Recipes

Hoi An green mango, tamarind, mint and cashew salad
One of the most exciting cookbooks to come out so far this year is Gurdeep Loyal’s Flavour Heroes, an inspirational collection of recipes based on the ingredients that have come our way in the last 10 years or so.
This one is based on tamarind, an appetisingly sour fruit that is compressed into a block or, more commonly made into a paste these days. Here Gurd uses it in an appetisingly sharp-flavoured salad that is perfect for summer eating.
Incidentally I made it myself and found it made enough dressing to save some for another salad or dip. It really is absolutely delicious. Note it helps to have a julienne peeler to shred the mango and that the dressing is cooked so needs cooling before you assemble the salad.
Gurdeep writes: “H?i An in Vietnam is a miraculous place – an ancient town of winding canals, ornate temples, pagodas, bridges and beautiful stretches of paddy fields that you can cycle through all the way to the blissfully sandy shores of An Bang beach.
Street-food vendors set up shop daily along the banks of H?i An’s canals, selling such delights as báhn xèo (crispy pancakes), c?m t?m (broken rice), g?i cu?n (shrimp summer rolls) and delicious g?i xoài (green mango salad), which is sold in plastic bags with
pouches of tangy chilli-tamarind dressing on the side. This recipe evokes my memories of that special place, and those very special bags of joy.”
SERVES 2–3
10g (¼oz) dried shrimp (optional)
1 large green (unripe) raw mango or raw papaya, peeled
1 large carrot
1 large red shallot
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
2 Tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
5 teaspoons of warm water
1 Tbsp tamarind paste
zest of 1 and juice of 2 limes
2 Tbsp fish sauce or vegan alternative
small handful of mint leaves
fine sea salt
To garnish
20g (¾oz) roasted cashews, crushed crispy onions
Put the dried shrimp (if using) in a small bowl, pour over boiling water and soak for 10 minutes.
Use a julienne peeler to shred the mango flesh from the large seed and the carrot into long thin threads. Chop the shallot into thin rings. Tumble together into a large bowl.
For the dressing, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, then add the garlic and very gently sizzle over a low heat for 3–4 minutes until it just takes on a little colour. Next, add the drained shrimp and chopped chilli. Sizzle for another 1 minute. Now, add the sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and the warm water, mixing until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Remove from the heat, then whisk through the tamarind paste, lime zest and juice, and fish sauce.
Pour into a bowl and leave to cool completely.
Once cool, whisk the dressing one last time, then pour over the shredded mango and carrots, tossing to coat everything well. Tear in the fresh mint, mixing again, then garnish with roasted cashews and crispy onions. Enjoy.
What to drink: With Vietnamese food it rather depends what else is on the table but overall I’d be inclined to go for an Australian riesling or a dry rosé. Or, if you’re not drinking, a lime soda FB
For other wine suggestions see what type of wine pairs best with Vietnamese food
Extracted from Flavour Heroes by Gurdeep Loyal, published by Quadrille at £27. Photograph by Patricia Niven.

Uyen Luu's Vietnamese Chicken salad
I don't know how often you turn to Asian-inspired salads at this time of year but I find myself making them more and more. Here's a classic Vietnamese salad from Uyen Luu's Vietnamese to inspire you.
Uyen writes: "This is a version of a classic salad that is seen at all celebrations, even if it is a weekend gathering.
Don’t let that stop you from enjoying a burst of flavour on a weeknight. You can use up a leftover roast chicken or buy a cooked rotisserie chicken. You don’t have to poach the chicken from scratch if you have leftovers.
Prep the vegetables beforehand and assemble when you are ready to serve.
CHICKEN SALAD WITH SUGAR SNAP PEAS, VIETNAMESE CORIANDER & SHALLOTS
GỎI GÀ HÀNH TÍM ÄẬU HÀ LAN
Serves 6–8
For the salad
1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) whole corn-fed, free-range, organic chicken
400 g (14 oz) sugar snap peas, thinly sliced lengthways
10 radishes, thinly sliced
10 Vietnamese coriander (cilantro) sprigs, leaves picked (or Thai basil, mint or coriander), roughly snipped
small handful of coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
handful of roughly chopped pistachios
seeds of ½ pomegranate (optional)
For the shallot pickle
4 round shallots, sliced as thinly as possible
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
5 tbsp crushed pistachios
3 bird’s eye chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 tbsp maple syrup
5 tbsp lime juice (from about 2–3 limes)
5 tbsp fish sauce
To serve
prawn crackers
Fill a very large saucepan with 3 litres (100 fl oz/ 12½ cups) of boiling water, season with salt and add the chicken. Reduce to a simmer, cover and poach for 60–80 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken) until the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh and the chicken is cooked all the way through.
Meanwhile, reserve some pistachios to garnish, then mix together all the remaining dressing ingredients in a screw-topped jar and shake well.
Taste for the balance of sweet, sour, salty and heat and adjust as necessary.
To make the shallot pickle, mix the shallots with the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside for about 20 minutes.
Mix the radishes, sugar snap peas and any other vegetables you’re using in a large salad bowl.
Add the Vietnamese coriander.
When the chicken is cooked, leave to cool. Tear off the meat along the grain and season with pepper. Add this to the salad bowl along with the pickled shallots and its juices.
When ready to serve, toss the salad together with the dressing. Garnish with the coriander, pistachios and pomegranate seeds. Serve the salad with the prawn crackers.
Note
—† Try swapping out the sugar snap peas for carrot, papaya, kohlrabi, daikon, courgettes (zucchini), mangetout (snow peas) or a combination of your favourites.
—† You can use the chicken stock to make a delicious chicken rice.
What to drink: My favourite wine choice with Vietnamese food is an Austrian grüner veltliner but an off-dry riesling would also work well.
Extracted from Vietnamese by Uyen Luu (Hardie Grant, £22) Photography: Uyen Luu
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