These two simple salads will add colour to your summer menu

This is a simple salad that feels fancy, thanks to the spicy, sweet and aromatic shredded coconut

This is an edited extract from Linger by Hetty Lui McKinnon (Plum, $44.99). Photography by Hetty McKinnon.

My salad story is a complex one. It touches upon identity, survival, self-expression, immigration, motherhood, family, friendship and community.

Salads came to me at an inflection point in my life. Like many women, my career had come to a natural pause after having three children in quick succession, and I found myself young(ish) and restless, a 30-something asking, “What do I want to do with the rest of my life?” While the way forward wasn’t clear, the urge to do something new, to create, was strong. I decided to cook. Under the moniker Arthur Street Kitchen I began creating vegetarian salads, boxing them up and delivering them to locals in Sydney’s Surry Hills. I was learning about who I was as a cook.

This tofu and asparagus salad has big flavours.

Hetty Lui McKinnon has built a career on salad

Asparagus vermicelli salad

This is a simple salad that feels fancy, thanks to the spicy, sweet and aromatic shredded coconut.

Ingredients

• 450g asparagus, woody stems removed, sliced diagonally into 5cm segments
• 100g mung bean vermicelli, soaked in water for 10-15 minutes
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil, plus more to drizzle
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 200g five-spice or baked tofu, thinly sliced
• Handful of crispy fried shallots or onions (store-bought is fine)
• Spiced shredded coconut
• 1-2 red bird’s eye chillies (remove seeds for less heat)
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 small eschalots (about 100g), roughly chopped
• 1.25cm piece of ginger (about 10g), peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 2 makrut lime leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon tamarind puree
• 180ml (¾ cup) hot water
• 100g (1 cup) shredded coconut
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Method

1. For the spiced coconut, make the spice paste by blending the chillies, garlic, eschalot and ginger in a blender or small food processor until a smooth paste forms. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add a tiny splash of water and pulse again to bring everything together.
2. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the oil and spice paste along with the makrut lime leaves and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the water has cooked out and it is starting to stick to the pan. Next, add the brown sugar or maple syrup, tamarind and hot water and bring the mixture to the boil. Add the shredded coconut and salt and stir well to combine. Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir frequently until the coconut has soaked up all the liquid and is almost dry, 7-8 minutes – the coconut should look moist but there shouldn’t be excess liquid. You can store this mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
3. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender and still bright green, about 1 minute. Remove the asparagus from the water with tongs (keep the water for the vermicelli) and place in a colander, then immediately refresh in an ice bath or under cold running water to prevent further cooking.
4. Add the mung bean vermicelli to the boiling water and cook until completely transparent, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle the sesame oil over the vermicelli and season with a pinch of sea salt. Toss and use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the strands into shorter pieces. Just two or three snips should do it.
5. Combine the asparagus, mung bean vermicelli and tofu in a large bowl. Drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil, season with sea salt and black pepper and toss to combine. Add the spiced coconut and toss again gently. Top with the crispy fried shallots or onions and serve.

Serves 4

Linger ger by Hetty Lui McKinnon ($44.9).

Shawarma zucchini with green goddess sauce

Zucchini shawarma salad

Zucchini loves shawarma. The spice blend, most notably used to flavour rotisserie meat – shawarma means “turning” in Arabic – is also a delightful enhancer for grilled or roasted vegetables. Here, the smoky, fruity and peppery blend affirms the sweet earthiness of zucchini.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon shawarma spice blend, see below
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 4 medium zucchini, halved lengthways
• 280g (2 cups) fresh peas, or thawed from frozen
• Handful of mint leaves
• Tofu green goddess (Makes about 2 cups)
• 350g silken tofu, drained
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
• 30g (1 cup) mixed herbs, such as chives, parsley, tarragon, coriander, basil, mint, dill
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons juice)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix the shawarma spice, olive oil, ½ teaspoon of sea salt and a big pinch of black pepper. Using a small knife, score the cut side of the zucchini in a crisscross pattern. Generously brush each cut side of the zucchini with the shawarma spice oil.
2. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. When hot, working in batches, add the zucchini cut-side down and cook, using a flexible spatula to press the zucchini onto the hot surface, until golden and charred, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the zucchini over and cook the other side for 3–4 minutes until the zucchini is tender. Remove from the pan and continue cooking the remaining zucchini.
3. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the peas. Blanch until bright green and just tender, 1-1½ minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water and drain again.
4. To make the tofu green goddess, place the silken tofu, capers, herbs, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, garlic, nutritional yeast, ½ teaspoon of sea salt and lots of black pepper in a small blender or food processor. Blend until it’s completely smooth and creamy. To serve, spread the tofu green goddess onto a large serving plate and top with the peas and zucchini. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with a little sea salt and black pepper and scatter with mint leaves.

Serves 4

Shawarma spice blend

3 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon garlic or onion powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chilli powder

2 teaspoons sea salt

Place all ingredients in a small jar and shake well.

Makes about ¼ cup