Name: Prawn and watermelon salad
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 rice vermicelli noodles (about 150g); 1 bird's-eye chillies finely sliced, plus more to serve; 3 limes juiced, plus lime wedges to serve; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp fish or soy sauce; handful of mint leaves shredded; ½ cucumber deseeded and sliced at an angle; 1 avocado sliced; 200g cooked peeled king prawns; ½ small watermelon cut into bite-sized wedges; small handful of salted roasted peanuts or cashews chopped

Oval platter filled with watermelon, prawns and noodles

4 rice vermicelli noodles
(about 150g)
1 bird's-eye chillies
finely sliced, plus more to serve
3 limes
juiced, plus lime wedges to serve
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fish or soy sauce
handful of mint leaves
shredded
½ cucumber
deseeded and sliced at an angle
1 avocado
sliced
200g cooked peeled king prawns
½ small watermelon
cut into bite-sized wedges
small handful of salted roasted peanuts or cashews
chopped

Method

step 1
Put the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with a kettleful of just-boiled water. Leave to soak for 8-10 minutes or until tender, while you make the dressing. Whisk together the chillies, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding more soy or fish sauce, sugar or lime to balance the dressing so it is sweet, salty, sour and spicy.
step 2
Drain the noodles well in a sieve, return to the bowl, then pour over most of the dressing. Add the mint and give everything a good toss to coat in the dressing. Transfer to a big platter or four plates. Top with the cucumber, avocado, prawns, watermelon and nuts. Spoon over the remaining dressing and scatter with mint leaves and more chilli to serve.