SPICY PRAWN AND VERMICELLI SALAD
This Nyonya dish, which combines Malay and Chinese flavours, is superb. It predominantly consists of noodles and prawns, with a flourish of fresh herbs, cucumber to add crunch, and tomatoes to temper the fiery sambal dressing – all held together by toasted coconut to add fragrance.
Serves 4
100g dry rice vermicelli (thin rice noodles or meehoon)
100g bean sprouts
30g unsweetened desiccated coconut
150g cooked king prawns
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 fresh Kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
4 coriander sprigs, leaves chopped
3 small, round shallots, sliced
juice of ½ lime
1½ tbsp crispy shallots
½ tsp salt
For the dressing
1 quantity Sambal Belacan (here )
1½ tsp torch ginger bud purée (optional)
Place the rice vermicelli and bean sprouts in a heat-proof bowl, cover with boiling water, and leave to soak for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold running water.
Toast the desiccated coconut in a small frying pan, moving it around the pan with a spatula so it toasts evenly, until brown all over. Watch it like a hawk as it can burn very quickly. Remove from the heat, set aside and leave to cool.
Blend the sambal belacan with the torch ginger bud purée, if using.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients, adding enough dressing and lime juice to coat it. Serve cold.
