Gordon’s Great Escape Southeast Asia: 100 of my favourite Southeast Asian recipes

2 Thai red chillies, thinly sliced, to serve

small handful of sweet basil leaves, shredded, to serve

DRESSING

4 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp palm sugar

juice of 4 limes

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

In Southern Thailand this salad is known as Kao yum, and it was there that I discovered it. While visiting a local food competition I stepped away to look round the stalls, and on one an amazing array of ingredients was laid out – including rice and shredded pomelo flesh. Intrigued, I stood and watched as the woman on the stall simply mixed a little of all the ingredients from the platter, including the pomelo, into a bowl with some rice and spooned over a dressing. There it was – the Kao yum.

A pomelo is one of the largest of the citrus fruits and is native to Southeast Asia; its closest relation is the grapefruit, but its flesh is sweet and firmer. It is worth the time that it takes to peel away the thick skin and pith, as the first taste of this fruit reminds me why I should eat it more often.

This dish is a great way to use up leftover rice, or you can cook it fresh. It is perfect eaten by itself or makes an exciting addition to a picnic.

To prepare the dressing, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. Cover with cling film and set aside.

In a pestle and mortar, pound the lemongrass stalk to bruise it slightly but not crush it. Place in a bowl and mix in all the other salad ingredients. Spoon over the dressing and mix again.

When ready to serve, spoon out the rice salad into serving bowls and garnish with the chillies and Thai basil.

Green papaya salad (#ulink_44836a48-5451-55ce-b8dc-5b48eddfc1af)

SERVES 4

1 garlic clove, peeled

juice of 2 limes

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp palm sugar

pinch of salt

2 tbsp roasted peanuts

100g snake beans or green beans, cut into 3cm lengths

50g beansprouts

1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 green papaya, peeled and julienned thinly (ideally) on a mandolin

2 tomatoes, diced

1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced

1 tbsp ground dried shrimp

GARNISH

small handful of coriander leaves

For me, this salad has the wow factor. The secret to a great Som tam, or green papaya salad, is gently mashing the ingredients together in a pestle and mortar so that the juices and flavours are extracted and brought together at the same time. This salad is available all over Thailand – from street corners to upmarket restaurants – and while on my escape round the country a day didn’t go by without me eating this salad. In the humidity, the sweet and sour flavours were really refreshing.