Make lunchtime tastier with this vegan jackfruit larb

The classic Thai salad gets the Bosh! treatment. By Lauren Taylor

(Lizzie Mayson/PA)

Larb – a type of salad widely eaten in Thailand – has been given the Bosh! treatment in this healthy-but-tasty finger-food version. It’s brilliant for when you have friends over and want something fun and informal to dig into.

Jackfruit larb

Serves: 4 (as a lunch or starter)

Ingredients:

2 x 400g tins jackfruit

1 lemongrass stalk

1 garlic clove

2.5cm piece fresh ginger

2-3 red chillies

10g fresh coriander

10g fresh mint

50g salted peanuts

2 baby gem lettuces

1 tbsp groundnut oil

For the dressing:

2 limes

1 banana shallot

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Line a baking tray. Make sure you have a clean tea towel, a pestle and mortar and a wok.

2. Roast the jackfruit: drain and rinse the jackfruit, then pat dry with the clean tea towel. Spread out on the lined baking tray and roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes. Use two forks to pull apart and shred the jackfruit.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients: trim the lemongrass stalk, strip the bark and slice finely. Peel and finely grate the garlic and ginger. Finely slice the chillies. Pick the coriander leaves and finely slice the stems. Pick the mint leaves. Break the peanuts up in the pestle and mortar. Cut away the stems of the lettuce, pull apart the larger leaves and rinse under cold water. Halve the limes for the dressing, peel the shallot, cut it in half and finely slice it lengthways.

4. Cook the larb: warm the oil in the wok over a medium-high heat. Add the jackfruit and stir for three to four minutes. Add the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, two of the chillies and the coriander stems. Stir for two minutes. Turn the heat down to very low to keep warm, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t catch.

5. Make the dressing: squeeze the lime juice into a bowl. Add the sliced shallot and squash it slightly to break it down a little. Add the soy sauce and sweet chilli and stir to combine.

6. Serve: spoon the jackfruit mixture into the lettuce leaves, drizzle over the dressing, garnish with the fresh coriander, mint leaves, broken peanuts and a few slices of chilli if you like it extra kicky! Serve immediately.

Recipe from ‘Bosh! On a Budget’ by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby (published by HQ, £16.99; photography by Lizzie Mayson), available now