With a few pantry staples and just half an hour, you can turn fresh autumn produce into this special Thai salad.
- To prepare rice cake mixture, peel ginger, eschalot and garlic, then roughly chop with chilli and white part of lemongrass. Process in a food processor to a paste, then combine with remaining ingredients in a bowl.
- To make salad, peel ginger and cut into julienne (matchsticks). Squeeze 80ml (1/3 cup) juice from limes. Trim roots and 3cm of stem from coriander and finely chop, then pick 1 cup leaves. Peel, halve and thinly slice eschalots. Cut tomatoes into wedges and cucumber into slices on the diagonal. Separate lettuce leaves. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Add mince, ginger and coriander roots, then crush over garlic. Stir, breaking up mince with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until mince is cooked. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice, fish sauce and chilli flakes.
- To make rice cake, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a 25cm frying pan over medium heat. Pour rice mixture into pan, flatten into a 20cm pancake, then fry for 2 minutes or until golden underneath. Using a spatula, cut into quarters in pan. Flip quarters and fry for a further 2 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towel.
- Stir coriander leaves, eschalots and peanuts into mince mixture. Divide among plates with rice cake. Serve with tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce.
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