Recipe Wayne Good, Images Ashlee Decaires
I’ve had many wonderful culinary experiences in Asia, some of the best being in Cambodia. Their cuisine, to me, takes the best of Vietnamese, with a bit of Chinese thrown in for good measure.
This salad was a salad I have particularly enjoyed making many times, as it is so tasty. The best cooked prawns, in my opinion, are Pams Fine Foods Prawns. They are very flavoursome and have that lovely squeaky sound when you eat them, not soft and pulpy. This dish is perfect for a summer lunch or entrée.
Salat Bangkea Kampouchea – Cambodian Prawn Salad
500g cooked prawns
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp chopped mint
3 tbsp chopped kaffir lime leaves
3 tbsp chopped lemongrass
3 tbsp sliced shallots
2 chopped chillies
6 Vietnamese mint leaves
1 tbsp chilli paste (I use Youzhalazi brand)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 bag of small leaf lettuce
½ cup roasted chopped peanuts
Firstly, make the dressing. In a bowl, place the chilli paste, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chillies. Taste and adjust the salt, sweet and sour to suit your taste.
In another bowl, place the shallots, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and the prawns. Toss to mix well. Add the dressing and finally the mint, Vietnamese mint and coriander. Mix well again.
Arrange salad greens on a platter or individual plates. Mix prawn salad one more time and place on the salad greens. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and serve immediately.
