tamarind glazed salmon with wasabi yoghurt

serves 2

½ small orange sweet potato

½ small daikon radish

2 tablespoons tamarind purée

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon grated white palm sugar (jaggery)

pinch sea salt

1 teaspoon sunflower oil or light olive oil

2 × 185 g (6½ oz) salmon fillets, skin on

60 g (2¼ oz/¼ cup) plain yoghurt

½ teaspoon wasabi paste

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 bok choy (pak choy), trimmed and halved

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Peel and cut the sweet potato into batons, each about 5 × 1.5 cm (2 × ⁵/₈ inches) thick (try to make them as even as possible, as it adds a slight sense of formality to this dish). Repeat with the radish. Steam the potato and radish for about 12 minutes, or until tender.

Combine the tamarind, mirin, palm sugar, salt and oil in a small bowl. Place the salmon on the prepared tray and spread a heaped teaspoon of the tamarind mixture over each salmon fillet (leftover tamarind mixture will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week). Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile combine the yoghurt and wasabi in a small bowl.

Put the soy sauce and 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) water in a frying pan and bring to the boil. Add the bok choy and cook for 2–4 minutes, turning occasionally, or until just tender.

Arrange the sweet potato and radish batons with the bok choy on serving plates and top with the salmon fillets. Spoon a little wasabi yoghurt over the salmon and serve immediately.

This dish is contemporary Japanese in its style, it is simple to prepare, looks beautiful on the plate, and is a very delicious and healthy meal. In this dish the salmon is cooked through, and not left rare in the middle — it is a Gaia favourite.