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

The Vietnamese are also very adventurous eaters; there is really no limit to what they will consume. I was told by someone that if it moves, they eat it. (I discovered this to be true one night at a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City where the restaurant’s speciality was serving every part of a snake.) They like to eat incredibly fresh meat that is slaughtered as close to serving as possible. In the northern city of Hanoi I embraced nose-to-tail cooking, preparing pig cooked seven ways, including using the pig’s ears and trotters.

Rice is a major component of the diets of the all the countries I went to, but I have to say that the Vietnamese are masters of using it in more than just in its original form – including as rice noodles or rice paper. I felt incredibly lucky to have met rice farmers in their paddy fields and learn from them how to cook the ultimate rice dish.

My time in Vietnam was inspiring and fascinating; the food there is most certainly fun and different, and it’s both flavourful and full of texture – crispy, crunchy, chewy, silky and soft.

It is fair to say that this Great Escape was a journey of epic proportions, and I feel that I have barely touched the surface of some of the many ingredients and cooking techniques that each country has to offer. What I found extraordinary was that very often delicious plates of food are created in kitchens kitted out with no more than one gas hob or a grill. Their one-pot cooking produces endless curries, soups, stir-fries and relishes that are both inspiring and fragrant.

In Southeast Asia they cook with the seasons and with the freshest of ingredients, which is key to the flavour of so many of their dishes. There is little room for some Western foods in their diet, such as cheese, bread, pasta, butter and milk, and so ingredients such as coconut milk and coconut cream feature heavily in this book as they are used instead of dairy products.

This phenomenal journey was made memorable thanks to the people that I met along the way, and this book is a tribute to them. So many complete strangers shared their stories and recipes with me, and for a brief moment in time each and every one of them helped me to understand their lifestyles and passion for food. I am incredibly thankful to them, and grateful that with their help I can bring a taste of their world into our Western kitchens.

Snacks/appetisers

Barbecued scallops with spring-onion oil (#ulink_89615756-e371-5f06-a375-e56df3ecab6a)

Roasted coconut cashew nuts (#ulink_cc4558fd-9622-50c8-9902-0d93641a14fd)

Tamarind, mint and lemonade cooler (#ulink_e9e5591a-7a01-5304-ad9b-2f821cce8ea2)

Stir-fried mussels and clams (#ulink_3472c95b-10fd-535b-8c55-beb44b86042e)

Thai sweetcorn cakes (#ulink_9abf2860-ce4c-527e-a28a-16cbaa3b429a)

Minced pork omelette (#ulink_26c6acbd-992a-59a0-bd47-5219825c53fb)

Roti babi (#ulink_6fdec572-6e33-568e-bf4b-508fdfc8c106)

Grilled squid with tuk meric (#ulink_c03bd248-8e96-5b04-895e-1c7f9fc81d0b)

Coconut prawns with a sweet chilli sauce (#ulink_a398b9a5-ce02-5830-bf0a-ddae91bfdea3)

Beef skewers with a mango and tamarind dipping sauce (#ulink_d630e98d-9046-59b7-8b07-9c1a26c9f0a5)

Cambodian-style smoked fish dip (#ulink_b7f6355f-72ce-5919-a01c-839ec28b6b06)

Curry puffs (#ulink_33eb4c90-7be6-5a6f-bdd5-b91cf7062167)

Vietnamese fresh spring rolls (#ulink_a0afd47b-56a3-54b3-adcf-3605c5c32c66)

Loh bak (#ulink_6b8459ab-934e-59b2-999d-8a64333ba326)

Orange and ginger caramelised chicken wings (#ulink_47c77666-91f1-5347-997a-167284b41430)

Chicken satay with peanut sauce (#ulink_98c255b4-12c9-5f75-9fda-96937af726ca)

Cambodian aubergine and mushroom dip (#ulink_5ac115dc-5421-5d7c-8459-5d1b34cf41ca)

Oysters with a Thai dipping sauce (#ulink_181ba6cd-e5c8-5b12-8616-e708d2c24904)

Barbecued scallops with spring-onion oil (#ulink_6e52430a-35b0-53b5-ade0-fe71af631698)

SERVES 4

12 scallops in their shells

4–6 tbsp vegetable oil

8–10 spring onions, finely chopped

1–2 tsp fish sauce

salt and a pinch of ground white pepper

drizzle of chilli oil

2 tbsp crispy shallots (Basics)

2 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts

2 Thai red chillies, finely sliced, to garnish (optional)

While I was in Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam, I visited Ben Thanh Market with a restaurant owner named Vy. It is the largest market in the city, selling everything from electrical goods and silk to live frogs and dried spices, and is the heart of the community; Vy told me she had been shopping for ingredients twice a day in a market like this since she was a toddler. It was here that I was given the opportunity to cook this scallop dish.

This recipe combines the fragrance of spring onions with the natural sweetness of scallops and the crunchy texture of peanuts to make a delicious and quick appetiser. I cooked this over charcoal, although a grill is fine, but either way it is easy to overcook scallops, so keep an eye on them.

Open the scallops and clean them, removing the roe. Reserve the top shells. (Wash and dry them – you need these to cook the scallops in.)

Place a wok over a high heat and add the oil. Sauté the spring onions for a few minutes to soften, then stir in a dash of fish sauce and the white pepper to taste. Remove the wok from the heat.

Season the scallops with salt and pepper and arrange them in the clean shells. Spoon the spring onion mixture on top of each scallop and drizzle with chilli oil. Place on a grill rack and cook over hot coals for 4–5 minutes or until the scallops caramelise. Alternatively, place the scallop shells on a baking tray and grill for 3–4 minutes under a high heat until cooked.

Serve the scallops in their shells, scattered with crispy shallots and crushed roasted peanuts. Garnish with sliced red chilli, if you wish.

Roasted coconut cashew nuts (#ulink_a64896aa-f07f-5b87-b5fa-cec9b8fdaaf7)

SERVES 4–5

200g cashew nuts

25g butter

1 tbsp sea salt flakes

1 tbsp crushed red chilli flakes

50g sweetened desiccated coconut, toasted

I could easily snack on nuts all day long. The mild taste of cashew nuts lends itself to being paired with stronger flavours, which is why I think this dish works so well. Here there is an excellent balance between sweet and spicy.