Gordon’s Great Escape Southeast Asia: 100 of my favourite Southeast Asian recipes. Gordon Ramsay

Although essentially Malaysian in style, this salad has influences from Thai cuisine.

      There are many different variations of a Kerabu, but the flavours must always be balanced between sweet, sour, spicy and salty. This particular version can be considered Nonya because of the Chinese influence of the Bok nee – Chinese black fungus – however, you can use any dried fungus for this recipe. This is a substantial salad, best served as a main course with steamed rice, as it is in Malaysia.

      Bring the stock to a boil in a medium pan and add the chicken so that it is submerged. Cover the pan and bring back to the boil. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. When the chicken is cool to the touch, pull apart to shred and set aside.

      Put the fungus in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove from the liquid and thinly slice. Set aside. Dry-fry the coconut until toasted and fragrant.

      Make the dressing by mixing together all the ingredients. Set aside.

      To make the salad, put the chicken, fungus, coconut and remaining salad ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.

      Pour over the dressing and toss all the ingredients until they are evenly covered. Serve immediately.

Southern Thai rice and pomelo salad

      SERVES 6

      1 lemongrass stalk, soft white part only, thinly sliced

      350g cooked jasmine rice

      1 small pomelo, peeled and shredded

      2 spring onions, finely chopped

      1 carrot, grated

      1 courgette, grated

      100g fine beans, thinly sliced

      small handful of coriander leaves, finely shredded

      50g beansprouts

      100g desiccated coconut, toasted

      2 Thai red chillies, thinly sliced, to serve

      small handful of sweet basil leaves, shredded, to serve

      DRESSING

      4 tbsp fish sauce

      2 tbsp palm sugar

      juice of 4 limes

      1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

      In Southern Thailand this salad is known as Kao yum, and it was there that I discovered it. While visiting a local food competition I stepped away to look round the stalls, and on one an amazing array of ingredients was laid out – including rice and shredded pomelo flesh. Intrigued, I stood and watched as the woman on the stall simply mixed a little of all the ingredients from the platter, including the pomelo, into a bowl with some rice and spooned over a dressing. There it was – the Kao yum.

      A pomelo is one of the largest of the citrus fruits and is native to Southeast Asia; its closest relation is the grapefruit, but its flesh is sweet and firmer. It is worth the time that it takes to peel away the thick skin and pith, as the first taste of this fruit reminds me why I should eat it more often.

      This dish is a great way to use up leftover rice, or you can cook it fresh. It is perfect eaten by itself or makes an exciting addition to a picnic.

      To prepare the dressing, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. Cover with cling film and set aside.

      In a pestle and mortar, pound the lemongrass stalk to bruise it slightly but not crush it. Place in a bowl and mix in all the other salad ingredients. Spoon over the dressing and mix again.

      When ready to serve, spoon out the rice salad into serving bowls and garnish with the chillies and Thai basil.

Green papaya salad

      SERVES 4

      1 garlic clove, peeled

      juice of 2 limes

      1 tbsp fish sauce

      1 tsp palm sugar

      pinch of salt

      2 tbsp roasted peanuts

      100g snake beans or green beans, cut into 3cm lengths

      50g beansprouts

      1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

      1 green papaya, peeled and julienned thinly (ideally) on a mandolin

      2 tomatoes, diced

      1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced

      1 tbsp ground dried shrimp

      GARNISH

      small handful of coriander leaves

      For me, this salad has the wow factor. The secret to a great Som tam, or green papaya salad, is gently mashing the ingredients together in a pestle and mortar so that the juices and flavours are extracted and brought together at the same time. This salad is available all over Thailand – from street corners to upmarket restaurants – and while on my escape round the country a day didn’t go by without me eating this salad. In the humidity, the sweet and sour flavours were really refreshing.