To celebrate the recent opening of his first Perth restaurant, Matt Sinclair of Sum Yung Guys is sharing one of his favourite recipes that allows home cooks to recreate his signature South-East Asian flavours at home.
The chef and former MasterChef Australia contestant has brought his popular Sunshine Coast restaurant — which he co-founded in 2017 with fellow chefs Jeremiah Jones and Michael Rickard — to Crown Perth for a six-week residency in the space vacated by Bistro Guillaume. Previously occupied by pop-ups from the likes of George Calombaris and David Thompson, the limited-edition eatery is open for lunch and dinner until October 24.
In a nod to SYG’s menu of vibrant pan-Asian flavours, Sinclair shares a simple yet showstopping recipe for fragrant lemongrass salad, which he says makes a great side to serve alongside curries or barbecue meats — or simply enjoyed on its own.
Fragrant lemongrass salad
Serves 3-4 as a side
2 cups shredded green papaya
1 cup julienned green apple
½ cup roughly chopped coriander
½ cup picked Thai basil leaves
½ cup picked mint leaves
¼ red onion, finely sliced
1 red birdseye chilli, finely sliced
1 tbsp dried shrimp
2 lemongrass stems, finely sliced
¼ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
Dressing
100ml freshly squeezed lime juice
20ml fish sauce
30g caster sugar
pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients, except the peanuts, in a large mixing bowl.
To make the dressing, mix together the ingredients, ensuring the sugar is dissolved. Adjust to suit your personal taste.
Generously dress the salad. It should be quite juicy. Serve and top with the roasted peanuts.