Warm spicy prawn salad

Name: Warm spicy prawn salad
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 4 small wild green chillies (available from Asian grocers), chopped; 2 tbsp peanut oil; 250g prawn meat, roughly chopped; pinch of sea salt; 1/2 small Spanish onion, halved and finely sliced; 50g green beans, trimmed and finely sliced; pinch of castor sugar; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 2 tbsp lime juice; 1 small handful of mint and coriander leaves, combined; 1/2 baby cos lettuce, leaves separated and washed; 1 tsp ground roasted rice; 

September 8, 2014

A textural, flavour-packed delight: Warm spicy prawn salad.William Meppem

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

This spicy prawn salad also works well with chicken or pork mince. If you like it super spicy, roast a dry chilli till black, grind and add to the salad. To make the ground roasted rice, cook a handful of jasmine rice in a pan over medium heat till just coloured. Remove and grind in a mortar and pestle.

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 small wild green chillies (available from Asian grocers), chopped
2 tbsp peanut oil
250g prawn meat, roughly chopped
pinch of sea salt
1/2 small Spanish onion, halved and finely sliced
50g green beans, trimmed and finely sliced
pinch of castor sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 small handful of mint and coriander leaves, combined
1/2 baby cos lettuce, leaves separated and washed
1 tsp ground roasted rice

Method

Pound the garlic and chillies in a mortar with a pestle to form a fine paste.
Heat a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the peanut oil and, when hot, add the prawn meat, sea salt, onions and beans and stir fry for about 1 minute.
As soon as the prawns start to cook, remove from the heat and add the garlic and chilli paste, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and herbs. Stir together, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Place the lettuce leaves on a plate and spoon in the prawn mixture.
Sprinkle with the ground roasted rice (see introduction at top) and serve.

Food Photography by William Meppem. Food styling by Hannah Meppem. Food preparation by Nick Banbury.