Thai tuna salad

Laab is a northeastern ground meat salad, but a modern rendition now exists that turns the spicy, sour, and toasty flavors into fried meatballs. Brilliant, I know! If frying doesn't sound "quick and easy" to you, I have included options for baking and pan frying. You might be surprised trying these for the first time because they are sour, to keep the spirit of the original salad that inspired them. But the acid cuts the grease, which makes these incredibly addictive and very hard to stop. To make it a meal, add a side of sticky rice and a pounded Thai salad such as the corn and cucumber salad (p. 00).

Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4 as an appetiser, 2 as a main

INGREDIENTS

Dressing:

• 1-2 Thai chillies, minced
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (20ml) fish sauce
• 1½ tablespoons (22.5ml) lime juice
• 1 tablespoon (12g) finely chopped palm sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) neutral oil (omit if the tuna is packed in oil)

Salad:

• 1 can tuna, drained (115g drained weight)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, bottom 4 inches only, thinly sliced
• 1-inch piece ginger (10g), finely julienned, plus extra for garnish
• 3-4 makrut lime leaves, finely julienned (optional)
• 3 tablespoons (20g) finely julienned shallots
• 6-7 sprigs cilantro, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup (35g) roasted cashews
• For serving: jasmine rice or plain congee, and tender lettuce leaves

METHOD

1. In a small mixing bowl, make the dressing by combining the chilies, 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar and oil; stir until most of the sugar is dissolved. If there are stubborn chunks of sugar, mash it with the back of a spoon.
   
   
2. Drain the tuna and add it to the dressing, then add the lemongrass, ginger, makrut lime leaves, shallots, and cilantro and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed; depending on how salty your tuna is, you may need to add the remaining 1 teaspoon of fish sauce.
   
   
3. Plate and top with roasted cashews and extra julienned ginger. You can eat it with jasmine rice or plain congee, or use the lettuce leaves to make bite sized wraps with a cashew in every bite.
   
   

TIPS

Dressing it up:
This simple dish cleans up nicely as an hors d'oeuvre for a fancy meal. Use Belgian endive of the inner leaves of romaine lettuce as a "boat" and put a spoonful of the tuna salad in it, topped with chopped cashews. To make it a bit more substantial, add a little bundle of Vietnamese rice vermicelli to each piece. It's also fantastic as a filling for cucumber cups, and a dot of mayo in the bottom of the cups would not be out of place if you wanted it to be a little creamy.

Do ahead:
Make the dressing up to a day in advance and keep in the fridge. You can chop and combine all salad ingredients in advance, then toss the dressing before serving.