My niece got married at the beginning of the summer – an elaborate and jolly wedding for 400, which is considered intimate by most big, fat Indian wedding standards. After five days of several ceremonies, outfit changes and bhangra dancing until the wee hours, it’s no wonder that she has taken a five-week honeymoon travelling across Thailand and Indonesia to recover. Her Instagram photos of sunsets, crystalline beaches, cocktails and platters of delicious food make me long to get away, but, for now, I can enjoy similar faraway flavours remotely by cooking with fragrant herbs, red hot chillies, lemongrass and lime leaves, and complex condiments such as fish sauce and tamarind.
Summer vegetable salad with roasted peanut sauce
Using herbs generously, as an ingredient rather than just a garnish, is what makes this especially delicious.
Prep 25 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4
200g green beans, trimmed
160g baby sugar snaps
110g asparagus, trimmed
150g frozen podded edamame beans, defrosted
1 Chinese cabbage, very finely shredded
250g beansprouts
2 baby cucumbers, halved, deseeded and cut into fine matchsticks
1 bunch Thai basil, leaves picked
1 bunch mint, leaves picked and torn
1 small bunch coriander, leaves picked
2 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
For the roast peanut sauce
60ml groundnut oil
150g unsalted peanuts
8 makrut lime leaves
2 small red bird’s eye chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
2cm piece ginger, roughly chopped
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
2 lemongrass, white parts only, roughly chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1 heaped tbsp palm sugar, or light brown sugar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
30g crushed salted peanuts, to garnish
First make the sauce. Put the oil in a small pan on a medium-high heat, then fry the peanuts, stirring frequently, until they turn dark golden brown; drain on kitchen paper. In the same pan, fry the lime leaves, then drain; leave the oil to cool.
In a food processor, blitz the lime leaves to a coarse powder, then add the chilli, ginger, garlic and lemongrass, and blitz again to make a coarse paste. Add the peanuts, whiz until finely ground, then pour in the lime juice, sugar and soy. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the reserved oil and a little water until the sauce has a pouring consistency.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the beans, sugar snaps, asparagus and edamame. Drain and refresh in ice-cold water, then drain well. Put the blanched veg in a bowl, add the cabbage, sprouts, cucumber, herbs and shallots, and toss to combine. Dress with the peanut sauce, toss again to coat, then serve with crushed peanuts scattered on top.
Crab and mango rice noodle salad
Crab is a delicate, luxury ingredient, and this lively salad makes a small amount go a long way.
Prep 15 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter
100g picked white crab meat
1 large, unripe mango, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and cut into matchsticks
1 banana shallot, peeled and very finely sliced
1 avocado, halved, stoned and peeled, flesh finely diced
1 handful coriander leaves and stalks, roughly chopped
1 handful mint leaves
275g cooked rice noodles
For the dressing
1 red bird’s eye chilli
1 fat garlic clove, peeled
60ml lime juice
1 heaped tbsp brown sugar
30ml fish sauce
To make the dressing, pound the chilli and garlic to a fine paste, then add the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce, adjusting to suit your taste – it should be sour, hot, sweet and salty.
In a bowl, mix the crab, mango, cucumber, shallot, avocado, herbs and rice noodles, then add the dressing, toss and serve.
Pork larb nachos with pickled cabbage, avocado crema and tomato and tamarind salsa
These Thai-inspired nachos don’t have the ooze of cheese, but are layered with fragrant pork, pickles, spiky salsa and a ton of herbs that, when combined, are a party on a plate. If you want to skip the tortilla chips, serve the pork and toppings with lettuce leaves or prawn crackers instead.
Prep 15 min
Marinate 2 hr
Cook 50 min
Serves 4-6
1 tbsp raw sticky or glutinous rice
1½ tsp fennel seeds
2 lemongrass, white parts only, roughly chopped
1 thumb ginger, peeled and sliced
6 makrut lime leaves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar, or light brown sugar
1 tsp gochugaru, or ½ tsp chilli flakes
100ml chicken stock
500g pork mince
Zest and juice of 2 limes
250g salted tortilla chips
For the pickled cabbage
½ small red cabbage (about 100g)
60g caster sugar
1 tsp sea salt
120ml rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
For the salsa
250g mixed cherry tomatoes
1 garlic clove
2 small red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
30g palm sugar, or light brown sugar
For the avocado crema
2 ripe avocados
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp rapeseed oil
To serve
1 banana shallot, peeled and cut into very fine rings
30g peanuts, roughly crushed
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 handful each picked Thai basil and coriander
A few pinches of gochugaru plus extra to serve (optional)
Lime wedges
Two hours before you want to eat, make the pickled cabbage. Shred the cabbage very finely. In a bowl, whisk the sugar, salt, rice vinegar and fish sauce until the sugar dissolves, then, with clean hands, add the cabbage and toss to coat. Cover and set aside.
Put all the ingredients for the avocado crema in a small food processor, blitz smooth, season to taste, then cover and refrigerate.
For the salsa, cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters (depending on their size). Pound the garlic and chilli to a smooth paste, then stir in the fish sauce, tamarind and sugar. Pour this over the tomatoes and set aside.
Toast the rice in a dry frying pan on a low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly golden. Add the fennel seeds, lemongrass, ginger and lime leaves, and toast until fragrant. Finely grind in a mortar or blender with the fish sauce, sugar and gochugaru.
Bring the stock to a boil in a frying pan, then add the pork and simmer, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, until cooked through – don’t let it overcook or it will go tough. Transfer to a bowl, add the ground spice mixture, lime zest and juice, and mix well.
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Lay the tortilla chips on a baking sheet or ovenproof platter and warm for five to seven minutes. Layer over the pork mince, then top with avocado crema, pickled cabbage, tomato salsa, shallots, peanuts, red chilli, Thai basil and coriander, and sprinkle over the gochugaru, if using. Serve with lime wedges and an ice-cold beer.
