Pomelo salad with prawns (nhoam krauch thlong)

In place of vegetables, this salad brings together pomelo segments, prawns, herbs and nuts in a lively combination. It’s a refreshing salad that's perfect for steamy days and balmy evenings.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in water for 10 minutes, drained
• 12 medium-large cooked prawns, peeled and cleaned with tails in tact
• ½ large pomelo, skin and seeds removed, segments broken into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup mint leaves (try a mix of Vietnamese and round mint), coarsely chopped
• sea salt, to taste
• 2 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts, lightly crushed
• 2 tbsp dessicated coconut, toasted

Dressing

• 1 bird's eye chilli, finely chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp grated palm sugar
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp cold water

Instructions

For the dressing, place all the ingredients in a jar. Seal and shake well until the sugar is dissolved. Taste the dressing and adjust to make sure it's balanced. It should be a balance of salty, hot, sour and sweet.

Place the soaked dried shrimp into a mortar and pestle and lightly pound. Cut the fresh prawns in half lengthways.

Place the pounded dried shrimp, prawns, pomelo pieces and chopped mint in a bowl. Just before serving, mix in about 60 ml (¼ cup) of the dressing. Toss to combine, then taste and add more salt or dressing if required. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle over the coconut and peanuts and serve.

Diana Chan and guests explore the flavours of Asia from her Melbourne home in the second series of Asia Unplated.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.