Simple seasonal recipes

Winner of MasterChef 2021, Tom Rhodes, shares a few of his favourite recipes. Here's a step-by-step guide to these vibrant, seasonal dishes.

Crispy Chicken Bánh Mì - King of sandwiches

What makes a great sandwich? In my mind it has to have both contrasts in textures and flavours. I want something soft, maybe spreadable, I want crisp and crunch, I want juicy to the point of dripping, sweet AND salty, I want spice and acidity, I want something deep in favour and yet light and refreshing. I’m high maintenance when it comes to sandwiches and I want it all. Keep your monotonous meal deals, your ham and cheese, your tuna mayo, I want the king of sandwiches.

The sandwich that takes the crown, the bánh mì, can be found at street vendors across the Vietnam. Within the baguette lies a trove of cold cuts or slow roasted meats or delicious sausage, crunchy pickles, fragrant herbs and a myriad of condiments; there’s almost always a pâté of sorts, then maybe mayonnaise or butter and then perhaps sriracha or hoisin and maybe those you’re less familiar with like liquid seasoning or nuoc cham. I say the more condiments the better. In Vietnam these sandwiches cost maybe £1 at most, but that makes it no less deserving of royal reverence.

Here is my Crispy Chicken Bánh Mì done the way I like it. It may not quite live up to baguettes I had in Vietnam - they really know their stuff - but it’s a damn good sandwich.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 small - medium sized baguettes 4 boneless chicken thighs 2 tbsp vegetable oil Half a cucumber, thinly sliced Quick pickled veg (recipe below), drained Soft herbs (mint, coriander, Thai Basil, dill etc.) Condiments (mayo, sriracha, hoisin etc.) 2 tbsp fish sauce 2 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp sugar 2 bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped

1. Start by making a nuoc cham by combining fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, chilli and garlic with 2 tbsp cold water. Stir to dissolve the sugar and set aside.

2. Next heat a skillet over a medium high heat. Season the thighs liberally with salt and then once the pan is hot add the oil and place the chicken thighs in skin side down. I like to then cover the chicken thighs with a sheet of parchment paper or foil and then rest another heavy pan on top. This ensures the skin has maximum contact with the pan, allowing the skin to get super crispy. Cook the thighs without moving them or flipping them. Once the skin is crispy, about 3-4 minutes then flip them over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Don’t worry if they stick to the pan, continue to cook and check them and once the skin is crispy enough they will release naturally.

3. Once your chicken is cooked set it aside and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. While the chicken is resting make sure you have the rest of your ingredients ready.

4. When you’re ready to assemble, slice your baguettes in half horizontally, not going all the way through, leave a hinge like you would on a hot dog bun. Remove some of the bread inside to make room for the filling.

5. On the bottom half spread mayonnaise and on the top half spread hoisin. Slice your chicken and place this into the baguette and top with sriracha. Then place the cucumbers, followed by quick pickled veg and your herbs. Lastly spoon over the nuoc cham allowing it to dress the various elements and soak into the bread.

Close the baguette up and enjoy.

Quick Pickled Veg

Ingredients

250g firm vegetables (carrots, daikon, radish, beetroot etc.), sliced into thin strips or matchsticks 2 tsp salt 100ml white distilled vinegar 2 tsp sugar

1. Combine sliced vegetables and salt and set asides in a bowl for 5 minutes.

2. After 5 minutes drain an liquid from the bowl.

3. If using straight away then add vinegar and sugar to the vegetables and stir to combine. Leave to sit for 10 minutes, after this they are ready to consume. If preparing in advance, dilute the vinegar with 100ml of water. The vegetables will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Smoked Mackerel with Citrus & Herb Salad

A super simple salad that serves four as a starter, or two as a light lunch. It’s quick, full of flavour and perfect for summer.

Ingredients

300g smoked mackerel 2 oranges 1 bunch coriander 1 bunch basil 1 bunch mint 1 shallot/red onion 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp sugar 2-4 fresh birds eye chilli

1. Remove skin from the mackerel and flake into large pieces and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

2. Slice the skin from the oranges and either slice into rounds or segments and add to the bowl.

3. Finely slice the shallot into rounds and add those to the bowl, along with the leaves picked from the herbs.

4. Finely slice the chillies and whisk together with fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and 1 tbsp cold water in a separate bowl to make the dressing.

5. Just prior to serving, coat the mackerel, citrus and herb salad in the dressing and toss well before dividing between serving dishes.

Prawn Linguine

Fresh, light and quick - perfect for eating outside, glass of wine in one hand, fork tangled with linguine in the other.

Ingredients (serves 2)

250g linguine or long pasta 12 large prawns, raw, preferably with head & shell on Olive oil 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced 1 tsp chilli flakes 150-200g cherry tomatoes, halved 100ml white wine 1 tbsp fish sauce Juice of half a lemon plus extra for serving Handful of parsley, finely chopped Salt and black pepper

Note: This recipe goes quick, with the sauce taking as long as the pasta takes to cook, so having everything prepped and ready will be a big help.

1. Bring a large pan of well seasoned water to the boil for your pasta.

2. Remove the heads and shells from the prawns, keep them as you’ll need them in a minute. Next slice vertically down the back of the prawn, from top to tail. Remove the thin black entrails and discard them. Roughly chop the prawn meat.

3. Once you’re ready to go, add your pasta to the boiling water and heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook your pasta according to packet instructions.

4. Once the skillet is heated, add the oil, enough to just cover the base of your pan, followed by the prawn heads and shells. Cook until they turn pink and the oil takes on a coral hue.

5. Once the shells have taken on colour, remove them from the pan, squeezing any oil or juicy bits back into the pan as you remove them. The shells can now be discarded.

6. Add thinly sliced garlic and chilli flakes to the pan and cook until fragrant, you don’t want any colour on the garlic here, 30secs-1min.

7. Next add chopped cherry tomatoes to the pan. As soon as they begin to soften, add the white wine and allow to reduce by half.

8. By now your pasta should almost be ready. With a couple of minutes left on the pasta, add the fish sauce and prawn meat to the skillet and stir to allow the prawns to cook through.

9. Once your pasta is ready add it straight from the pot to the sauce using a pair of tongs. Reserve at least 100ml of pasta water.

10. Add your lemon juice and parsley and toss the pasta vigorously to coat it in the sauce. Add small amounts of pasta water if needed, this will help the sauce emulsify and coat the pasta. Taste for seasoning and serve with lemon wedges.