Sweet,sour,salty,spicy
ChrIssy Teigen made her name as a model, but she is now as well-known for her bestselling cookbooks and love for food as she is for her Sports Illustrated covers. she is active on Instagram where she documents what she eats and cooks, and her vibrant, witty personality makes her relatable to her fans.
Teigen’s two cookbooks, Cravings and Cravings: Hungry for More, are filled with recipes for carb-filled comfort food, and many are inspired by her Thai mother.
The recipe: sweet, sour, salty and spicy are words that perfectly describe Thai dishes – and these adjectives are just as apt for Teigen. Our recipe is based on the north-eastern Thai sausage, sai krok isan, which has big, bold flavours. We serve them with a refreshing dipping sauce that packs some heat as well.
FERMENTED BEEF SAUSAGES WITH PINEAPPLE-CUCUMBER RELISH
Makes 4 sausages
200g minced beef
70g chilled cooked white rice 10 cloves (about 50g) garlic, chopped salt and pepper to taste
4 red bird’s eye chillies
banana leaf, cut into 4 pieces and scalded in boiling water to soften cooking oil for deep-frying
Pineapple-cucumber dipping sauce
5 shallots
5 cloves garlic 100g fresh pineapple 2 red chillies, seeded 100g cucumber, seeded 50ml chilli sauce
1 tsp garam masala 100g sugar 100ml water
stir the minced beef, chilled rice, garlic, salt and pepper together until the mixture becomes sticky. Divide into four portions. Form each one into a patty and press a whole bird’s eye chilli in the centre, then form into a sausage, enclosing the chilli.
Wrap each sausage tightly in a piece of banana leaf. secure the ends with toothpicks. Let the wrapped patties sit at room temperature for about 6 hours or for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Remove the banana leaves and fry the sausages until cooked through and nicely browned. slice on the diagonal and serve with the pineapple-cucumber dipping sauce.
Make the pineapple-cucumber dipping sauce
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and cook the sauce for 10-15 minutes until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.