At Chin Chin, chef Benjamin Cooper has the classics on lock: its massaman curry, pad thai and crispy roast duck are standouts for a reason. But in other dishes, Cooper’s esoteric approach to cooking comes to the fore, mixing and matching dishes and cuisines to produce playful plates of food that have kept diners returning for 13 years.
It’s this spirited approach that imbues Cooper’s Thai-spiced sausage rolls, which appear in Chin Chin’s third cookbook Still Hungry. Instead of tomato sauce for dipping, the rolls are served with a roast tomato nahm prik. And while they look like any other sausage roll, a hit of jungle curry paste, as well as Thai basil, coriander and fish sauce mean they’re a far cry from the classic.
“This isn’t your average old-school sausage roll,” writes Cooper. “But trust us – there’ll be no complaints.”
Read through the instructions carefully before starting this recipe; the adjard syrup is used in the nahm prik and needs time to cool.
Chin Chin’s Thai-spiced sausage rolls
Makes 36
Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
35g butter
1 tbsp sugar
1–2 tbsp fish sauce
500g fatty pork mince
2 coriander roots, chopped
Zest of 1 lime
¼ cup (40g) crushed peanuts
2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
2–3 stems Thai basil, chopped
3 frozen puff pastry sheets, defrosted
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Adjard syrup (makes 2 cups (500ml, this recipe calls for 30–50ml)
250g palm sugar
¼ cup (60ml) water
1 cup (250ml) rice vinegar
Roast tomato nahm prik
2–3 roma tomatoes
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bird’s-eye chilli
1–2 shallots, peeled
2½ tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp roasted fennel seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
Large pinch of salt
Large pinch of pepper
Jungle curry paste
35 scud chillies
1 green banana chilli
4 knobs of turmeric
1 small knob of galangal
¼ bunch coriander root
1½ stalks lemongrass (pale part only)
1 tbsp krachai in brine (available in Asian grocers; or 1–2 knobs fresh krachai, if available)
1–2 red or golden shallots
10 garlic cloves
Method
To make the adjard syrup, in a saucepan, heat the sugar and water over low heat until sugar has all dissolved. Cool completely, then stir through the vinegar. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge until ready to use.
For the nahm prik, preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine the tomatoes, garlic, chilli and shallots in a roasting tray, drizzle with the oil and roast whole in the oven for about 20–30 minutes until the vegetables are blistered and fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the fennel seeds, cumin seeds and lemongrass with the salt and pepper. Add the roasted garlic, shallot and chilli and grind to a paste. Add the roasted tomato and combine, then finish with 30–50ml of adjard, to taste. Taste to check seasoning and balance with salt and pepper where necessary. Store in a sealed container in the fridge and use within 24 hours.
To make the jungle curry, blitz all the ingredients to a paste in a food processor. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 weeks, or freeze in portions.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper. In a small frying pan, melt the butter, then fry ¼ cup (70g) of the curry paste until fragrant. Season with the sugar and fish sauce, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the pork, curry paste mixture, coriander root, lime zest, crushed peanuts, breadcrumbs and Thai basil. You can check the seasoning by taking a small ball of the mixture and cooking it up in a pan. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Lay out the puff pastry sheets on a flat surface and cut each one into halves. Divide the pork mixture into six and arrange each portion in a log shape running lengthways across each of the pastry rectangles. Roll tightly to the end, pressing the pastry onto itself to seal. Cut each length into sixths. Brush sausage rolls with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Place the sausage rolls onto the prepared tray and cook for about 20–25 minutes in the oven.
Serve with plenty of roast tomato nahm prik on the side for dipping.
This is an edited extract from Still Hungry with recipes by Benjamin Cooper, out now, RRP$55.
