I know. The name of this recipe may scare you, but you gotta give it a try! This month we are focusing on Fusion Recipes and start off with this delicious Wasabi Chicken Pasta Salad dish. This fusion salad combines the creamy freshness of a pasta salad with the oriental punch of wasabi and soy. Give it a try! (This recipe also works very well with shrimp)


Ingredients:
2 cups Cooked chicken breast, diced (if starting from scratch, roast the chicken breast with a little soy sauce for a nuttier flavour)
2 cups Cooked pasta (rotini or penne works best)
1 Green bell pepper, diced
2 Stalks of celery, diced
2 Green onions, minced
1/2 small onion, minced
1 small cucumber, diced
2 heads of Romaine lettuce or butter lettuce, washed, dried and torn.
For the dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar, if you have it)
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 tsp wasabi powder or paste (more if you like it spicy)
1 clove garlic
Salt, pepper and a little sugar to taste

Directions:

In a bowl, assemble all ingredients except the lettuce. It's not a bad thing if the pasta is still  warm from cooking - it will "suck up" the dressing better.
For making the dressing, put all dressing ingredients in a blender, making sure that the garlic becomes finely minced. Taste and add sugar or salt if  needed. You're after a slightly sweet and sour zing.
Add the dressing to the bowl full of ingredients and toss until all elements are thoroughly coated. Chill in fridge for atleast 4 hours.
Serve on a bed of lettuce.