I’ve visited Bali many times and I adore it. This salad is based on a dish from my favourite plant-based café in Sanur, Genius. I love the magical rice crisps – I never tire of watching them fizz and puff up in the pan.
Makes: A big salad for one
Ingredients
Crispy rice crackers
3 tablespoons oil for frying
2 x 22cm rice papers
Salad
¼ medium cabbage, finely shredded
½ cup toasted cashew nuts
1 large iceberg lettuce, chopped
½ telegraph cucumber, thinly sliced
100g vermicelli rice noodles, soaked for 5 minutes in boiling water then drained
a handful of coriander leaves, roughly torn
a handful of mint leaves, roughly torn
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Zingy citrus dressing
juice of 2-3 limes, or 1 lemon
1 tablespoon brown or palm sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
½ red chilli, roughly chopped, or a sprinkle of chilli flakes
a decent pinch of salt
Method
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Place one rice paper into the oil and cook until it frizzles up to an opaque crispiness. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Repeat.
2. For the salad, place the cabbage into a large bowl. Scrunch/massage the cabbage to soften it slightly so that the dressing can really get into it later. Add the cashews, lettuce, cucumber, softened rice noodles, herbs and sesame seeds and toss gently to combine.
3. Make the dressing by whisking the ingredients together. Pour over the salad and toss well.
4. Serve salad alongside crispy rice crackers.
Extracted from A Quiet Kitchen by Nici Wickes.
Photography by Todd Eyre (David Bateman, RRP $45).
