Southeast Asian Dressing

A great Southeast Asian-style dressing balances five key flavour elements: salty, sweet, sour, spicy and umami. Start by pounding green chillies and coriander stalks into a paste using a pestle and mortar - the stalks carry intense flavour often wasted by cooks who discard them. Add jaggery for a deep caramel sweetness, then a very small amount of fermented shrimp paste for powerful savoury depth. Let the paste down with fresh lime juice for acidity and fish sauce for salt and umami. The shrimp paste is intensely fishy and can overwhelm if overused - taste as you go. Massage the finished dressing into your salad vegetables so the flavour penetrates rather than just coating the surface.