Indian Marinated Chicken Salad

This was a tasty salad to make, even though it was a little fiddly to make. It was refreshing to eat though and a little different! I served it as a main meal for 3 adults, but is more suited for 2...

*Taken from 'Tossed. A Murdock Book'*

Ingredients
1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
325g chicken breast fillets (I used tenderloins)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced on the diagonal
60g picked watercress leaves (I used baby spinach)
80g (1/2 cup) freshly podded peas (I used frozen)
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 small handful coriander leaves

yoghurt dressing
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbs thick plain yoghurt
1 tbs chopped mint
1 tbs lemon juice

Method
Combine the lemon juice, garam masala, turmeric, ginger, garlic and 1 tsp of the oil in a large bowl. Add chicken and onion, toss well to coat all over, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove the onion from the chicken marinate, then heat 1 tbs of the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the chicken over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Cut each breast across the grain into 1 cm slices.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and saute the zucchini and marinated onion for 2 minutes, or until lightly golden and tender. Toss in a large bowl with the watercress. Cook the peas in boiling water for 5 minutes, or until tender, then drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Add to the salad with the chicken, tomato and coriander.

To make the yoghurt dressing, dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds in a frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Put the seeds in a mortar and pestle and pound them to a powder. Mix together with the yoghurt, mint and lemon juice. Gently fold the dressing through the salad and divide into 2 bowls.