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When we were kids, my mother used to bring us to visit our family on the Malaysian border of Thailand during Wesak Day (Buddha Day) or Songkran (Thai New Year). We'd always have Som Tam with our dinner, using the unripe mango and papaya from the garden.

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• 1 green (unripe) papaya or granny smith apple, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 large ripe mango, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• 10 raw green beans, chopped
• 2 fresh red chillies, cut into matchsticks
• A handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 lime leaf, shredded
• 40g dry roasted peanuts, chopped
• Juice of 3 limes
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1-2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp grated garlic
• 1 head of baby gem lettuce, broken into individual leaves, to serve (optional)

Put all the ingredients except the baby gem lettuce (if using) in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of the sugar.

Toss everything together with your hands, then taste and add more fish sauce and/or sugar if needed.

Line a serving bowl with the baby gem leaves (if using), then pile the slaw into the middle.

Serve immediately while fresh. If preparing ahead, prep all the ingredients but mix just before serving.

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Try this:

• Scatter some crispy bacon
• Add black pepper chicken to make this into a substantial salad
• Add cooked glass noodles, chopped birds eye chilli and a little extra fish sauce to make this into a noodle dish
• Add cooked glass noodles and roll it all up in a rice paper wrapper to make a summer roll