Vietnamese Dressing

“This is great with Shellfish.”

Makes 150ml

10 ml          Sesame oil

15 g             Shallots, finely chopped 

15 g             Pickled ginger, chopped

10 g             Fresh ginger, chopped

1/4               Small fresh chilli, with seeds removed and                                       chopped                      

35 ml          Rice wine vinegar

40 ml           Sugar syrup (See recipe below)

40 ml           Dashi     

10 ml           Kikkoman light soy sauce

15 ml           Pickled ginger juice

10 ml           Nam pla

2                    Fresh limes, juiced

Heat the sesame oil in a heavy-based pan and sweat the shallot, gingers and chilli without colour. Add the rice wine vinegar and reduce by a third.  Add the sugar syrup, dashi and soy sauce and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the pickled ginger juice, nam pla. Allow the dressing to cool before using and add fresh lime juice to finsh.

Sugar Syrup

(Makes 100ml)

100 g             Castor sugar

100 ml           Water

1 Lemon rind taken off and pith removed

Mix the sugar and water together in a heavy-based saucepan.  Place over a medium heat, stir until the sugar has dissolved.  Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and continue to cook for 3 minutes, skimming any scum that floats to the surface add lemon rind.  Pass through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and allow to cool.  Store in a sealed container in the fridge.”