Pineapple and mint coleslaw

As a child growing up in Asia, I knew salads came in 2 varieties: the one that looks well arranged in a bowl like the garden salad served with Thousand Island dressing and the other that looks like a bit of a mess but tastes really good, like the coleslaw and the potato salad. Almost every form of salad I knew back then was dressed in salad cream or Thousand Island dressing. I can't say I was particularly fond of the ubiquitous duo but I was definately partial to mayonaise - especially in a fresh coleslaw, not the limp, watery sort that is beginning to froth on the surface.

Let's face it, the mere mention of cabbage will have a few of us shifting uncomfortably in our seat. Belonging to the Brassicaceae family, this vegetable is notorious for causing flatulence and many would forgo dishes made from it in order to avoid any embarassing slips later on. But for those of us who don't, we reap the benefits of a vegetable high in folate, vitamin B and C.

After yesterday's scorching maximum temperature of 39C, I was in no condition to prepare a hot meal. I was craving something bright and fresh on the palate, something to stimulate the appetite. After much umm-ing and ahh-ing, almost succumbing to a liquid meal, I made this coleslaw for dinner to accompany a couple of grilled steaks. The flavours are Asian-inspired combining the unctuous flavour of fish sauce, the piquancy of lime and chilli and spiciness of garlic and fresh coriander in a light dressing, The slaw contains the usual suspects: shredded carrots and cabbage, with the addition of finely sliced blanched green beans, picked fresh coriander and mint leaves, and pineapple cut into matchstick pieces.

I personally love pineapple in savoury dishes. There is just something about combining the sweet sharpness of this tropical fruit with a spicy savoury sauce. It's experiencing the complete flavour spectrum (sans bitterness of course)all at once - I mean, could you get any closer to having a party in your mouth?! The flavours of this slaw is quite reminiscent of a Nonya favourite, assam laksa, which is a dish of noodles served in a fish broth flavoured with belachan (shrimp paste), tamarind, chillies and shallots.

Simply put, I think this slaw is the perfect alternative to the traditional coleslaw. It is tasty, zesty, low in fat (even fat-free if you choose to omit the oil in the dressing) and it makes a welcome addition to any BBQ, summertime party or picnic.

pineapple and mint coleslaw

1 1/2 cup finely shredded red cabbage

1 medium carrot, finely shredded

1 handful green stringless beans, blanched n finely sliced

1/2 medium ripe pineapple, cut into matchsticks

1/2 cup mint leaves, picked

1/2 cup coriander leaves, picked

dressing

1 lime, zest n juice

1-2 tsp sugar

1 large red chilli, finely chopped

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely sliced coriander stems

2 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

(serves 4)

combine ingredients for the dressing in a little jar, shake to mix and set aside

toss the ingredients for the slaw in a large bowl

dress the slaw about 5 minutes before serving. This allows the flavours to come together while maintaining the perfect coleslaw crunch.

A quick guacamole...

Avocado is one of my favourite fruit. It is also aptly known as the butter pear because its flesh bears a buttery quality and the fruit resembles a pear with thick and dark bumpy skin. I was introduced to this peculiar looking fruit as a child and could not really appreciate its taste nor could I understand why Mum waxed lyrical about it. But now, I eat it almost everyday in summer when it is in abundance; on toast with Vegemite for breakfast, in a multigrain roll with sprouts for lunch and in a salad for dinner. I absolutely adore eating avocados!

There are many ways to test avocados for ripeness. The colour, depending on the type of avocado, is often a good indication. Hass avocados, for example, turn from green to a purplish-black hue when ripe. Fuertes, on the other hand, remain fairly green when ripe. In any case, please refrain from pressing down too firmly on the fruit with your fingertips. This often bruises the fruit leaving dark unsightly blotches in its gold-green flesh. I like to press down on its "button" (the stalk) and the base of the fruit with my thumb and middle finger (at the same time). If the fruit is slightly yielding when pressure is applied, it is ripe and ready to eat.

I thought of including a recipe for a quick guacamole here because I think it is a simple and appetising way of presenting the fruit. I find few restaurants can get it right because they are too cheap to use the genuine stuff, often replacing it with frozen avocado puree to cut down their food cost. Appalling, I know, but it happens. Its not difficult to make great guacamole. You just need to be generous with your pennies and get your hands on some ripe avocados.

So here is what you'll need to do to make one of my favourite dips in less than 10 minutes:

1. Dice 1 large ripe tomato
2. Mash a small clove of garlic
3. Dice 1/2 small red onion (please do not be tempted to replace this with brown onion - red onion has a sweeter pungency that is more suited to this dish)
4. Chop 1 tablespoon of fresh coriander
5. Grate the zest of 1 large lime
6. Juice the lime after zesting
7. Roughly chop the flesh of 2 large ripe avocados
8. Mix all the above
9. Add salt and a pinch of cayenne to taste
10. Mix again

Since we didn't have any corn chips in the cupboard, Mum and I ate the guacamole with some tortilla chips we made by simply brushing some olive oil over a few leftover tortillas, sprinkling chopped parsley, paprika, cumin and asiago cheese on top, cutting them into wedges and drying them out in the oven until crisp.

Word of warning, this combination makes an incredibly more-ish snack!

I love Summer

You know summer is around the corner when the air is warm, slightly heavy and smells like freshly cut grass. I love summer. But when the weather gets warmer, I feel less inclined to cook anything fussy. Less time in the kitchen means more time to enjoy the balmy outdoors.

The other evening, I made a quick curry and to work the Asian theme further, I made coriander-garlic naan, and mango pudding for dessert too. The curry, to my dismay, tasted more like satay you would get at the Chinese stand at an international food court but the naan was good. The dessert was based on an idea I took (and embellished) from those firmly set mango puds you order after you have had your fill of delicious steamed dim sums at your local yum cha restaurant.

Although mangoes are not at the height of their season (Kensingtons were retailing at $5 each), the pudding worked well with frozen mango cheeks. Topped with snowy-white coconut granita, a squeeze of lime juice and fine chiffonade of mint, this dessert in my opinion, is the epitome of summer in a glass!