A wonderfully different chicken salad

Start by making the dressings. For the tahini yoghurt, simply stir together all the listed ingredients and place in the fridge to keep cold. For the dressing, add all the dressing ingredients together in a bottle with a screw top and shake it vigorously. (I find old jam jars ideal for making dressings.)

If you are using a whole mealie, boil it for about ten minutes. Let it cool slightly and then use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels. (I like zapping it with my blowtorch briefly before I do so because I like the extra depth of smoky flavour it lends. If you do not have a blow torch but have a gas hob, use tongs to hold the mealie over the open flames for a few seconds, it has the same effect.) If you are using frozen mealies, a few minutes in boiling water is all they need.

Next blanche the green beans very briefly in a saucepan with boiling water – you want them really al dente so about a minute should do the trick. Place them in a colander, run them under a cold tap for a few seconds and then immediately dunk them into an ice bath – just cold water with loads of ice blocks. This sets the lovely bright green colour.

Slice the radishes and place them in the ice water as well, it makes them super crunchy. Slice the spring onions into very thin strips about 5cm long and they too go into the ice water. Just a few minutes in the cold water and they will start curling beautifully. (This is not strictly necessary as it doesn’t change the taste – it’s just for the pretty!) Pop the almonds into a clean non-stick pan and toast over medium-low heat, shaking frequently, until they are lightly browned.

Time to make the chicken. Chicken breast can be beastly dry. One of my tricks is to flatten them so they cook very fast over very high heat. Simply slice the breast in half lengthways and use a rolling pin to bash the pieces lightly to flatten them some more. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan with 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and add the chicken along with the butter. (You could leave the butter out but the chicken cooks fast and will look anaemic. Butter helps it to brown.) Fry on both sides until the chicken is just cooked through.

To plate up, dollop the tahini yoghurt in the middle of a large plate and use the back of a spoon to spread it to the sides. Toss the cabbage with the lemony dressing. Plate up with the rest of the salad ingredients and add the chicken. Top with toasted almonds, garnish with lemon wedges and tuck in!