Carrot salad with cabbage and peanuts

SERVES 4

For the dressing:

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

1 fresh green chile, seeded and chopped

1 garlic clove, finely grated

juice of 2 limes

1–2 tsp granulated sugar

handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Fuji or other sweet apples

4 carrots, coarsely grated

1 small white cabbage, cored and shredded

handful of roasted sunflower seed kernels

handful of cocktail peanuts or dry-roasted peanuts

Method:

1 First, make the dressing. Put all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and mix thoroughly until the sugar has dissolved. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed, then check the seasoning again. If it needssweetening, add more sugar; if it needs salt, add a little more fish sauce.

2 Quarter and core the apples, then chop into bite-size pieces. Put in a large bowl with the carrot, cabbage, and sunflower seeds. Toss well. Drizzle with the dressing, and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving dish or bowl, and scatter the peanuts over the top.

Variations:

Use prepared rice stick noodles instead of the cabbage if you prefer.

Carrot salad with cabbage and peanuts