What makes a salad a salad? It has to feature green leaves, right? But, if so, what about pasta salad, potato salad, rice salad? And if a salad is mainly all about vegetables, what about fruit salad? There’s temperature to consider, too. If a salad has to be at room temperature, where does that leave a lovely warm salad of roast vegetables mixed with leaves and dotted with just-melting cheese? I’ve made a lot of salads in my life, and I’m still nowhere near pinning down a definition. In the absence of strict rules, though, the possibilities are almost endless. That said, there is one golden rule: always dress a salad as close to serving as possible. Do that too soon, and any leaves will wilt – and that’s definitely not within the remit.
Crispy rice salad with fried green beans and pork scratchings (pictured top)
This addictive salad is inspired by the Laotian nam khao, which is usually served with a crisp lettuce leaf; I also love it with a crispy fried egg. To make it vegetarian, swap the pork scratchings for crispy onions and/or peanuts, and use a vegetarian fish sauce.
Prep 20 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4-6
4 tbsp red curry paste – I used Thai Taste
1 egg
1 tbsp granulated sugar
400g cooked jasmine rice (or 2 microwave packs), cooked according to packet instructions and still warm
90g desiccated coconut
180ml olive oil
3 large fresh makrut lime leaves, stems removed and finely sliced
300g fine green beans, trimmed and cut in half widthwise
40g coriander, roughly chopped
100g spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (from 1-2 limes)
40g pork scratchings, chopped into roughly ½cm pieces
Mix the curry paste, egg and sugar in a large bowl until the egg is broken down and fully incorporated, then add the warm cooked rice and mix again. Stir in the coconut and put to one side.
Put 60ml oil in a medium saute pan on a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced lime leaves, fry for 30 seconds to a minute, until crisp, then lift out with a slotted spoon and put in a second large bowl.
Keeping the pan on the heat, add a third of the green beans and fry, turning occasionally, for two minutes, until blistered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the lime leaf bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and repeat with the remaining beans.
Once all the beans are blistered and in the bowl, add another 60ml oil to the hot pan and keep it on a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully spoon half the rice mixture into the pan – take extra care, because the odd loose grain might pop and spit – then flatten with the back of a large spoon. Leave to cook for three to four minutes, resisting the urge to stir, until the bottom is golden and crisp. Transfer to the lime leaf bowl, return the pan to the heat, and repeat with another 60ml oil and the remaining rice mixture. Add the coriander and spring onions to the bowl and mix well.
Just before serving, mix the fish sauce and lime juice in a small bowl, then pour this mixture all over the salad. Toss again, then layer with the pork scratchings on a serving platter and serve at once.
Pasta salad with pecorino and pistachios
This is great eaten cold, which makes it perfect picnic food, but it can also be served warm. I’ve ramped up the flavours from the original version of this recipe, mostly by doubling the amount of pesto, while the addition of chilli flakes and coriander seeds give it just that little bit extra; omit both, or either, if you prefer.
Prep 15 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 6
Salt and black pepper
300g dried pappardelle
300g mangetout, or green beans or runner beans, finely sliced on an angle
60g basil leaves
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 anchovy fillets in oil
240ml olive oil
120g shelled pistachios, toasted
1 large lemon, zested to get 1 tsp, then squeezed to get 3 tbsp juice
60g pecorino, or parmesan, finely shaved (use a vegetable peeler)
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
2 tsp coriander seeds, roughly broken in a mortar (optional)
Half-fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, cook for five minutes, then add the mangetout and leave to cook with the pasta for another minute, until the pasta is just cooked. Drain well, then tip into a large bowl.
Meanwhile. put 40g of the basil in the large bowl of a food processor with the garlic, anchovies, oil, pistachios, lemon zest and juice, and a good grind of pepper. Pulse a few times – you want the texture to be coarse, not smooth – then tip into the pasta bowl. Toss to coat, then tear in the remaining 20g of basil, the pecorino shavings, chilli flakes and coriander seeds, if using. Toss gently, just to combine, and serve hot or cold.
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