Japanese flavours are highlighted in this special salad. You'll notice the duck is browned before being plunged into boiling water - this helps rid it of excess fat. If you do not have duck breasts, use chicken and allow an extra 5 minutes cooking in the poaching liquid.

Ingredients

• 2 single duck breasts
• ½ cup sake
• 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2½ tablespoons mirin
• 2½ tablespoons sugar

Salad

• 200 grams rice vermicelli
• 3 spring onions, trimmed
• 100 grams snowpeas, blanched
• 50 grams enoki mushrooms
• 6 radishes, shredded

Dressing

• 4 tablespoons miso paste base
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons grated palm sugar

Miso paste base

• 4 tablespoons yellow or white miso
• 1½ tablespoons grated palm sugar and 1½ tablespoons sherry
• 1 tablespoons lime juice and grated rind 1 lime

Method

1. Trim the excess skin and fat from around the edges of the duck breast. Using a sharp knife, score the skin side of the duck breasts in a diamond pattern just through the thickness of the skin. This will help the marinade penetrate.
2. Mix together the sake, dark soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
3. Heat a frying pan until very hot. Place the duck, skin side down, into the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 3 minutes. Plunge the duck breasts into a saucepan of boiling water for 30 seconds then transfer to the saucepan containing the warm sake marinade and poach gently for 3 minutes each side.
4. Remove the duck and place on a plate. Cover with a second plate and put weights on top (use 2x400 gram cans). Allow to stand for 10 minutes.
5. Boil to reduce the remaining marinade by half. Cool and pour over the cooled, pressed duck. Allow to stand while preparing the salad.
6. Soak the rice vermicelli in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain very well and chop roughly. Shred the spring onion and snowpeas. Toss the vermicelli with the spring onions, snowpeas, enoki mushrooms, radishes and dressing ingredients.
7. Remove the duck from the marinade and slice finely on an angle. Toss through the salad just before serving.

Miso paste base

1. Mix together all the ingredients and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.