The world tour continues...

It's pretty amazing how cosmopolitan we are these days in our palates. The availability of cheaper (well, moderately cheaper), faster means of travel, large-scale worldwide immigration and resulting mixing of cultures, and the ubiquity of media reflecting many different cultures have all helped broadened the variety foods we regularly consume. I have no doubt that this cultural and culinary melting pot leads to dishes which could hardly be described as authentic, or true to the originals on which they are (probably very loosely) based, but it certainly adds to the deliciousness on offer! Earlier this month, I blogged about two chicken dishes, one hailing (at least faintly) from India, and the other from France. Today, it is the turn of Vietnam to provide the inspiration. And to further compound the melting-pot metaphor, I clipped the original recipe for this dish from a British magazine called Good Food. Californian immigrant family enjoys south-east Asian dish developed by British food writer. Get your head around that. And when you have done so, cook it, and you'll hopefully enjoy it just as much as we did, whatever your ethnic and cultural origins and current locale!

Vietnamese Pork Salad
Serves 6-8

2 tsp golden granulated sugar
juice of 4 limes
1 1/2-2 fresh red chillis, deseeded and finely chopped
1 cup cilantro stems or roots, roughly chopped
2 TBSP toasted sesame oil
4 TBSP light soy sauce
2lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
canola/vegetable oil
1/2 large hothouse/English cucumber, cut into matchsticks
10oz shredded green cabbage
4 green/spring onions, finely sliced
4 stems of lemongrass, tough outer layers peeled away and discarded, then finely sliced
zest of 2 limes
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup mint leaves, chopped

1. Put sugar and lime juice in a glass jug with 2 TBSP of water and microwave for 30 seconds or so to dissolve the sugar. Pour into bowl of a food processor. Add chillis and cilantro stems, then pulse until smooth. Add sesame oil and soy sauce and process briefly some more to incorporate. Set aside until needed.
2. Heat a griddle pan or outside grill/BBQ. Brush pork with oil, and then grill until cooked through. Thinly slice the meat against the grain, then tip into a large bowl and pour over half of the dressing from the food processor. Allow to cool.
3. Toss the remaining ingredients in a large bowl with the remaining dressing. Pile onto a platter and top with the pork, spooning over any remaining juices.