Gordon’s Great Escape Southeast Asia: 100 of my favourite Southeast Asian recipes. Gordon Ramsay

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СКАЧАТЬ would describe this snack as a hybrid; the outside of a Cornish pasty with the filling of a samosa. For all those I spoke to, curry puffs evoked fond childhood memories of eagerly awaiting the day when batches were cooked, and the drifting smell from the oven as the dough turned golden brown and the filling softened and spiced in the pockets. This is a great snack for all the family.

      To make the dough, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the melted butter and 5 tablespoons of warm water. Mix with a round-bladed knife to form a dough, adding a little more water if the mixture seems too dry. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5–10 minutes to a smooth dough. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.

      Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Add the oil to the wok and heat through, stir-fry the garlic and ginger for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the onion and fry for 2–3 minutes, until slightly caramelised. Add both types of potato, curry powder, remaining spices and seasoning and cook for 2–3 minutes, so the spices cook through. Pour in the stock and simmer gently for 6–8 minutes or until the liquid has reduced. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. When completely cool, add the coriander. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

      Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a log 5–6cm thick. Cut into 1cm slices and roll each log into a small, round pasty. Fill each with 1 tablespoon of filling. Brush the pasty edges with egg yolk and fold over the filling. Press the sides together with a fork to seal. Arrange the puffs on a greased baking sheet, brush with more egg yolk and bake for 25–30 minutes. These are best served warm.

Vietnamese fresh spring rolls

      MAKES 12

      PORK

      2 tbsp sesame oil

      1 tsp Chinese five-spice

      salt and freshly ground black pepper

      300g pork tenderloin fillet, sinew removed and finely sliced

      vegetable oil, for frying

      DRESSING

      juice of 1 lime

      1 tsp fish sauce

      1 tsp rice vinegar

      1 tsp caster sugar

      SPRING ROLL

      1 baby gem lettuce, washed, core removed and shredded

      handful of coriander leaves, torn

      12 sheets of rice paper, 16cm in diameter

      small handful of Thai basil, picked

      small handful of saw leaf or mint leaves, picked

      small handful of coriander leaves, picked

      200g cooked rice vermicelli noodles

      12 chive flowers

      12 cooked prawns, peeled, de-veined and cut in half lengthways

      DIPPING SAUCE

      1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

      1 red Thai chilli, finely chopped

      3 tbsp hoisin sauce

      2 tbsp fish sauce

      1 tbsp caster sugar

      2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

      4–6 tbsp coconut milk

      1 tbsp tamarind paste

      100–150ml water

      1 tbsp dark soy sauce

      In my opinion, the Nem cuon mua xuan, or fresh spring roll, sums up Vietnamese food: fresh, healthy, textural and balanced in flavour. On my travels I discovered that Vietnamese chefs can study for months learning how to make these rolls, being taught the different filling and dipping sauce combinations. Like many dishes in Vietnam, the ingredients in spring rolls vary from region to region and throughout the seasons. The chefs that I worked with in Hanoi described these as ‘summer spring rolls’.

      On my last night in Vietnam I served these spring rolls as the first of seven courses. They work perfectly as an appetiser and look pretty impressive, too. For the best results you need to use the freshest ingredients. For extra crunch I have used baby gem lettuce, however, follow your palate to chop and change the ingredients in the rolls, such as using crab instead of the prawns, changing the pork for mushrooms or, if you don’t like rice noodles, add more lettuce and cucumber. The hoisin peanut dipping sauce is one of the most commonly served accompaniments to these rolls.

      For the pork, mix together the sesame oil, five-spice and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the pork strips and toss together to coat. Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the pork strips for 2–3 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

      To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a large bowl to combine. Add the shredded baby gem and coriander leaves and coat well in the dressing.

      Fill a large bowl with warm water and, one at a time, quickly dip in each sheet of rice paper, passing them through but not soaking them. Drain them flat on a clean, damp cloth. Do not over-soak or they will fall apart and tear when being rolled.

      To make the dipping sauce, gently fry the garlic and chilli in a little oil in a frying pan for 2 minutes until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 6–8 minutes until reduced by half, adding extra water if needed to loosen the sauce.

      To make the rolls, lay all your ingredients in an assembly line. Take one rice paper sheet and lay it flat on a clean surface. Place the herbs on top and gently create a small pile of rice noodles on top (the pile should be long and narrow). Fold over two sides of the rice paper to enclose the filling and roll over once. Place the chive flower alongside the rolled up section. Take one strip of pork and two halves of prawn and lay them neatly alongside the chive flower – they should be positioned tightly against the roll. Slowly roll once again. Tuck the edge of the rice paper into the filling. To seal the roll, lightly brush the rice paper with warm water. (Make sure the filling is compact.) The prawn and spring onion should be visible through the rice paper. Repeat the process with the remaining sheets of rice paper. Cover with cling film to stop the rolls drying out.

      Serve with the dipping sauce.

Loh bak

      MAKES APPROXIMATELY 8–10 PORK ROLLS

      500g lean pork fillet, cut into strips

      75g СКАЧАТЬ