Heart of palm salad

By: Luke Nguyen
From: Luke Nguyen's Greater Mekong
Serves: 4
Photographer: Stuart Scott

Heart of palm, or palm heart, is a versatile ingredient, which comes from the very tip of the coconut palm. The palm heart is made up of several young palm leaves that are still white and very tender. I’ve been adding it to salads a lot lately, as I love its light, almost sweet flavour and its crunchy texture. Heart of palm can be served raw in salads, stir-fried or steamed. If you can’t find them fresh, they are also sold in glass jars at your local Asian market.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
250g	heart of coconut palm
5	cooked medium-sized tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
50g	cooked pork neck, finely sliced
1	small onion, sliced
1/2	carrot, julienned
1 handful	mixed mint, vietnamese mint, basil and perilla leaves
60ml	nuoc cham, (see note)
1 teaspoon	sesame seeds

Method

Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Thinly slice the coconut palm heart lengthways and place in a mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the sesame seeds.
Mix well, then transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Note

Nuoc cham is a popular Vietnamese dipping sauce. To make your own, combine 1½ tablespoons fish sauce, 1½ tablespoons white vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 60ml water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir well and cook until just before boiling point is reached, then allow to cool. Stir in 1 finely chopped garlic clove, ½ finely chopped bird’s eye chilli and 1 tablespoon lime juice and serve.