Pork Peanut and coriander salad cups

11:18am Friday 29th August 2008

THIS is based on a savoury pork Thai dish called Galloping Horses served on top of fruit pieces.

Michell says: “This is a much simplified version, with a moreish combination of sweet and savoury that keeps people coming back for more.

Makes 20

Preparation time: 12 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes plus

chilling time

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted peanuts

200g pork mince

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red chilli, slit, deseeded and finely chopped

1-2 tbsp groundnut oil (or vegetable oil)

2 tbsp palm sugar (or light muscovado sugar)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

Small handful fresh coriander

Small handful fresh mint

4/5 Little Gem lettuces

1/2 small ripe pineapple, peeled

Method

Blitz the peanuts in a small blender to a coarse powder still with some chunks, then mix with the mince, garlic and chilli. You want all these ingredients to have the same texture so bear this in mind when chopping and blitzing.

Heat a large frying pan until very hot, add the oil and fry off the pork mixture until it starts to caramelise. This should take about 15 minutes.

Then add the sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce, and cook for a further 10 minutes until you have a lovely glossy mass. Check the seasoning, though it may not need any more salt.

Finely chop the herbs, mix them in then allow to cool. You only need the smaller inner leaves of the Little Gems, so carefully peel off the larger outer leaves (use them in a salad so they don’t go to waste). Trim off the stalks so you are left with leaves like cute little Chinese spoons. Spoon the filling into the ‘bowl’ of the lettuce spoons and chill lightly until set.

Chop the pineapple into small dice, spoon on top of the mince and serve.

RECIPE: PORK PEANUT AND CORIANDER SALAD CUPS GLAMOROUS Sophie Michell claims to know how we all feel when faced with plates of delicious food at summer parties.

The blonde chef says with a smile: “Tempted and unable to resist just about sums it up. All those resolutions to not have this that or the other seem to melt away, don’t they?”

While 25-year-old Sophie appears enviably slim, she has previously battled with weight problems and ME (chronic fatigue syndrome).

Her choice of career wasn’t much help either. She says her health problems helped inspired her to create dishes that indulge the senses – but not the waistline – for her new book, Fabulous Food: Sexy Recipes for Healthy Living (Sphere, £16.99).

Sophie, a presenter on Channel 4’s Cook Yourself Thin, started her professional career cooking fulltime at the age of 14. She’s worked in top London restaurants and has also been a private chef and nutritionist to a top supermodel, but says she wants to “help everyone become a glamorous gourmet, whatever the occasion.

“Today’s women try to do everything, from juggling a pressured job to running a home, not to mention being a doting girlfriend, mother, wife or feisty singleton. Not only that, we’re meant to squeeze into the latest fashion in size minus-one – well it doesn’t exist yet – but give it time.”

She’s divided her book into appealing sections catering for every occasion from aphrodisiac dinners and sexy breakfasts through to comfort food.

There are dishes to satisfy pudding addicts and there are dishes to eat as pre-party stomach liners – and hearty hangover cures for those who over-indulge.

For a summer party she suggests some “professional looking canapes, which can be made in between applying your mascara and painting your nails. Also, you and your guests can enjoy them without any awful feelings of guilt.”

This recipe for pork peanut and coriander salad cups is an old party favourite.

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