< Back to Main Blog Posted: May 2025

The Sauce (and Salads) of all Happiness

If you haven’t tried our pan-Asian range yet, can we ever-so-nicely suggest that you do? Perfect instead of a Friday night takeaway, but also a really tasty way of mixing up your mid-week meals … no more meal plans on repeat. If you fancy adding a little something homemade on the side, we’ve got some speedy salads and sauces below. They’re fresh, full of flavour, and simple enough to knock up while dinner’s in the oven. You’ll find videos popping up on social soon, but for now, here’s how to make them at home…

Coconut & Chilli Kerabu Salad

Fresh and fiery, this Malaysian salad is brilliant with grilled meats or even next to a stir fry.

You'll need:

1 tsp fish sauce
Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp sugar
1cm grated ginger
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 red pepper, sliced
3 sticks celery, sliced
1 mango, sliced
100g beansprouts
A handful of mint leaves, chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped

How to make it:

STEP 1: Whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and grated ginger.

STEP 2: Add the red onion to this dressing – it’ll soften while you prep the rest.

STEP 3: Toast the coconut in a dry pan until golden (keep an eye on it!).

STEP 4: Add the pepper, celery, mango, beansprouts, mint and chilli to your serving bowl.

STEP 5: Pour over the dressing and onions, toss together, and serve straight away.

Honey Soy Dipping Sauce

Sweet, salty and totally moreish – brilliant for dunking spring rolls in or dressing up noodles.

You'll need:

100g dark soy sauce
50g honey
20g sesame oil
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
A sprinkle of sesame seeds

How to make it:

STEP 1: Whisk the soy, honey and sesame oil together.

STEP 2: Pour into a dipping bowl and top with spring onion and sesame seeds. Done!

Homemade Chilli Crisp

If you like turning up the heat, this is for you. It adds a kick and a crunch … and happens to be completely addictive.

You’ll need:

150g neutral oil (like vegetable or sunflower)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
50g dried chilli flakes
50g crispy fried shallots
20g sesame seeds
5g salt
5g sugar

How to make it:

STEP 1: Add the oil and garlic to a pan and heat slowly until the garlic turns golden.

STEP 2: Turn off the heat and stir in the chilli flakes, shallots, sesame seeds, salt and sugar.

STEP 3: Pour into a jar and let it cool. Keep it in the fridge and spoon it over, well, everything!

Smashed Cucumber Salad

Cool, crunchy and with a chilli kick, this simple salad makes a brilliant side to anything pan-Asian. What’s more, smashing / mashing the cucumbers is strangely satisfying...

You'll need:

2 cucumbers
1 tsp salt
3 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes – or 2 tsp chilli crisp
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
A small bunch of coriander

How to make it:

STEP 1: Cut the cucumbers lengthways, deseed them, then mash them with the flat of a knife.

STEP 2: Chop into rough, bite-sized chunks and sprinkle with salt.

STEP 3: Let them sit for 5 mins, then pour off the water.

STEP 4: Mix in the rest of the ingredients and let it all marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

Keep an eye out for these videos across our socials, and if you give them a go, we’d love to hear how you get on. If you’ve got your own go-to side, dip or drizzle that’s good with our pan-Asian meals, let us know. The more the merrier.