Asian Zucchini Chicken Salad – served cold

I have to confess that this was dish was initially a flop! I realised my experimental Stir Fried Zoodles wasn’t going to work, so halfway through cooking, I quickly decided to transform it into a cold zucchini salad served with a squeeze of lime. Worked beautifully!

My intention was to replace egg noodles with zucchini ribbons since I’m trying to be as low carb as possible. It seemed like a great idea, but as I added more and more ingredients in the wok (chicken, bean sprouts, carrots, bell peppers, onions) and as the zucchini started to give out water, I figured stir fried soggy zoodles doesn’t seem that sexy after all.

I switched off the flame and got rid of the excess water. By then, I had already seasoned the vegetables. No biggie, I was going to give these crunchy vegetables a new lease of life. Instead of stir fried noodles, they’re going to be a cold salad! Chill in the fridge and sprinkle a little sugar (and crushed peanut, if you have it!) on top, then finish off with a gentle squeeze of lime. The husband loved this “refreshing salad” (his words, not mine) but I highly doubt he would say the same if I had fed him this salad’s past life.

To make zucchini ribbons, I used this spiral cutter that I got from ToTT some time back. It cost about $25 and can be used to make ribbons out of carrots and radishes too.

The gadget is fun to have but cleaning is quite a pain. I also didn’t like it that it could be stained by coloured vegetables, like carrots. If there’s a good brand of spiral cutter that you’re using, please buzz me!

This cold salad will be great as an appetizer or as part of a bento box. I can imagine serving it with a lunchbox of rice and teriyaki chicken or salmon. So when you make a mistake in your kitchen, don’t throw out that dish! Create something new with it. The results might surprise you!