Renowned Thai chef graces town

No 5 Church Lane chef Suranalong Jaipong.

Since the opening success of the Spire Queenstown's stylish bar, No 5 Church Lane, in February, Thai head chef Suranalong Jaipong, also known as Pieak, has found himself in high demand. In this week's Cuisine, Mr Jaipong shares a simple recipe which features on the tapas menu at the establishment - yellow fin tuna salad.

After being head-hunted from Bangkok to run the Chinwag Eathai kitchen in Christchurch three years ago, Suranalong Jaipong, also known as Pieak, generated a supremely loyal following among Christchurch residents and visitors.

And now it's the turn of local Queenstown gastronomes and visitors who have heard about his sensational Thai-inspired tapas menu to experience his renowned cuisine.

Mr Jaipong's talents have found him become firmly ensconced in the kitchen of one of the resort's exclusive boutique hotels, the Spire Queenstown.

Today he shares a simple recipe: yellow fin tuna salad. Raw yellow fin tuna is considered a delicacy in many cultures and, when combined with authentic Thai ingredients and the perfect blend of spices, it creates a colourful dish reminiscent of a traditional Thai salad.

Mr Jaipong mainly sources his fruit and vegetables from local growers and uses them in his dishes so diners can experience flavours from the Central Otago region.

"This dish is a favourite among our regulars and I think it's a perfect example of the style of dining on offer at No 5 Church Lane.

"Our tapas menu is ideal for friends because it has a very casual style of eating that puts emphasis on having fun with light, fresh food."

Diners at No 5 Church Lane can expect authentic Thai-inspired food with European and Western flavours also featuring when the bar opens its intimate restaurant in June.

Yellow Fin Tuna Salad

No 5 Church Lane's yellow fin tuna salad. Photos syupplied

- Serves one

INGREDIENTS

Salad
150g fresh raw tuna
30g fresh coriander
100g fresh coconut
30g fresh mint
1 fresh Kaffir lime leaf
50g fresh shallots
1 tsp fresh chilli
1 whole mandarin
1 Tbsp white sesame seeds

Sauce
2 small fresh red chillies
1 tsp fresh garlic sliced
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce
45g palm sugar
2 Tbsp mandarin juice

METHOD

Salad
1. Slice tuna (1cm wide).
2. Roughly chop coriander and mint.
3. Finely chop Kaffir lime leaf.
4. Finely slice shallots.
5. Finely slice chilli.
6. Individually remove skin from each mandarin segment.
7. Finely slice fresh coconut.
8. Combine all salad ingredients.

Sauce
1. Heat fish sauce and palm sugar in saucepan and stir until sugar has dissolved.
2. Remove and leave to cool slightly then add mandarin juice.
3. In a blender mix fish sauce mixture with the chilli, garlic and lime juice.
4. Dress salad with sauce.

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