SWEET & SPICY TUNA WITH RICE NOODLES

Wholesome by Sarah by Sarah Pound

I love finding new ways to use a humble can of tuna and this recipe is a perfect example. It’s not common to see canned tuna in an Asian salad, but, my golly, it works.

PREP TIME 20 minutes

COOK TIME 5 minutes

SERVES 4

What you’ll need

250 g packet flat rice noodles

110 g (2 cups) roughly chopped cos lettuce

2 x 185 g cans tuna in olive oil (or chilli tuna), drained

2 Lebanese cucumbers, cut into half moons

160 g (1 cup) frozen podded edamame beans, thawed

5 spring onions, finely sliced

2 carrots, shaved, grated or cut into thin batons

1 large handful of Thai basil leaves

1 large handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

90 g (1 cup) bean shoots

120 g (3/4 cup) roasted peanuts, finely chopped

SWEET & SPICY DRESSING

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 long red chilli, finely sliced, plus extra to serve (optional)

Start with the noodles. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the rice noodles and cook according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Prep the salad base. Combine the cooked rice noodles, cos lettuce, tuna, cucumber, edamame, spring onion and carrot in a large bowl.

Now for some flavour. Add the Thai basil leaves, coriander and bean shoots to the salad and gently toss.

On to the sweet and spicy dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. Adjust to taste: if you like it sour, add a little more lime juice; if you like it sweeter, add slightly more sugar.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Toss everything together until well coated. Finish with the peanuts and the extra finely sliced chilli, if using.