Time for Thai

Cook your own Thai dishes at home with all the flavours and textures you’d expect to find in Thailand. Sebby Holmes shows us how

Blistered tomato and lime salad

Always store your tomatoes in a fruit bowl, never the fridge – a pet hate of mine for years! Tomatoes are porous, and take on the flavours of the things around them, so if you put them in the fridge they’ll end up tasting like your Camembert. It’s of particular importance in this recipe, where the flavour of the tomatoes is crucial. By blistering them on the barbecue, they take on a smoky flavour that turns this simple salad into something truly amazing. This is great as a side salad with meat and fish, but if you want to make it a main meal, serve with some rice. Serves 2 as a side 200g cherry tomatoes 2 large beef tomatoes, sliced into 8 chunks 100g green tomatoes 2 long red chillies, stems removed 1tbsp palm sugar (or soft dark brown sugar) 2 limes (1 juiced and 1 diced) Juice of 1 clementine 50ml soya sauce 1tsp caster sugar 1 stick lemongrass, outer layer removed and very thinly sliced 3 spring onions, thinly sliced 50ml vegetable stock 15g coriander leaves, roughly torn 15g mint leaves, roughly torn 1tsp sesame oil 3tbsp sliced Thai shallots (or banana shallots) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1First,

grill all the tomatoes and the chillies on the barbecue. Ideally, this should be done over a wood fire, but if you have an electric or gas barbecue they will still take on a smoky flavour. Place them onto direct heat and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until they are blistered and charred all over and have softened slightly. As soon as they are cooked, put them straight into a mixing bowl so no juices are lost, as this all contributes to the salad dressing. Stir in the sugar immediately, so that it melts. 2Next,

add the lime and clementine juices and soya sauce to the bowl. Stir, taste and season a little if needed – it should be sweet, salty, sour and smoky. 3Finally,

add all the remaining ingredients, delicately toss together and serve immediately.

Thai people often eat unripe fruits as if they were vegetables, which allows for a range of delicious sweet, bitter and sour flavours

Green nahm jim cured salmon with apple and dill

Among Thai chefs, bi�d’s eye chillies a�e �e�er�ed to as ‘scuds’, sensibly nicknamed a�ter the missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. So it will come as no surprise that these little beauties can cause some damage i� you’�e not ca�e�ul – be su�e to keep them clear o� your eyes and other delicate places. I still �emember the first time I got jungle cur�� paste in my eye – although my colleagues �ound it hilarious, it’s an experience I would not wish on anyone!

Serves 4 as a snack or side

1 sour eating apple, grated 10g coriander leaves, roughly torn 10g mint leaves, roughly torn 200g salmon, bloodline and pin bones removed and sliced into 1cm thick pieces 10g dill, chopped

For the nahm jim

2tbsp chopped coriander roots 8 garlic cloves, peeled 8 green bird’s eye chillies A pinch of coarse sea salt 2tbsp caster sugar Juice of 5 limes Juice of 2 mandarins (or clementines) 4tbsp fish sauce

1First

make the nahm jim. In a pestle and mortar pound the coriander roots, garlic, then chillies (in that order) to a coarse paste, using the salt as an abrasive, if necessary. Add the sugar and pound for a few more seconds. This should leave you with a relatively smooth paste, though a little chunk is not the end of the world. 2Finally,

add the lime and mandarin juices along with the fish sauce. The sauce should taste sweet, salty, sour and hot. Exact quantities are impossible to give, as the strength of the ingredients varies depending on where they are grown, so adjust the seasoning to suit your tastes. 3Divide

the nahm jim dressing between two large bowls. In one, add the apple, coriander and mint; in the other, place the salmon and gently toss to ensure that all the fish is coated in the dressing. Leave the salmon in the dressing for 1–2 minutes, then remove and gently toss in the apple and mint sauce. Serve on a large plate sprinkled with the dill.

Green papaya, pomegranate and tiger prawn glass noodle salad

Thai people o�ten eat unripe ��uits as i� they we�e vegetables, which allows �or a range o� delicious sweet, bitter and sour �lavours. This is a ve�� simple and tasty salad that uses g�een papaya �or its c�unchy textu�e and sweet bitterness. In Thailand, I have seen people p�epa�e a g�een papaya by peeling it and then holding it with one hand, whilst banging it lengthways with a la�ge sharp kni�e, p�oducing la�ge uneven sh�eds o� papaya, per�ect �or salads. I� you’�e not so confident with a kni�e, it is easiest to use a julienne sh�edder. Serves 3 Juice of 2 limes 2tsp chilli powder Juice of 1 clementine 2tsp fish sauce ½tsp caster sugar 2tbsp table salt 6 tiger prawns, shells removed and deveined 1 green papaya, peeled and shredded, core and pips discarded 150g glass noodles (mung bean noodles), soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes until translucent, then chilled Seeds of 1 pomegranate 10g mint leaves, torn 10g coriander 10g Thai sweet basil 10g pak chi farang (Thai long-leaf coriander), chopped (optional) 6 Thai shallots, sliced 1In a small bowl, mix the lime juice, chilli powder, clementine juice, fish sauce and sugar. Taste for seasoning: it should be sweet, salty, sour and spicy. 2Heat a small saucepan of water with the salt to a medium heat. Drop in the prawns and cook for 1–1 ½ minutes until they are pink and hot throughout, then remove and toss them into the dressing. 3Add all the other ingredients to the bowl and mix well, being careful not to pull the prawns apart. Serve immediately in bowls with chopsticks.