Thai Vegetable Salad with Sweetcorn and Kaffir Lime Fritters.

 

I decided to make another quirky salad recipe last
week in the hope of being a bit healthier again. I also made a Butterscotch and Pecan Cheesecake one day though and some Chocolate Mousse's so, I think my 'try to be healthy salad efforts' were a little bit wasted I have to admit :/.

I found this exotic, tasty sounding Thai vegetable salad in my Hamlyn 200 Veggie Feasts cookbook and decided to serve it with some sweetcorn fritters which, were also featured in the book. The thai salad was lovely, light and refreshing and had lots of juicy flavour and the sweet chilli dressing had a gorgeous sweetness and tang which, suited the salad perfectly. As for the sweetcorn fritters; it's actually difficult for me to judge if I'm honest as I don't really like sweetcorn :/... I know, why make sweetcorn fritters then? I have no idea either. I just thought they would go nicely with the salad and they did.

Considering I'm not a big sweetcorn fan these sweetcorn fritters did taste good but, I wasn't blown away. Then again, I don't think you would be blow away if you didn't really like the main ingredient. My Mum and Dad on he other hand, both really really enjoyed them so, I think they make better judges as they do actually like sweetcorn and so, I am sure that if you like sweetcorn then you will love these. They go perfectly with the salad and as they are fried they have a gorgeous crisp texture. I think personally for me though, the next time I make this salad I will try and make some Vegetable spring rolls to go with it as I think they would work perfectly with the salad and I absolutely adore spring rolls. Definitely try this gorgeous, unique salad though and if you are a sweetcorn fan then deffinately serve it with these sweetcorn fritters as they are nice and simple and I guarantee any sweetcorn lover will love them.

 

 

Recipe

 

For the Sweetcorn and Kaffir Lime Fritters- (Serves 4)

 

275g (9oz) can sweetcorn, drained

65g (2 1/2oz) plain flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsps. light soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsps. lime juice

4 Kaffir lime leaves, very finely shredded (I couldn't find these in a shop but, you may have more luck than me, if not I purchased a pack of dried leaves for just 99p on ebay)

1 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander

2 tbsps. vegetable oil

 

For the Chilli Jam-

 

500g (1lb) ripe tomatoes

4 red bird's eye chillies

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsps. light soy sauce

200g (7oz) soft light brown sugar

75ml (3 fl oz) rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

 

For the Thai Vegetable Salad- (Serves 4)

 

250g (8oz) cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 green mango (I used a packet of Whitworth's dried green mango, available in Tesco on offer for £1 at the moment.)

1 large red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced

150g (5oz) bean sprouts

4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

small handful of Thai basil leaves

small handful of mint leaves

small handful of fresh coriander leaves

4 tbsps. unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped

 

For the Chilli Dressing -

 

2 tbsps. Chilli Jam

2 tbsps. light soy sauce

2 tbsps. lime juice

4 tsps. soft light brown sugar

 

 

Method

First, prepare the chilli jam. Roughly chop the tomatoes, chillies and garlic cloves, then put in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce sticking, for 30-40 minutes until thick and jam like. Set aside to cool completely. (This can be prepared in advance to make things easier for example, the day before.)

Next, prepare the sweetcorn fritter mix. Put half the sweetcorn in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Sift in the flour and baking powder and add the egg, soy sauce and lime juice. Process again until combined and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the remaining sweetcorn, lime leaves and coriander.

Then make the Thai vegetable salad. First make the dressing. Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and warm over a low heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool.

Put the tomatoes, cucumber, mango, chilli, spring onions and herbs in a bowl. Fry the bean sprouts in some olive oil and tip into the salad. Add the dressing and toss well. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle over the peanuts.

Finally, fry the sweetcorn fritters. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Drop in 6 separate tablespoons of the batter, pat them flat and fry over a medium-high heat for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until cooked through and bronzed. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 12 x 5cm fritters. Serve the fritters hot with the Thai salad and a dollop of chilli jam.



Enjoy!

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x

 

Puy Lentil, Spiced Roast Carrot & Feta Salad.

 

The other day I came across another rather yummy sounding salad recipe and as I had a packet of Puy lentils left over from my last recipe I thought I'd give it a try. I was a bit worried plating it up that it would be a bit boring as it didn't seem to have much to it but, it actually tasted lovely and refreshing and I really enjoyed it. The carrots tasted lovely and sweet after being roasted in the honey, the lemon juice caramelised the red onion and tasted delicious and finally the mint came through amazingly and tased perfect with the feta.

 

I originally planned to serve my salad with some garlic bread but, as I am planning to make Gnocchi this weekend I thought I would whip up some scones to serve with it instead and I love this scone recipe.

 

 

Recipe

 

2 tbsp olive oil                                                                   

1 tbsp. cumin seeds  (I made the mistake of only adding 1 tsp. the actual recipe called for 1 tbsp. so feel free to add 1 tbsp if you like it spicy.) 

500g carrots , peeled, halved and cut into batons

1 tbsp clear honey
250g pouch cooked Puy lentils (or canned, drained and rinsed)
1 red onion , finely sliced
½ lemon , juiced
large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
100g lamb's lettuces
85g feta cheese , crumbled

For the scones -
60g Butter
250g self-raising flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
about 150ml milk
125g grated mature cheddar
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 onion, diced
3 rashers of bacon (or veggie bacon)


Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a shallow roasting tin, toss together half the oil, the cumin, carrots and some seasoning. Roast for 25 mins, turning halfway through cooking. Drizzle over the honey, stir and roast for 5 mins more.
2. Meanwhile, gently heat the lentils with the onion, lemon juice, remaining oil and some salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly while the carrots finish cooking.
3. Toss the dressed lentils with mint and lamb's lettuce. Lay warm spiced carrots on top and scatter with feta. Serve alongside a warm scone spread with butter.

(To make the scones - Lightly grease a large baking tray. Cook the bacon and fry the onion in 1 tbsp. olive oil until soft. Chop the bacon into small pieces. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in the butter with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the grated cheese, mustard powder and dried basil. Stir in the onion and bacon. Break the egg into a measuring jug and make up to 150ml with milk. Beat lightly to mix. Add to the bowl and mix to a soft dough. Lightly knead the dough until smooth. Roll out until 1cm thick, cut into rounds with a pastry cutter, and put on the baking tray. Brush with milk. Bake in pre-heated oven at 220C for about 10 minutes until risen and golden. Serve warm with butter.) 

Enjoy!

 

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x