Spicy Thai Prawn Salad

We re-signed our lease. We are officially staying in our amazing flat for another year.

That called for a party, so party we did. And a party aint a party unless it's catered by me! Amongst the array was lemongrass and coriander cured salmon with pickled cucumber, goat's cheese and eggplant meatballs with tzatziki, Vietnamese rice paper rolls, fig, ham and smoked cheddar puff pastry squares, and mini spinach and feta pies.

On the drinks list was Lana's world famous chilli bin punch. And a lot of it. Apparently, we collectively drank through three bottles of wine and three bottles of vodka. And what started out as delicious punch steadily slid downhill, becoming stronger and dodgier (especially with the addition of Amy's sifty insta-daiquiri mix, which she's been trying to get rid of for the past 4 months). Thankfully, the downhill slide of the punch coincided with my level of intoxication, and I didn't notice how awful it turned out until I had to tip the remnants of the punch down the sink the next day.

Thankfully I wasn't the only one at that level of intoxication. In fact, I was probably at the lower end of the scale. Nobody remembers each others' embarrassing drunken antics! Perfect party planning if you ask me.

And despite all that, we only lost one wine glass, and only had one red wine spillage (which was outside on the deck anyway!). Amazing! How did we do it? I can't remember!

After all the gluttony in the weekend that was, come Valentines day I craved something fresh and healthy. So I made this as a starter, from the most stunningly beautiful recipe book I've ever laid eyes on - Neil Perry's 'Balance and Harmony'.

I came across this book at my amazing neighbours' Nick and Harriet's one night. After suggesting very loudly that I'd love a copy, Matt ordered me one for Valentines day (insert cheesy 'naawwwwwwww' here). Unfortunately, it didn't arrive in time. But no problem, I'd borrowed a copy from those nifty neighbours of mine!


This book is visually stunning. The pictures are beautiful, simple, and mouthwatering. It has a fabric cover, which brings a homely, from the heart feeling. And the food is stunning. It even has me insanely excited about tofu, something I've never really warmed to.


Neil is heavily influenced by Chinese cooking, having spent much of his chefing career in that area. But he beautifully blends it with Thai and Vietnamese. The mantra of his book is (you guessed it), balance and harmony. As Neil says, "when you cook the dishes in this book it’s important to remember that, much of the time, you’re dealing with intense flavours. Always remember the most important part of the cooking process: taste, to find balance between those flavours. You will hear me say ‘balance, balance, balance’ throughout this book and when I’m not saying ‘balance’ I’ll be talking about harmony. These are the cornerstones of good Asian cooking”.

And the recipes sit perfectly within that message. This dish, for all the high-strung flavours it puts together, comes out beautifully balanced. The chilli is hot, but not overpowering. It sits against the sharpness of lime, the freshness of coriander and mint, the salty musk of fish sauce, and a little sweetness from sugar. It is the perfect combination, with a stunningly fresh, light finish.

Spicy Prawn Salad from Neil Perry's Balance and Harmony (Serves 2)

250g cooked king prawns, peeled, legs removed, deveined, but tails left in tact

Juice of 1/2 a lime, or 1 lemon

1 1/2t fish sauce

1/2t caster sugar

2 small green chillis, finely sliced. Remove the seeds if you're scared!

1/2 stalk of lemongrass, finely sliced

1 shallot, sliced as finely as possible

Small handful of mint leaves

Small handfull of coriander leaves

1 kaffir lime leaf, very finely sliced

Ok, this one is super simple.

Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Toss the parwns, chillis, lemongrass, shallots, mint, coriander, and lime leaf with the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Serve immediately with a cold white wine.