INSPIRED BY THE SHANGRI-LA

My mission at that time in my life was to lose weight. I found that, in Thailand, fat was not flavour – herbs and spices were the flavour. From that day on I never looked back. I lost 65 pounds and became a TV chef specialising in healthy eating, and I’ve since written 10 cookbooks. My first book was about Thai cuisine.

It all came from that very first visit, and I’ve been to Thailand more than 60 times in all. The Shangri-La was “my Shangri-La”. It made such an impression on me that I wanted to create food just like the food served in its restaurants. I was a guest chef there in 2002 and have taken my wife and eldest daughter there many times since. This year it was extra exciting to share it with our new baby girl, Georgina.

On my visits here I have cooked for the eldest Princess at the Shangri-La and enjoyed meals there many times with my friends Laurent, Jack, Lee and Yoon, Joy, Nipphon and Chef McDang.

I’ve worked in many hotels, but none run their various outlets so differently. You usually see a theme linking the food at a hotel’s different restaurants, but not at the Shangri-La. It has the best Chinese in town at Shang Palace, which has remained consistently excellent through the years. The Next 2 café has frequently seen modern updates, and the Thai-food restaurant Salatip is just wonderful. 

Angelina loves the Mediterranean fare, but my oasis is the Horizon level. Sitting with the best view in Bangkok, a glass of wine and my mind wondering off around the Kingdom. They have a focus on food and service that has held me captive for all these years. Many of the same staff members have stayed on and are there to greet me. It’s my home away from home.

So whenever a chef says to me that, these days, “fat is flavour”, I ask them if he’s ever tried tom yum soup. There is no fat in it, but more flavour than you encounter in any other dish. It was the very first Thai dish I made. 

Inspired by the deep-fried fish cakes at Salatip, I made a healthy version that has no added fat, just the good fat from the salmon and loads of wonderful spices. Make it today and love your food!

 

SALMON FISH CAKES

SERVES 4 

1.75 pounds fresh salmon fillets, roughly chopped 

1 egg

1 red chilli 

Half red onion, finely chopped 

Juice of 1 lime or half a lemon

Handful fresh coriander leaves 

Half cube ginger, freshly grated 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

 

Mix the salmon, chilli, lime/lemon juice, egg, ginger, coriander in a blender. 

Slice the onion.

Drizzle oil into a large, heated non-stick pan on high heat and cook the onion well. Add to salmon mix.

Form the salmon mix into cakes and cook for two or three minutes on each side.

 

 

_ British celebrity chef Daniel Green loves to create healthy recipes that are easy to follow. This is his final column, having run on the last Sunday of every month for the past year.   

_ Follow him on Facebook as “Chef Daniel Green”.