I really enjoy salads with crunchy interesting textures, which this time of the year brings with the robust, deeply flavoured ingredients. By adding a punchy dressing you lift the ingredients and this delicious salad will become the star of the meal.

Skill easy

Prep/cooking time 30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

200g red cabbage, finely shredded

2 sticks silverbeet, stalks removed and leaves finely sliced

200g swede, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks size pieces

2 carrots, peeled into ribbons (using a vegetable peeler)

1 small red onion, finely sliced

2 spring onions, sliced on angle

15g fresh mint

15 g fresh coriander

100g peanuts, darkly roasted and crushed lightly

Dressing

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp tamarind paste

3 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp sugar

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Thumb size piece of garlic, finely grated

1 chilli, finely chopped (seeds removed if not wanting too hot)

1 lime or lemon, juice

Method

Begin by preparing all your vegetables. Finely shred the cabbage and silverbeet, cut the swede into thin matchstick size pieces, peel long ribbons of carrots and place into a large mixing bowl.

Add the onions and herbs and set aside.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan or oven until dark brown as we want a deep nutty flavour.

When cool, lightly crush up the peanuts so you get good texture.

To make the dressing; mix together all the ingredients and stir together well. Adding a little lime/lemon juice as needed.  Taste and adjust the balance if needed.  

To serve; add the dressing to the vegetables about 5 minutes before serving.  You want the dressing to get into the ingredients but you don’t want to lose the crunch.

Enjoy.