Chopped salads are an exciting recent addition to my weekly meal plan. They’re filling, nutrient-dense, packed with protein and feature an array of colourful vegetables.

I’m a textural eater, and adding lots of dimension to my salads makes every bite interesting, and avoids what I’ve dubbed “salad leaf fatigue”.

Dressed leaves are great to accompany a meal, but these salads can stand on their own as the star of the table, or be taken to the office for a fun desk lunch.

‘Hainanese chicken rice’ greens bowl

The gingery, toasted sesame oil-based dressing contains all the nostalgic flavours of Hainanese chicken rice from my childhood in Singapore, and the combination of crunchy diced vegetables and shredded rotisserie chicken makes this salad fresh, quick and hearty.

Despite the name, there isn’t any rice in this salad, but feel free to throw in some cooked white or brown rice if you like. If you prefer to poach the chicken yourself, bring some chicken stock or water to a boil in a medium pan with a handful of sliced ginger, garlic and spring onions, drop in some chicken thigh or breast fillets and simmer for three to four minutes before covering the pan and turning off the heat. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes to poach gently and cool. Shred the meat when you’re ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ head white cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, diced
• 1 head broccolini, blanched and sliced into rounds
• ½ cup edamame beans, blanched and drained
• 3 spring onions, sliced into rounds
• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

Dressing

• 1 cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• ⅓ cup water
• ½ cup sesame oil
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt

METHOD

1. To make the dressing, whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar and salt are dissolved, then add to a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the prepared cabbage, cucumber, broccolini, edamame, spring onions and chicken to the bowl with the dressing. Mix thoroughly to combine and serve.
3. If you’re feeling fancy, you could remove the roast chicken skin and chuck in the air-fryer or oven to crisp, then break it up and serve it as a crunchy garnish.

Serves 4

Sesame-fried egg bibimbap

Bibimbap is a quintessential Korean dish that translates to “mixing rice”. The bed of cooked rice (bap) is the perfect vessel for toppings such as meat, fresh vegetables and kimchi, each prepared separately to bring out its unique flavour and texture. The right mix of ingredients should hit every note – salty, sweet, spicy, sour – all harmonising when combined. A fried egg on top brings the whole dish together into a rich, creamy, spicy delight. This simple, vegetarian version is easy to prepare, and the components come together quickly.

INGREDIENTS

Sauteed zucchini

• 1 tsp cooking oil
• 2 small zucchini, sliced into rounds
• ½ small brown onion, sliced into half-moons
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp Korean chilli flakes
• sesame oil to finish

Spinach namul

• 120g baby spinach
• ¼ tsp sesame oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp sugar
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced

Sesame fried eggs

• 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• ½ tsp cooking oil
• 2 eggs

Bibimbap sauce

• 2 tbsp gochujang
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced

To assemble

• 2 cups hot cooked rice
• 2-3 tbsp kimchi, sliced into small pieces, optional
• 2-3 baby cucumbers, cut into lengths, optional
• Japanese mayonnaise
• shredded nori
• toasted sesame seeds
• roasted seaweed sheets

METHOD

1. To prepare the sauteed zucchini, heat the cooking oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, then add the zucchini. Fry in a single layer without disturbing for 1-2 minutes to char slightly, then stir and add the onion and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions soften, then add the soy sauce, maple syrup and Korean chilli flakes. Continue cooking over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes more until the vegetables are tender, then turn the heat off and lightly sprinkle with sesame oil to finish.
2. To prepare the spinach namul, blanch the spinach in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes, then strain and shock in iced water. Once cool, gather the spinach into a ball and squeeze out the excess liquid, then transfer it to a small bowl. Season with sesame oil, salt, sugar and garlic, and set aside.
3. To cook the sesame fried eggs, heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, and add half of the toasted sesame seeds. When they start to smell toasty, crack the eggs into the pan. Fry until the egg white is almost set, then sprinkle the rest of the seeds over the top. Flip the eggs gently, if you like, or just slide them out of the pan and set aside.
4. To make the bibimbap sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, whisk thoroughly to dissolve the sugar and combine.
5. To assemble, divide the hot rice between two bowls and arrange each of the toppings separately on top. Drizzle with as much bibimbap sauce and Japanese mayonnaise as you like, then top each bowl with a fried egg, shredded nori and more sesame seeds. Serve with roasted seaweed sheets. Mix thoroughly before eating.

Serves 2

Crispy rice salad with sambal peanut sauce

This crunchfest is the lovechild of Lao nam khao and Indonesian gado gado. I’ve borrowed the creamy sauce and some of the crisp vegetables of the Indonesian salad gado gado and combined them with the crispy rice of nam khao. Traditionally, you’d roast and use whole peanuts, but the cheeky shortcut of peanut butter is fine.

INGREDIENTS

Crispy rice and tempeh (makes 2 cups)

• 2 cups cooked, cold jasmine rice
• 1 cup tempeh, diced into 1cm pieces
• 2 tbsp red curry paste
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp salt

Sambal peanut sauce

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 2 long red chillies, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp shrimp paste, optional
• ⅔ cup smooth peanut butter
• 3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
• 4 tsp tamarind paste
• salt to taste
• lime juice to taste, optional

To assemble

• 1 punnet baby cucumbers, sliced into rounds
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1 small shallot, finely sliced
• ½ bunch coriander, finely sliced
• 2 eggs, boiled for 6 minutes and halved
• crispy shallots and crushed peanuts to finish

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional). Line one or two oven trays with baking paper.
2. To make the crispy rice and tempeh, add the rice to a mixing bowl and use your fingers to break apart the lumps. Add the curry paste, salt, turmeric and oil to the rice, and pop on some disposable gloves to thoroughly coat the grains without breaking them. Add the diced tempeh and mix well to combine, then spread in a single layer over one or two oven trays lined with baking paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once or until the rice and tempeh are crisp and golden. Set aside to cool, then break into small pieces.
3. To make the sambal peanut sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, then add the shallot, chillies, garlic and shrimp paste, if using. Stir-fry over medium heat until fragrant and the shallot has softened, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor, along with the peanut butter, kecap manis, tamarind paste and ¼ cup of water. Pulse, then slowly add another ¼ cup of water, or until it’s a smooth, pourable consistency. Season with salt and a little lime juice, or more kecap manis if you like, then set aside. This sauce will keep in the fridge for up to five days and you can use leftovers for all manner of dishes.
4. To assemble, combine the crispy rice and tempeh in a large bowl with the sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, shallot and about ¼ of a cup of the peanut sauce. Mix thoroughly, then add the coriander and divide between four bowls. Garnish each with ½ an egg, crispy shallots, crushed peanuts and more peanut sauce, if you like.

Serves 4