I found this recipe in the January issue of Better Homes & Gardens. I’ve made a few minor changes….

Makes 2 pretty generous serves

500g peeled green prawns
1 bunch of coriander with roots
1 tbs lime juice
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs grated palm sugar
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Cut off the roots and 4cm of the stalks of the coriander. Wash thoroughly under running water and pat dry with paper towel. Reserve the leaves to use in the salad. Chop roots and stems roughly. Put prawns in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add chopped coriander, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, chilli and garlic. Process until prawns are finely chopped and all ingredients are well combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Divide mixture into 8 portions. With wet hands, shape into patties.

Line a steamer with a layer of baling paper (poke some holes in it to let the steam through) and place 3-4 prawn cakes in a single layer on the paper. Steam for 8-10 minutes or until firm and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cook remaining prawn cakes. Heat a chargrill or barbecue plate and cook prawn cakes for about a minute on each side until browned. Serve with dipping sauce and salad.

Dipping sauce

Juice of 2 limes
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs grated palm sugar
1 small red chilli, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients together and serve in small bowls.

The salad was supposed to be a green papaya salad….I couldn’t get a papaya at short notice, so had to improvise. I think this is a better recipe anyway:

Asian-style mango salad

1 medium carrot, peeled
½ a Lebanese cucumber
½ a yellow capsicum
2-3 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
About a cup of mixed salad leaves
A cup of coriander leaves, loosely packed
1 medium-sized mango

Fish sauce and lime juice to taste for the dressing.

Slice carrot, cucumber and capsicum into long very thin strips, place in a bowl with spring onions, salad leaves and coriander leaves. Dice the mango flesh and add to the bowl, pour combined fish sauce and lime juice over and toss well.

This might sound a bit fiddly, but it was really very easy to make. You could make the salad ahead and refrigerate it (minus the dressing), same with the dipping sauce. The prawn cakes can also be made ahead, steamed and then placed in the fridge till you’re ready to barbecue them.