Asian Salad Recipes - Vietnamese Banana Blossom Salad with Duck and Ginger Dressing (Goi Vit Bap Chuoi) Recipe

Ingredients

• iced water

• 1 banana flower

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 2 duck breasts

For the dressing:

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 5 tablespoons hot water

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 large red chili, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

For the garnish:

• 1 tablespoon ground roast peanut

• 1 tablespoon crisp-fried shallot

Serves 4

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Method

1. Have ready a large bowl of iced water. Pull away the hard outer petals from the banana flower and discard, together with any embryonic bananas, which will look like clusters of large matchsticks. Inside is a pale soft bulb, which should be quartered then sliced across into thin strips.

2. Immediately place these in the iced water with the lemon juice. Leave for 30 minutes to draw out any sticky liquid from the leaves.

3. Place the duck breasts in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked through, about 5 - 7 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat and pour away the water, but leave the duck breasts in the pan, covered, for 10 minutes to allow them to tenderize. When cool, remove the skin and, using your fingers, tear the meat into shreds. Set aside.

5. Prepare the dressing: in a bowl, dissolve the sugar in the hot water. Add all the other dressing ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

6. Drain the banana flower strips well and arrange in a serving bowl. Add the duck followed by the dressing and toss well Garnish with ground roast peanut and fried shallot to serve.