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

The nuts take only minutes to prepare and you can apply this recipe to other nuts, too, particularly almonds or peanuts. If you wish, you can make these up to two weeks in advance and keep them in an airtight container.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Place the nuts on an ungreased baking tray and bake for about 10–15 minutes until they are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt and chilli flakes and mix well. When the nuts are ready, tip them into the bowl. Toss the nuts, ensuring that they are completely coated in butter. Transfer the nuts to a plate, sprinkle over the coconut and mix well – it won’t necessarily stick to the nuts, but it should decorate them.

Serve immediately or allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Tamarind, mint and lemonade cooler (#ulink_cdfdbf04-b8b1-5f22-a2cf-480e89669a77)

SERVES 4

3 tbsp tamarind paste

100–150ml water

1 tsp caster sugar

large handful of mint leaves, plus extra sprigs to decorate

juice of 1 lime

1 litre cloudy lemonade (preferably sugar-free)

ice cubes, to serve

This recipe is inspired by a very similar drink I was served at a restaurant in Cambodia. The addition of the tamarind makes the drink a little sour, but incredibly refreshing. I also think it would make a great cocktail with a shot of gin or vodka.

Place the tamarind paste in a measuring jug and top it up with the water. Mix well. Pour into a small saucepan set over a medium heat, then add the sugar and mint leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, allowing the flavours to infuse for 4–5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and discard the mint leaves, then add the lime juice. Pour the liquid into a large jug and top up with the cloudy lemonade. Place some ice in four glasses and fill with an equal share of the drink. Decorate with some fresh mint sprigs and drink immediately.

Stir-fried mussels and clams (#ulink_8a0478ee-330c-547f-b4cd-cbd98067500a)

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER, 2 AS A MAIN

500g fresh mussels, debearded and cleaned

500g fresh clams, cleaned

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 red long finger chilli, thinly sliced

3 shallots, peeled and finely sliced

2 tbsp chilli paste

1–2 tsp palm sugar

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp fish sauce

juice of 1 lime

large handful of holy basil, roughly chopped

sea salt and crushed black pepper

For years I have steamed mussels and clams French-style with different wines and herbs, as this is how I was taught to cook them, but Cambodia opened my eyes to a new way of cooking shellfish – stir-frying them. In markets and restaurants I saw clams and mussels being tossed and thrown around woks, and once the shells started to open the flavourings would seep into the meat, making the flesh inside even juicer.

When cooking shellfish, do use the freshest ingredients available and be sure not to eat any seafood whose shells do not open.

Discard any gaping mussels or clams that do not close when the shells are tapped. Place a wok over a medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Sauté the garlic, chilli and shallots for 1 minute, then stir in the chilli paste, palm sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce and lime juice and sauté for 2 –3 minutes to soften.

Add the mussels and clams and bring the mixture to the boil. If you wish, cover with a lid to help the shellfish steam through. Keep moving the shells around the wok – as they begin to open they will soak up the liquid as well as release their own juices. After 6 minutes, the clams and mussels should be cooked, so remove them from the heat, toss in the basil, season, and serve immediately. Discard any mussels or clams that do not open.

Thai sweetcorn cakes (#ulink_264feeb8-8439-50b3-bedf-97fa3dcb9395)

MAKES 8 CAKES

10g cornflour

60g flour

pinch of salt

2 medium eggs

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste (Soups)

250g sweetcorn kernels

2–3 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

handful of chopped coriander

1 tbsp fish sauce

vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Thai sweet chilli sauce (Snacks/appetisers), to serve

The best snacks are the ones that you eat more of than you should. I could be categorised as a ‘snacker’, and when growing up my mum would always tell me off for ruining my appetite. I only tell you this because to me these cakes are one of those snacks; dipped into sweet chilli sauce, one, two or three are never enough. Not only that, they are very easy to make and cook in a matter of minutes.

To prepare the sweetcorn cakes, sift the cornflour, flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix well. Add the eggs and curry paste and mix well to form a batter. Add the remaining ingredients (except the oil and chilli sauce) and mix well so that the corn kernels are well coated.