Seduction and the spinach leaf

We all know how hard it is to achieve the two seemingly incompatible goals of seducing someone with food whilst, if not actually losing weight, at least clinging to a body that can play a role in the seduction process too. Of course these are not issues that come up in the writing of romantic fiction but in living out that life of romance they are all too real. So what does one do when the obvious solution to the second goal - to live on a diet of green leafy vegetables – is most certainly not going to help you achieve the first, ever so slightly more important goal?

You have seen those packets of very healthy looking organic baby spinach leaves lurking on the shelves and sailed past them time and again. Next time you are in the greengrocer you are going to make a beeline for them and actually buy a packet and you are going to dash home and cook (if that is the right word to use here) a dish that can be used to seduce your lover at the same time as looking after both your and his waistline. 

The dish I have in mind is miang kum, an exquisitely delicious Thai appetiser. Be warned though, it is so delicious you will want to have it as the entire meal not just as an appetiser.  Now there are numerous versions, some naturally more authentic than others but of course you shouldn’t concern yourself with that. The secret to this dish is the combination of intense contrasting flavours, the different textures – from crunchy to smooth - and the anticipation of popping the green parcel of treasure into your mouth. Another of its charms is that, depending on the occasion, you can pre-assemble the dish or arrange the ingredients on a large platter and let your guest/s assemble the delicious little morsels themselves.

My current favourite version is from Good Cooking by Jill Dupleix. Having said that, I have to admit that I use a somewhat modified version of her sauce recipe which I love, I never measure the ingredients, and I change all the other ingredients as it suits me and depending on what I have on hand or can get quickly or easily. But hers is still my inspiration and she gives it a nice little twist by topping the leaves off with salmon roe. It is a fun and festive dish, would be great on New Year’s Eve and it looks quite Christmassy too with the lovely green leaves and pinkish colour of the salmon.

The ingredients – try to have one item from each category, don’t limit yourself and don’t worry too much if one of the categories is missing

Green leaves - baby spinach leaves or lettuce
Sauce - sweet/sour and sticky like the sauce recipe below, a tomato chilli jam or spiced pickled plums
Fishy/salty component – hot smoked salmon, smoked salmon or trout, salmon trout roe
Crunchy nuts – generally chopped roasted peanuts and flaked toasted coconut. You can use both together too. Although I haven’t used any other nuts I would be tempted to try almond, cashews or macadamia nuts.
Herbs – scatter with fresh coriander leaves or shredded basil
Ginger – I have used both fresh ginger and ginger in syrup, finely chopped. In fact if you are not in the mood to make a sauce you could use finely chopped ginger and the syrup it comes in as a sauce.
Citrus component – very finely diced whole lime, kaffir lime leaves very finely shredded, lemon zest or even very finely sliced lemongrass
Spring onion, finely sliced or chopped shallots
Chillies -  green and/or red,  finely diced

Sauce
Blend together 4 spring onions (not too much of the green), 2 cloves garlic, half a small red chilli, a small handful of peanuts, a quarter of a cup of soft brown sugar, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate. Transfer to a saucepan and simmer stirring constantly for about 5 minutes until syrupy and thick. Allow to cool before assembling.

To serve
Pile up the leaves in the middle of a big platter or board and arrange all the ingredients in little bowls around the leaves. Assemble by placing a little of each ingredient on a leaf, drizzling with some sauce and if the leaf is bigger than bite sized rolling it up or folding it into a parcel. Pop into your mouth for a taste explosion.

What else to serve? If I wanted the miang kum to be the entire meal I might be tempted to juice some icy cold watermelon with a nugget of ginger and serve it as a cocktail to start. It will look quite beautiful alongside the miang kum.

If you are not convinced that the miang kum could be an entire meal then a Thai beef salad with sesame flavoured rice noodles would follow the miang kum very nicely without competing (or being overshadowed). Keep things simple by ending off with chilled cubes of pink watermelon or lovely yellow slices of mango.

Ice cold beer is the ideal drink or a perfectly chilled bottle of sparkling wine would go down very well too. If you still have half an eye on your waistline and want to be virtuous, sparking mineral water with a generous squeezing of lime juice would be a nice fresh accompaniment.