Street food isn't just hot dogs and sandwiches anymore. Australian expat and food truck owner Adam Hynam-Smith travelled all over the globe, feasting on street foods, to bring us his new book: Curbside: Modern street food from a vagabond chef.
"This is a vegetarian version of a dish I would eat daily for breakfast in Thailand," says Hynam-Smith. "The combination of cilantro, Thai basil, and mint adds a flavourful freshness to the salad, while the ginger and nuts balance the flavours with a rich earthiness."
Green bean salad
In a wok, heat oil over high heat. When oil is smoking, add green beans and toss for 3 minutes, allowing beans to become slightly scorched.
Transfer green beans to a bowl and dress liberally with chili caramel. Add shallot, half of the ginger, and half each of the herbs. Toss to combine, and place in the centre of a large serving platter.
Sprinkle with peanuts, fried Garlic, and chilies.
Scatter remaining ginger over top and garnish with remaining herbs.
Serve immediately with lime wedges.
Chili caramel
In a small pot, dissolve palm sugar in water over high heat. Add chilies. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until liquid has reduced and thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly at room temperature.
Slowly whisk fish sauce into chili caramel. Allow to cool completely, transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Fried garlic
Using a sharp knife, roughly chop garlic into smaller pieces until it is consistently fine. Do not use a garlic press, as the garlic will lose its texture.
Place garlic in a medium bowl and cover with milk. Stir to distribute garlic, and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator overnight.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil to 350°F (180°F). Strain garlic through a fine sieve, and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Empty sieve of garlic onto paper towel, and pat garlic dry, removing as much moisture as possible.
Place garlic into a heatproof sieve, and carefully lower sieve into hot oil to cook garlic briefly. Be careful, as the oil will react to the remaining moisture in the garlic and bubble up. After 5 seconds, remove sieve and drain over a heat-proof container. Allow oil to settle, and return to temperature.
Return sieve of garlic to the oil for a further 5 seconds. Repeat this process until the oil does not react to the moisture in the garlic.
Deep-fry garlic until just golden brown and void of moisture.
Remove sieve from oil and allow fried garlic to drain over a heat-proof container. Spread fried garlic onto a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Store on fresh paper towel in an airtight container with a piece of soft bread off to the side for up to 1 week or as long as the garlic remains crispy.
- Yield:
- 4 servings
