Recipe for Vietnamese prawn salad with lime, lemon grass and ginger dressing

Serves six (appetizer) or four (main course).

24 large, raw prawns 2 large carrots, cut into julienne, 1 red pepper, de-seeded, and cut into julienne, 2 medium cucumbers, de-seeded and thinly sliced, 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced, 1 large red chilli, de-seeded and cut into julienne, 15 fresh mint leaves, ¾oz/20g fresh coriander leaves.

Dressing: 3 garlic cloves, chopped 2 large red chillies, de-seeded and chopped, 3 lemon grass stalks, lower third only, thinly sliced, 1 shallot thinly sliced, 1 tbsp chopped fresh root ginger, 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce, 4 tbsp sugar, 6 tbsp fresh lime juice, ½ tsp ground black pepper.

Garnish: 3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped 3 spring onions, white part only, cut into julienne and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes, 1 large red chilli, de-seeded, cut into julienne and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes.

For the dressing: put the garlic, chillies, lemon grass, shallot and ginger into a food processor and process a paste. Scrape the paste into a bowl and stir in the Thai fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, coriander and pepper and set aside.

Peel the prawns, remove their heads and de-vein with a small paring knife. Bring a medium pan of water to the boil, add the prawns and remove with a slotted spoon when they turn pink. Rinse prawns under cold water and pat dry on kitchen paper.

Combine the carrots, pepper, cucumbers, red onion, red chilli, mint and the prawns in a large bowl. Just before serving, pour over the dressing and mix well. Serve the salad on a large platter with the coriander leaves, spring onions and chilli strips sprinkled over it.

Variations: This salad is delicious with chicken, seared beef fillet (tenderloin) or fresh seared tuna in place of prawns. Thin glass (cellophane) or vermicelli noodles could be used for vegetarians. Add crushed peanuts, cashews and/or fried shallots and fried ginger sticks.