It’s the dog days of summer and with the humidity and the endless wait for the next southerly change (apologies to our Northern Hemisphere readers who may be freezing right now) comes the quest for a meal that requires no effort.
It may be the humidity, although it’s more than likely the effects of insomnia caused by hot sleepless nights, but my brain is addled when faced with the prospect of making something to eat from scratch on a hot evening when all I want to do is lie down. Preferably in a cold swimming pool.
I want to eat light meals, and cool to coldish meals, but also something that satisfies and doesn’t leave me raiding the freezer for ice-cream at midnight.
On a forty degree day when the care factor is zero, thank goodness someone was able to think coherently when coming up with this Thai gem. With some help of a pantry staple (in this case, some coconut cream), some poached chicken breast, a few Asian herbs and vegetables and the odd exotic ingredient, the dog days of summer could just become the welcome change you crave.
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Banana Flower Salad 3 cloves garlic; 1 – 2 red chilies, according to your taste; 100g eschalots, sliced; 1 chicken breast, poached and cooled; 1 banana flower *; 50g dried shrimps, finely chopped; 2 tblsp roasted (unsalted) cashew nuts, chopped; 1 large fresh chilli; 1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped; 1/2 bunch mint; 1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and chilled; 1 spring onion, sliced; some crispy fried eschalots and crisp-fried chilies, to serve
Dressing 1 tbsp palm sugar, melted; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1/2 tbsp tamarind juice; the juice of 1 lime (about 3 tblsp); 1 tblsp roasted chilli paste; 3 tblsp coconut cream – combine in a bowl and mix well until sugar is dissolved.
In a dry wok, roast garlic, chilli and eschalots until cooked. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and work into a rough paste. Slice chicken breast on the diagonal and toss through chilli garlic mix to coat the meat.
Gently squeeze water from the banana flower and combine with the dressing, chicken, dried shrimp, cashew nuts, chilli (to taste), herbs, spring onions and bean sprouts. Mix well, pile onto a platter and top with crisp-fried shallots and chillis, plus a little more coconut cream as you prefer, with some lime wedges on the side.
*Banana flower is available from Asian grocers. It’s bought as a bud. Once opened, you will see the delicate white ‘fingers’ in the centre of the flower. Discard the hard outer leaves, shred the white parts of the flower diagonally and quickly plunge the flower shreds into acidulated water. You can also buy preserved banana flower – soak in 500ml water for ten minutes and rinse well before use.