David Herbert’s beef laab and Middle Eastern spring lamb salad

Here are two salads that pack a punch: my version of a favourite Thai dish, and a Middle Eastern salad with roast lamb.

Pick it up: beef laab.

This laab, a simplified version of one of my favourite Thai salads, could also be made with chicken mince. The roast spring lamb with Middle Eastern flavours is combined with a simple chopped salad garnished with toasted pita bread.

Beef laab

3 French shallots, trimmed

2 tablespoons fish sauce

Juice of 1 lime

Large handful fresh coriander leaves

3cm piece of fresh ginger

Olive oil

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 chopped green chilli

2 crushed garlic cloves

500g minced beef

4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

Fresh ginger, grated, to serve

Little gem lettuce leaves or baby cos or small iceberg, to serve

Coriander leaves, to garnish

Using a mini food processor, or a stick blender in a tall jug, whizz two of the shallots with the fish sauce, lime juice, coriander leaves, ginger and olive oil to a rough paste. Finely chop the remaining shallot. In a large frypan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil then add the ground coriander, green chilli, chopped shallot and garlic; fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add beef and fry for 8-10 minutes, breaking up any lumps with a fork. Stir in the rough paste. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the beef is cooked. Stir in three quarters of the spring onions, the chopped coriander and the sweet chilli sauce. To serve, grate over a little fresh ginger, then spoon into lettuce leaves. Garnish with extra chopped coriander and the remaining sliced spring onions. Serves 4

Tuck in: Roast spring lamb salad

Roast spring lamb salad

2 pita or Lebanese breads

Olive oil, for brushing

3 baby cos lettuces

1 red onion, finely sliced

4 radishes, sliced

200g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 red capsicum, finely diced

4 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

4 tablespoons roughly chopped mint

1 tablespoon ground sumac

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

600g lamb backstrap

Ground cumin

Juice of ½ lemon

For the dressing

Juice of ½ lemon

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

Split flatbreads in half and brush each piece with olive oil. Toast until crisp. Slice lettuces crossways into 1cm strips and place in a large bowl with the onion, radish, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, parsley and mint. Season with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle the sumac over the top, then drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Toss well and set aside for 10 minutes for the flavours to infuse.

Meanwhile, heat grill or barbecue on high heat. Sprinkle lamb with a little ground cumin and season with pepper. Cook lamb on all sides until medium rare – about 8-10 minutes. Transfer lamb to a plate and cover loosely with foil for 5 minutes.

Combine dressing ingredients in a small screw-top jar and shake to combine. Pour enough dressing over the salad to lightly dress it, tossing it through. Break bread into pieces and mix through the salad. Slice lamb diagonally. Divide salad among four plates, top with lamb and serve immediately. Serves 4