Thai spicy strawberry salad

I always like to take full advantage of strawberry season. The tart-sweet fruit is one of my favourites. I have made several absolutely delicious ice creams and sorbets, and here is the first of the salads for the season. This is a very unusual salad in that it consists only of fruit. The salad is a beautiful red splash of colour; it lights up the table. The heat from the chillies complements the freshness of the strawberries, the tartness from the lime juice, and is balanced by the fresh herb of basil. Together, the salad is an explosion of flavours on your palate, something that is both very unexpected and very addictive. This super simple salad should be on every summer table!

I have started going to this massive volume on Thai cooking more frequently. It is packed full of recipes from the land and culture that take pride in its cuisine. This book definitely steps out of the ordinary, a must for any cook who wants everything Thai in their kitchen and on their table. Occasionally, in this book, I come across a recipe where an ingredient is hard to find, but with over 500 recipes, there is much more to cook.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

2-3 Thai bird's eye chillies or any very spicy red chilli

3 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 2 limes

A few drops of fish sauce (omit for vegetarian and vegan versions)

2 tablespoons palm sugar or jaggery

2 small tomatoes, finely diced

1 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered along their length

Salt, to taste

Cut and pound the chillies in a mortar till it is a paste. Just cutting it will not do.

Mix the garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, and jaggery and set aside.

Mix the strawberries and tomatoes. Right before serving, mix in the chilli paste, the dressing, and salt. Serve immediately.