Nuts

I had all things lemons in mind on the way home, but then I was distracted by dinner - a summery coleslaw salad - that was too good not to share. This is a Neil Perry recipe - Vietnamese Coleslaw with Prawns - although just a little simplified. He suggests to use it as a side dish to some fried fish and some boiled rice - but I threw in plenty of small prawns and served the dish on its own.

Neil called for home roasting of raw peanuts - I missed that bit out and bought some decent dry roasted peanuts from the healthy food section (as opposed to the beer nuts section). He also suggested a mandolin to julienne the carrot. The coarse end of a grater worked just fine for me. You can make the dressing vinegary, sweet or hot to taste - I've reduced the liquid in this recipe - there was too much.



Vietnamese Coleslaw with Prawns

1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
300g chinese leaves, rolled tightly and thinly sliced
I carrot peeled and grated
1/2 spanish onion thinly sliced
8 large cherry tomatoes sliced
Couple of handfuls of prawns of your preference
1 cup mixed fresh herbs e.g. coriander, thai basil, basil mint, vietnamese mint

Dressing:
100ml rice wine vinegar
1 - 2 tablespoons caster sugar, to taste
1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes

What to do:
Put dressing ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and return to room temp.
Mix everything together, dress to taste and serve.