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Try this spicy herbal salad, then check out our spicy tomato salad, herb and chilli calamari, sea bream ceviche and more starter recipes. For another Malaysian dish, try our Hainan chicken rice.

This spicy herbal salad recipe is adapted from Sambal Shiok: The Malaysian Cookbook by Mandy Yin (£25, Quadrille). Mandy says: “Kerabu is an umbrella term in Malay denoting a vibrant salad of vegetables and herbs, dressed with a fiery sambal, shrimp paste and lime to bring everything together. The dressing is spicy, sharp and smells wonderful from all the herbs.

It is a good a way to use up both raw and cooked left-over ingredients. Feel free to experiment with different ingredients while keeping the powerful dressing the same. Just replace the shrimp paste with salt to make it vegan.”

For more information on this vibrant cuisine, read our guide to Malaysian food.

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber
  • 200g fresh pineapple, cut into 1cm chunks
  • 150g red onions, finely sliced
  • 80g mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • 40g laksa leaves, roughly chopped

DRESSING

  • 3 red chillies, finely chopped
  • 3 makrut lime leaves, stems removed and leaves finely chopped
  • 20g shrimp paste, dry-toasted in a pan
  • 40ml lime juice, (about 2 limes)
  • 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • ½ tsp tamarind paste

Method

  • STEP 1

    Cut the cucumbers in half straight through the middle, and then in half again lengthways. Use a teaspoon to deseed them, then cut into 1cm chunks.

  • STEP 2

    Mix together the cucumber, pineapple, red onions and herbs.

  • STEP 3

    Combine the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the prepared salad at least 15 minutes (but no longer than 30 minutes) before serving. Stir to combine. Season with a touch more salt to taste, if you like.

This spicy herbal salad recipe is adapted from Sambal Shiok: The Malaysian Cookbook by Mandy Yin (£25, Quadrille). Photographs by Louise Hagger.

Try more zingy pineapple recipes

Malaysian prawn and pineapple curry with crispy onions

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