Soups and Salads

In this chapter you will discover how truly versatile spices can be. They can be used to make something really light and refreshing, warm and smoky and even hot and fiery – and with the right combination you only need to add a few spices to a dish to create something extraordinary. Fresh peppery ginger and star anise flavour the delicate Chinese Pork Dumpling Soup, for example; a few crushed fennel seeds bring the Pomegranate, Fennel, Orange and Watercress Salad to life; and with only five spices you can make a Singapore Coconut and Prawn Laksa. This is a dish that traditionally uses loads of different spices, but by balancing the flavours of fragrant lemongrass, hot chilli, earthy turmeric, garlic and beautifully sour tamarind you can make this delicious, rich soup without any hassle.