Vermicelli Duck Salad with Poached Plums

(serves 2)

Another experiment: poaching plums for the first time. This idea was inspired from fond memories of gluwein and blood plums being in season! It was quite delicious, with the salty duck strips and the sweetness from the plums working well as a team. The poached plums ended up a bit soft, so i've cut the amount of time down in the recipe. It's pretty good with juicy fresh plum wedges, but the poached plums do add an extra touch with the infused cinnamon & star anise flavour ~ a little bit fancier but it probably just depends on how much time you have!

Prep time: 5 min

Cooking time: 15 min (extra 10min if poaching)

Ingredients:

150g roast duck meat, shredded

2 x100g packets of mung bean vermicelli

150g mix salad leaves

5 chinese cabbage leaves

¼ Spanish onion

extra lime wedges, to garnish

For poaching plums:

2 star anise

5 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp sugar

100 mL red wine (or just water)

100 mL water

3 plums, cold

Dressing

Rind and juice of 1 lime

1 T fish sauce

1 T soy sauce

½ T sesame oil

2 T leftover sauce from poaching plums (if available)

Method:

1. Soak mung bean vermicelli in cold water

2. To poach the plums, boil the water with the red wine, add in the star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick and sugar and bring to the boil.

3. Halve and de-seed the plums, then cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the mixture and leave in the fridge. Alternatively, if you’re not poaching plums then just peel and cut plums into thin wedges.

4. Cut the Chinese cabbage and the Spanish onion into thin slices.

5. Mix the lime rind and juice, fish sauce, soy sauce , sesame oil and sauce from poaching plums to make the dressing.

6. Heat a pan with ½ T oil, then put the duck and the vermicelli in. Cook for 1-2 minutes, add in 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.

7. Toss the salad leaves, Chinese cabbage and Spanish onion with half of the dressing in a salad bowl. Add in the vermicelli and the duck and toss with the rest of the dressing.

8. Remove the plums from the fridge and cut into thin wedges. If they are too soft, then just serve as plum halves.