Tomato, Tamarind & Peanut Salad With Marinated Pork, Chicken Or Tofu

Ginny Grant

Serves

4 - 6

Preparation

15 mins plus marinating time

Cook

10 mins

Ingredients

TOMATO, TAMARIND & PEANUT SALAD
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2-3 teaspoons palm sugar, grated (or use brown sugar)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used The Good Oil extra virgin rapeseed oil)
1 shallot, finely sliced
800g tomatoes (any colour or shape)
1 good handful of herbs such as Vietnamese mint, coriander and Thai basil, roughly torn
50g roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
MARINATED PORK, CHICKEN OR TOFU
1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
1 shallot, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1½ teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
600g pork steaks, chicken thighs or sliced firm tofu

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN

Use a vegan fish sauce or try using Lee Kim Kee vegetarian stir fry sauce or a vegan mushroom oyster sauce.

When tomatoes are at their sweetest, that is when I make this sour, spicy and salty side dish (here with some pork alongside). I make the dressing then adjust for sweetness or sourness depending on how sweet or tart the tomatoes are. The herbs vary, but as I have a prolific Vietnamese mint patch that is always a given. Shredded shiso leaves would also be great in here.

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Instructions

1.TOMATO, TAMARIND & PEANUT SALAD
2.For the dressing, whisk together the tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, soy sauce, chilli and oil and set aside.
3.Sprinkle the sliced shallot with a little salt and rub with your hands to soften slightly.
4.Cover with cold water and leave for 5 minutes, then rinse and drain.
5.Cut the tomatoes in a manner that pleases you (I cut into wedges, slices and halves), then arrange on a platter.
6.Drizzle over the dressing and scatter over the drained shallot, herbs and peanuts.
7.MARINATED PORK, CHICKEN OR TOFU
8.Use a mortar and pestle or a food processor to make a fine paste of the lemongrass, shallot and garlic.
9.Add the fish sauce, palm sugar, soy sauce and oil.
10.Marinate the pork, chicken or tofu in the paste, ideally overnight, bringing it out 30 minutes before you begin cooking.
11.Grill or pan fry the pork, chicken or tofu (if using meat you’ll need to rest it), slice and serve alongside the tomato, tamarind & peanut salad.

Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jess Hemmings

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