Chicken and Litchi Salad

Well, it's happened at last!  We have a Fruit and Veg City in Black River, Mauritius.  What makes it so amazing is that we often have very little fresh produce here, or rather, the produce is limited and very expensive.  Or just plain sad-looking.


This morning my husband, Quintin, and I were of the first people to walk through the doors of Fruit and Veg City, known as Food Lovers Market, here in Black River.  After months of really dreary lettuce we found some delicious iceberg lettuce.  Ok.  So it cost quite a bit, but I grabbed one and Quintin immediately asked for a salad for supper.


You see, one of his favourite meals is Chicken and Litchi Salad.


It's very hot and humid here in Mauritius at the moment and I've been craving a salad, so I jumped at the opportunity!


So, here's the recipe.  I think you'll enjoy it as well.


Chicken and Litchi Salad (Serves 6)


Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts, cooked, diced and cooled
About 10 rashers bacon, sliced thinly and fried crispy, cooled
1 large lettuce
Approximately 1 - 2 tomatoes per person
1 large cucumber
Green, red and yellow peppers (if you like)


Sauce
1 large onion
1 tsp butter (or tablespoon olive oil)
1 tsp mild (or hotter, if you like) curry powder
60 ml white wine (or water)
15 ml tomato sauce
15 ml chutney
5 ml lemon juice
1 tin litchis, drained - reserve the juice and the litchis
15 ml cornflour
60 - 100 ml mayonnaise
50 ml cream
Salt and pepper to taste


Method

• Fry the onions in the butter or olive oil until transparent.  
• Stir in the curry powder.
• Add the white wine (or water), tomato sauce, chutney and lemon juice and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
• Add half the juice of the litchis.
• Mix the cornflour into the other half of the litchi juice and and then add this to the above.  
• Stir until slightly thickened. 
• Remove from heat and stir in mayonnaise and cream.
• Add the previously cooked chicken.
• You can chop up some of the litchis and add this to the sauce.  Reserve the remainder to put on the top of the salad.
• Chill until ready to serve.

Put it all together

1. Tear the lettuce into medium-sized chunks.  Distribute between 6 plates.
2. Chop up the tomatoes, cucumber and peppers and divide between the plates.
3. Spoon the chilled chicken sauce over each salad.
4. Top with the remainder of the litchis.
5. Sprinkle the bacon over the top.
6. Serve.

Tips and Ideas

• For a healthier version, replace the mayonnaise with low fat plain yoghurt and the cream with fat-free cream or fat-free milk.  This version does not produce quite so smooth a sauce, so be warned.  Also, the sauce has a more runny consistency, so add another 5 ml cornflour to thicken the sauce a little more.
• My mother-in-law, Beulah, only serves this salad on a bed of lettuce topped with tiny cooked and cooled pasta shapes.  She omits the other salad items.  
• This version is also delicious.  I've also added feta, chunks of cheddar or mozzarella.  Sprinkle some nuts over, if you like, like pecans or even cashews.  All very nice as well.

Enjoy!
Have a lovely day.
Shelley