If you haven’t already gathered, food is a big part of life in Southeast Asia. When we aren’t actually eating, we’re talking about where to eat next. It’s no surprise, then, that in Southeast Asia we don’t only eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in a day. There will often be little snacks to tide us through the painful few hours in between meals, when we’re feeling peckish but not quite hungry enough to devour a whole bowl of rice.

These snacks are generally quite light – fresh herbs and crisp vegetables wrapped inside rice paper (see vegetarian avocado summer rolls, here), for instance; delicate pancakes coloured a deep gold (see roti jala, here); steamed savoury vegetable cakes (see crispy steamed pumpkin cakes, here). Then there are of course the deep-fried nibbles and delightfully greasy hawker fare, though these indulgences are usually shared with others.

In fact, between-meals snacking is often an opportunity to gather casually and catch up on the latest gossip. I liken the Asian habit of snacking to the British habit of hitting the pub after work for a pint; these moments give us the chance to relax with our friends or family, and help break up the monotony of a work day or week.

On that note, many of the recipes in this chapter are perfect for parties, either as appetizers or as fun activities for your guests. A summer roll party, for instance, is one of my cleverest lazy party tricks. Lay out the rice paper wraps, chopped vegetables, herbs, poached meat and seafood on a large table and let everyone build their own summer roll. Similarly, you can let guests build their own lettuce cups kueh pie tee (see here), with the braised vegetables, crispy fried shallots, herbs, cooked shrimps or crabmeat and chilli sauces handy. You can of course get crazy with the fillings or toppings (smoked fish, leftover roast pork belly, pickled vegetables, etc.) – or even make your guests bring their own ‘special’ filling and compete for the title of ‘The Craziest Kueh Pie Tee’ or ‘Most Ridiculous Summer Roll’.

A party like this pretty much sums up how we eat in Southeast Asia – with delight, with friends, and, as much as possible, with an extra squirt of chilli.