Pineapple pairs beautifully with Vietnamese mint in this fresh salad by Amber Bremner.
Recipe and image by Amber Bremner
Give me a hot day and a pineapple and I’m happy. I have a deep love for tropical fruits and herbs (and chilli of course), so this salad ticks all the boxes. Chilled pineapple and cucumber are sweet and refreshing, and the salad has a low hum of chilli heat, lime and spring onion to keep it bright; texture from bamboo shoots, peanuts and fried shallots; and pungency from the Vietnamese mint. If you haven’t tried Vietnamese mint before, understand that it doesn’t taste like regular mint at all. It has an intense, sharp, peppery flavour and a sort of fruity funk that perfectly complements pineapple. I could happily eat this salad all summer long.
Serves 4
Salad
½ a pineapple, skin and core removed, thinly sliced
½ a telegraph cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup bamboo shoot strips (about half a 540g can)
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
about 30 Vietnamese mint leaves, finely chopped (keep a few aside for garnish)
½ cup salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup fried shallots
Dressing
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp freshly ground white pepper
½ tsp salt
Mix dressing ingredients and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to gently mix together pineapple, cucumber, bamboo shoots, spring onion and finely chopped Vietnamese mint. Pour over the dressing and combine, ensuring everything is coated. Chill until ready to serve.
Just before serving, spread about half of the salad on a serving platter. Scatter with half of the peanuts and fried shallots, then add the rest of the salad, and the remaining peanuts and fried shallots. Garnish with a few Vietnamese mint leaves and serve straight away while the peanuts and shallots are still crisp.
Add tofu or protein of your choice to make it a complete meal or serve alongside the mushroom pad kra pao for a real feast.
This recipe serves four as a side or double the recipe to serve bigger portions or more people.
