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

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 60†ml 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.

Courtesy of Cooked.com.au.

This recipe first appeared in Greater Mekong by Luke Nguyen.