Toss herbs and garden produce into this versatile salad for a filling, plant-to-plate meal. 

Recipe and words: Michael Van de Elzen

Citrus noodles are a firm favourite in our house over the hotter months and perfect when you’re catering for large numbers.

I use a julienne peeler, which is just a fancy peeler that can also shred vegetables into thin sticks. They’re available from most kitchen supply outlets, or you can just use a regular peeler to peel vegetables into long ribbon-like noodles.

If you’re not into prawns, this recipe works well with chicken too. Poach some chicken breast in lightly salted water and allow it to cool in the water before removing and shredding into thin strips.

You can use cucumber, bean, mint, coriander, and spring onions in the salad to create a true plant-to-plate dish.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3 carrots
1 cucumber
2 cups mung beans
1 x 400g packet edamame beans, deshelled
1 cup chopped spring onion
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup chopped fresh coriander
12 large prawns, uncooked
1 x 500g packet fresh noodles
200g green beans
12 heads broccolini, halved

METHOD

Use a julienne peeler to peel carrots into long ‘noodles’. Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Cut in half crossways and peel into long ribbons using a regular peeler.

Combine carrot and cucumber in a large bowl or serving platter. Add mung beans, edamame, spring and red onions, mint, and coriander.

Bring two large pots of salted water to the boil. Drop prawns into one pot and noodles into the other. After 3 minutes, drain the noodles and remove the prawns from the pot.

Leave the prawn water on the element, and add the broccolini and beans. After 1 minute, drain, then refresh in iced water to halt cooking.

Peel the prawns and slice in half lengthways. Slice the beans on an angle.

Mix all the salad ingredients. Pour over the dressing (recipe below) and toss well to combine.

Citrus Dressing

Prep time: 8 minutes

INGREDIENTS

juice of 3 limes
juice of 2 lemons
juice of 6 mandarins
1 tsp mustard powder
1 egg yolk
250ml vegetable oil
salt
white pepper

METHOD

Place juices in a saucepan over a high heat and reduce until you have 100ml in total. Leave to cool.

In a food processor, combine the cooled juice, mustard, and egg yolk. Blitz, while gradually adding oil in a thin stream. Season to taste.

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