THE SAUCE
◆ 170g smooth peanut butter
◆ 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
◆ 1 tbsp fish sauce
◆ 2 tbsp sriracha sauce
◆ Juice of 1 lime
◆ 100ml boiling water
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
◆ Toasted black and white sesame seeds, lime wedges, cress, watercress or rocket
GET AHEAD
◆ Make step one up to four days in advance (although longer is fine), cover and keep chilled.
◆ Prepare step two up to a day ahead, cover and chill. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
◆ Prepare the carrot and cucumber up to a day ahead, cover and chill individually.
1. Place all the sauce ingredients, except the boiling water, in a heatproof bowl, then gradually whisk in the water until a smooth sauce has formed. Set aside to cool, when it will have thickened considerably.
2. Reconstitute the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and cool under cold water, then drain very well. Transfer to a large bowl, gently squeezing out the excess moisture with your hands as you go. Dress the noodles with the sesame oil and fish sauce.
3. Arrange the noodles over a large platter, then scatter the carrot, cucumber, Chinese leaves and half the spring onions over the top, followed by the turkey, leaving a slight margin around the edge so the other ingredients are visible.
3. Gradually whisk enough cold water (around 50ml) into the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon and is roughly the consistency of double cream. It needs to coat the turkey without being too thick and claggy, but not so thin that it runs straight off.
4. Before serving scatter the chilli slices, dry-roasted peanuts and remaining spring onions over the top, then scatter over any of my serving suggestions if using.
