week 25 - Flavour Thesaurus - Niki Segnit

One of my favourite cookbooks isn't really a cookbook at all. Instead, Nikki Segnit's flavour thesaurus is a wheel of different ingredients that have been paired up with each other to create different flavour combinations. Ranging from the well-known classics -  avocado and bacon; cherry and coconut - to the 'well, I would never thought of trying that', combos like banana and parsnip; and lamb and rhubarb.

As well as suggestions and anecdotes under each pairing, the book is also peppered with recipes - some barely more than suggestions, some with more careful methods and measurements. In fact, one of the best uses for a tin of corned beef - the trashy yet transcendent big mac pie - has already featured on this very blog.

This time I wanted to keep it slightly classier, and turned to a half a dozen flavour match-ups in three different dishes, all with a South East Asian vibe. Som tam salad, featuring mango and apple; and tomato and peanut. A nuoc cham dipping sauce with lime and anchovy; and garlic and chilli. And finally, a pad krapow stir fry with pork and anise; and basil and clove 

Som tam - a green papaya salad originating from Laos, and also ubiquitous across Thailand - is one of the Ewing's (and my) favourite salads. There are multiple different variations but, at it's core, it perfectly balances salt, sweet, sour and spicy in a way which often characterises South East Asian dishes. 

While there are popular versions featuring salted crab or shrimp, banana blossoms and fermented sausages, this version uses green apple in place of the mango/papaya, as well as peanuts, green beans and cherry tomatoes. Although I did also add a little shredded supermarket mango as well, which are often sold on the unripe side and therefore perfect for this dish.

Som Tam

Adapted from the Flavour Thesaurus

handful of green beans, topped and tailed and cut in half

2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly crushed

1 granny smith

1/2 green mango (or another granny smith)

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Juice of half a lime

Blanch the green beans in boiling water for about three minutes. Refresh in cold water.

Finely julienne or grate the apple and mango (I've got a fancy peeler just for the job, which can also be used to make great remoulade). Mix with the lime juice to prevent discoloration.

Mix the shredded veg with the tomatoes, peanuts and beans and season with nuoc cham dressing (recipe below).

Serve immediately.

Nuoc Cham

Adapted from the Flavour Thesaurus 

1 red chilli

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp palm sugar

Pound the garlic and chilli in a pestle and mortar.

Add the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce.

Taste and adjust as needed.

Finally there was Pad Kaprow - a deceptively simple stir fry featuring handfuls of heady anise-scented thai basil along with garlic, fish sauce, chilli and sugar. This version was made with pork mince, but chicken, beef or squid are also popular. Traditionally served with jasmine rice and often crowned with a fried egg, it remains one of the most popular dishes in Thai cuisine and for good reason. 

In fact, way back when my Dad owned a Thai restaurant, this was the dish I would always ask him to bring home. With seafood, if I was very lucky, but any version was a treat. And even better if you found some at the back of the fridge for breakfast.

Pad krapow

Adapted from the Flavour Thesaurus

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 red chillies 

2 tbsp neutral-tasting oil

500g minced pork, beef or chicken

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce (or use 2 tbsp of whichever soy you have)

1 tsp sugar (palm sugar, if you have it) 

1 tbsp of fish sauce

handful of holy basil leaves (available in Sainsburys and Waitrose, as well as many Asian grocers)

Crush the garlic and one of the chillies in a pestle and mortar.

Add the oil to a wok and heat on a high heat.

Add the garlic/chilli paste and cook for 30 seconds

Add the minced meat and stir fry until nearly cooked. 

Add soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and holy basil leaves and cook for another minute or so, or until the meat is cooked.

Finish with the second red chilli, chopped into rings.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice.