Street-food favorite adapted for salad

Irish food writer and TV host Donal Skehan grew up in a family of foodies and says he began cooking at the age of 4. Now 31, he has an impressive résumé that includes hosting TV food shows on the Food Network and BBC and a number of award-winning cookbooks. His latest book, “Fresh,” focuses on using seasonal vegetables and fruit plus whole grains, with meat and seafood taking a more secondary role.

Born and raised in Dublin, Skehan now lives in Los Angeles. He’ll be making appearances Friday (St. Patrick’s Day) on both the “Today” show and “Steve Harvey.”

Skehan says this salad is based on one of his favorite Asian street foods — chicken satay.

Nutty Chicken Satay Salad

Serves 4

2 large, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each), thinly sliced

1 tablespoon turmeric

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil

1 zucchini

1 cucumber

2 large carrots

5 scallions, finely sliced on the diagonal

Handful of salted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the peanut satay sauce:

1 teaspoon sunflower oil

1 garlic clove, very finely chopped

Small thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and very finely chopped

1 small red chili pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

¾ cup light coconut milk

Juice of 1 lime

3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

½ tablespoon dark soy sauce

Place the sliced chicken in a large bowl with the turmeric, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger and sugar and toss to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes, ideally overnight, if you have time.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.

To make the peanut sauce, heat the oil in a small pan, add the garlic, ginger and chili, and fry for 30-40 seconds, stirring continuously. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, peanut butter and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring to melt the peanut butter, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Use a vegetable peeler or spiralizer to make long strands of the zucchini, cucumber and carrots. Place the raw veggie noodles in a large mixing bowl and add most of the scallions, saving a few to use as a garnish. Pour in the peanut sauce and toss all the ingredients together until combined. Serve with the chicken pieces and a sprinkle of chopped peanuts and the reserved scallion slices. Enjoy warm or cold.

Recipe excerpted with permission from “Fresh” by Donal Skehan; published by Sterling Epicure.

chris.ross@sduniontribune.com