GURPAREET BAINS' INDIAN SUPERFOOD

Chicken & Mango Salad

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Poached Chicken and Mango Salad with Mustard Seed Dressing (Serves 2–3) – This recipe is an extract from Indian Superfood (Absolute Press)

Lean chicken breast is beneficial for building and maintaining muscle tone. It also contains the feel-good amino acid tryptophan. Mango is not only a brilliant source of vitamins A, C and E, and of fibre, iron, minerals, antioxidants and flavonoids, but is also a vibrant wellspring of lutein, which is employed by our body as an antioxidant to protect eyesight. Remarkably, mustard seeds have been exploited medicinally from very early times; both Pythagoras and Hippocrates

prescribed a vast number of treatments based on mustard. The fusion of melt-in-the-mouth chicken, perfumy mango flesh, fresh coriander and basil, tossed up in a punchy mustard seed dressing, is quite breathtaking. Make sure to find yourself a glass of chilled Chardonnay, somewhere to sit and, if at all possible, a slither of sunshine, prior to chowing it down and becoming hopelessly overwhelmed by the ‘fabulosity’ of it all..

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chilli oil

juice of 2 limes

rock salt, to taste

100g rocket leaves or mixed green

salad leaves of your choice

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

12 cherry tomatoes

1 mango, peeled, stoned and sliced

a small handful each of fresh basil

leaves and fresh coriander leaves

In a deep saucepan, bring plenty of water to the boil. Place the chicken breasts into the water and return to the boil. Once the water begins to boil, take the pan off the heat and cover with a lid. Allow the chicken breasts to sit in the water and poach for 21/2 hours (this stage of the process can be done the morning prior to lunch). Remove the chicken breasts from the water using a slotted spoon, slice the chicken and set aside in the refrigerator. Discard the poaching liquid.

To prepare the dressing, place the mustard seeds in a deep saucepan (this will minimise the amount of seeds that will jump out of the pan and onto your kitchen worktops) and pour both the oils into the pan. Cook over a high heat until the seeds start to pop. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the oil to cool for a moment or two. Once the oil has cooled, pour in the lime juice and mix in the rock salt to taste – this will be your dressing.

In a deep mixing bowl, using your hands, mix together the chicken, rocket leaves, onion, tomatoes, mango, basil and coriander leaves and the dressing, making sure all of the leaves are well coated with the dressing. Serve immediately.

One serving = 110%+ RDA antioxidants

Antibacterial

basil, chilli, coriander, mustard

Antifungal

chilli, coriander, mustard

Anti-inflammatory

basil, chilli, coriander, mustard

Analgesic

chilli

Antiviral

Basil

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