Donna Hay
Fresh and Light
It’s always a delight to come home from work and find
that Kelly has been ploughing through her cook books looking for something new
and delicious. The other night she had
plates laid out on the servery with spicy chicken mince, pickled cucumber and
washed lettuce leaves. The smell was
fabulous and I couldn't wait to taste it.
Kelly had decided to make Spicy Chicken Larb with Pickled Cucumber from
her new Donna Hay cook book.
Larb originated in Laos and is made with just about any
meat or fish, and in Thailand it’s sometimes eaten raw. I don’t recommend eating raw Larb as several
deaths have been recorded and besides, raw pork sounds yuck.
The Donna Hay version is spiced with ginger, garlic,
chilli, coriander (cilantro), and lime.
It’s served like a San Choy Bau, where the meat is served in a lettuce
leaf cup and the pickled cucumber and fresh chilli are placed on top.
It’s a fairly simple dish that is quick to prepare and
fun to eat. It’s very messy so have
plenty of napkins handy. The flavours
are punchy and the crunch of the lettuce and sourness of the pickle add a fresh
dimension to the whole experience. It’s
sweet and sour, salty and spicy, it’s hot and cold and soft and crunchy. It was so good I think I ate enough for three
people, but that’s OK because this is not a heavy dish and I didn't feel guilty
about stuffing myself completely.
The book itself has some beautiful photography which is a
hallmark of Donna Hay cook books. All
the recipes are quick and fresh and quite easy to prepare. Donna has designed 180 new recipes for this
tome and she covers every meal of the day including desserts, snacks, sides and
fast meals.
I don’t know which of these dishes I want to eat next, so I’ll
let Kelly be inspired and decide for herself. I’m sure that I will
love anything that comes out of this book.
If you would like to try this recipe or any of the others
in Fresh and Light, I highly recommend you pick up a copy at a good book shop
or order one on line. If you’re sick of stodgy
heavy food and want something light and delicious, then this is the book for
you.
Of course all the recipes are by Donna Hay. The photos, which are works of art, are by
William Meppem. Art design by Chi
Lam. The copy editor is Melanie
Hansche. I bet there were a lot of other
people involved in producing this book and I believe they all deserve a big pat
on the back. Published by HarperCollins.
Bon Appetite,
Karl 
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