‘Hot sun beating down, making you sweat’

Yes Phil, this is how it was in Melbourne’s summer, all you want to eat are fresh salads and cold food. I remember making Bolognese with an ice lolly in my mouth and the very prudent nights, sleeping as far apart as possible so as to escape from any additional body heat.

I can’t bring myself to participate with complaints with the lady in the supermarket or the man in the coffee shop as being from the UK, I feel as though I must cherish every moment. I admit my relief though coming into autumn in Melbourne. Getting out the cardies, donning the woolens…feeling more at home.

The kind of food I really like to cook is winter food, big pots of slow cooked meat, curries, bolognese, steamed puddings – it feels as though this is the time to cook. In the summer you don’t really want to be slaving over a hot stove but enjoying cooking outdoors or using the bountiful, fresh ingredients as simplistically as possible. I miss all the summer fruits but then enjoy cooking with the winter offerings.

Anyway this recipe goes out to all the people back home, as you are coming into summer. I hope you enjoy – please let me know your thoughts if you give it a go. I tried making dosai, which went disastrously…so stuck to trusty pancake batter, which still tasted nice with the salad. Next time I’d probably pair it with flat-breads.

This recipe is adapted from ‘Gourmet Feast’ magazine.

Ingredients – Serves 4

• 3 smoked trout fillets, coarsely flakes
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch of coriander, chopped
• 25g shredded coconut
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
• Juice of 1.5 limes (I only had lemons, which were fine – limes preferable though)

Combine everything together and season with salt and pepper. Serve with whatever you fancy, my yoghurt flat-bread recipe will be coming soon – or make pancakes as I did here.