Even before food trucks became a big thing, I was obsessed with them. My very first and slightly terrifying job, aged 15, was in a travelling burger van at local summer festivals. We would wait for the lads to pour out of the tent at the end of the night and drunkenly descend upon us. The little van pitched and rolled like a ship on a stormy sea, heaved by the hungry bodies and the funk of stale beer. Chips frying in swirling fat, we narrowly avoided mutilation as it spat onto the floor.
But now I have my own food truck show coming out on RTÉ1 soon. I even get my own vintage caravan to simulate another, more carefree life. What I came across astounded me, the sheer inventiveness of what people serve out of these tiny spaces is so impressive. I was a lucky man to get to do this, please tune in.
The dishes I am sharing today could all happily be served from a food truck, but let’s presume you don’t have one, so your kitchen will be fine.
I prefer sea trout over salmon any day. But I appreciate it’s not as widely available so use salmon if you can’t get it. The teriyaki sea trout is full of bold, punchy flavours nestling in a pillowy brioche bun. Its stickiness is foiled by the crunchy cucumber, deliberately made hot with lots of chilli and fragrant pickled ginger.
Coronation chicken was invented by the food writer Constance Spry while preparing food for the banquet for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. It originally consisted of cooked chicken in a simple curried mayonnaise, but of course fellas like me have been messing with it ever since.
I use crème fraiche to bind the chicken as it has to be wrapped in filo and baked. I must say I was quite pleased with the result. There are instructional videos online on How to make a Samosa, if you are struggling with the folding.
I made this duck dish in my 28-year-old rice cooker. You don’t have to have one to make this, but if I were to invest in a good kitchen gadget, this would be it. I’m also sharing simple instructions for an oven-baked alternative.
Recipe: Teriyaki sea trout bun, cucumber and ginger pickle
Recipe: Coronation chicken samosas
Recipe: Thai rice cooker duck
