Vietnamese Gỏi Salad with Prawns, Tofu and Pomelo

Directions

1. To make the nuoc cham dressing, pour the hot water into a bowl and immediately add the sugar and whisk to dissolve. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
2. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and rice wine vinegar. Stir and taste. If it’s too funky from the fish sauce, you may want to balance it out with a little extra lime juice. If it’s too tangy, you may want to add more sugar and water. Add small amounts at a time, mix and taste until you find the right balance for your tastebuds.
3. Add in the finely diced garlic and chilli, stir, and set aside to let the flavours meld.
4. Next, make the quick pickled carrot by combining the shredded carrot with the rice wine vinegar and coconut sugar. Stir and set aside, remembering to give it a stir every now and then.
5. To prep the pomelo, slice away the top and bottom of the fruit, keeping some of the white pith intact. Carefully, score the pith from top to bottom around the fruit and pry the skin and as much of the pith away as possible. Find the segment line and pull or cut the pomelo in half. Wrap one half in cling film and store in the fridge for another recipe (or dip it in lime and chilli salt and enjoy it fresh!). Remove the membrane between the pomelo slices and gently ease out the vesicles. Set them aside.
6. If using frozen prawns, cook them as per the packet directions. For raw prawns, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the prawns for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are no longer translucent, bright pink and float to the surface. Scoop them out and refresh them with cold or iced water to stop them cooking further.
7. While the prawns are boiling, heat the sesame oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook the honey-soy tofu pieces, about 3 minutes per side, until heated through and slightly charred and crispy on the edges. Set aside to cool and then chop into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
8. When ready to serve the salad, start by chopping the scallions and herbs. In a large bowl, add the cabbage, quick-pickled carrot, scallions and herbs. Toss to mix. Add the pomelo, prawns and tofu on top, scatter with peanuts if using, and then drizzle with some of the nuoc cham dressing.
9. Serve, with or without prawn crackers, and the leftover nuoc cham.