Brilliant Thai salad dressing to zing your tastebuds

PHOTO TO COME

This is for my friend Louise who loves this tangy salad with its taste explosion of garlic, chilli, the sourness of the limes, and umami of the sesame, but has forgotten the recipe. She's a vegetarian and the last time I made it for her I forgot to leave out the fish sauce so we had to wash off her salad under the cold tap.

Sorry, hon. This is for you.

Thai Salad Dressing

DRESSING
Lime juice — 2 limes
Sesame oil — use an equal amount with lime juice
Crushed chilli seeds — 1 teaspoon
Fish sauce — 1 or 2 tablespoons to taste
Salt — half a level teaspoon (I use low sodium salt)
Crushed garlic — 2 cloves
English mustard — half teaspoon
Honey/sugar — optional

SALAD
Mango — cut into batons
Nasturtium leaves and flowers to decorate
* Green, red peppers — cut into full-length strips
* Cos lettuce leaves torn into three
* Small red onion or two sliced finely into rings
Watercress
Mange tout
Baby sweetcorn halved lengthways
Bean sprouts — fresh and washed thoroughly (prone to salmonella)
Sunflower seeds — a tablespoon or two
* Mint leaves — lots, don't skimp
* Coriander — lots, the whole packet

Mix up the dressing ingredients together.

For the best result, soak the mango batons in the salad dressing beforehand while you prepare the salad.

The salad ingredients are interchangeable and optional depending on what's available. The core salad you need are the lettuce, peppers, red onion, mint and coriander (asterisked).

Pour the dressing over the salad, toss and serve immediately.

Carnivores can add broken up fish sticks, chicken pieces or grilled bacon bits.