“Although radishes are available year-round, their peak season is from Spring to Autumn, Summer radishes are crispy and juicy, perfect for eating raw in salads.” - Chef Mark Jensen

“This is one of my favourite Portuguese dishes. To see pork and shellfish on the same plate is not unusual; at Red Lantern our menu has many examples of this pairing. Pippies are now most sold already degorged of sand, but if in doubt ask your fishmonger.” - Chef Mark Jensen

"Walking the streets of Jakarta, I came across a stall with a cook behind a wok who looked around 12 years old, but was working the wok like a pro – so I just had to try his cooking. He whipped up a dish within minutes with wonderful sweet aromas of chilli wafting through the streets. I was very impressed with his skills and the simplicity of his dish." - Chef Luke Nguyen

“I shouldn’t take credit for this recipe; this one belongs to my partner, Pauline. She loves cooking lamb loin chops this way. If she hadn’t introduced it to me, I never would have suspected that lemongrass went so well with lamb. You can marinate the lamb for as little as two hours in the lemongrass, although the flavour is truly enhanced when you marinate it overnight.” - Chef Mark Jensen

"Vietnamese sate sauce is one of the best sauces you can serve with lobster. Don’t mistake it for the Indonesian satay peanut sauce; it’s completely different. Vietnamese sate sauce is made from slowly cooking a variety of dried shrimp and seafood with long green shallot, garlic, dried chilli and chilli oil." - Chef Luke Nguyen

"I cooked this dish in the garden of one of Hoi An’s most beautiful restaurants, called Brother’s Cafe. Built by the French in the early 1900s, it has the most spectacular landscaped garden along the river. Be sure to get a table outside in the evening to enjoy the view. The chefs there were easily able to source fresh young coconuts for me, but if you have to use tinned young coconut juice, omit the sugar in the recipe as tinned coconut juice contains added sugar." - Chef Luke Nguyen

"I discovered a small village in Bac Ha that grew a variety of red rice. When harvested and dried, the rice grains had a lovely purple colour — something I’d never seen before. This particular rice is also believed to have many medicinal qualities. So I bought some purple rice noodles and wok-tossed them with bamboo shoots and pork. The colour was so vibrant! Unfortunately, you can’t find purple rice noodles outside Bac Ha, so just use regular rice noodles instead. But remember, always use room-temperature fresh soft noodles, never ones that have come straight out of a fridge, as they will break during cooking." - Chef Luke Nguyen

"It wouldn’t be Christmas for the Jensen family without my mum’s steamed pudding, which uses one of her favourite treats, glacé ginger." - Chef Mark Jensen

“I visited Phu Quoc island many years ago while backpacking through the country. I was on a tight budget, so I found a cheap straw bungalow that cost only $8 a night. It was right on a beach, and every evening, the owner would cook everyone dinner. This dish was one of my favourites. The mussels were so plump and fresh, and the sweet basil tossed through matched them perfectly.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“If you are ever on Phu Quoc island and can’t seem to find this dish in any restaurant, don’t worry. Just go to the fresh seafood market, buy yourself some juicy tiger prawns, take them to any street-food vendor or restaurant and ask them to make ‘Tôm Rang Muối’ for you. Be sure to leave the shells on, as the crispiness they add really makes this dish.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“Leatherjacket is very underrated and is considered a bycatch species, a fish inadvertently caught while pursuing a more valuable prize. I think it has an amazing texture, it can carry big flavours such as lemongrass, soy or curry spices, and, once cooked, the flesh just slides off the bone.” - Chef Mark Jensen

“Oysters are the ultimate eco-friendly extravagance. They feed on microscopic organisms by drawing water into their shells and filtering the nutrients out. Oysters are like the canaries of the sea; they are highly sensitive to pollutants and can’t survive in anything less than pristine waters.” - Chef Mark Jensen

“I recommend the Australian Sustainable Seafood Guide as an introductory shopping guide for sustainable seafood species. The guide is available online at www.amcs.org.au or for further reading, visit www.msc.org or www.montereybayaquarium.org.” - Chef Mark Jensen

“Baguettes are one of many great things the French introduced to Vietnam. However, Vietnamese have adapted the French baguette and made it their own, making it more fluffy, airy and with a crispier finish. This allows us to add a variety of fillings to them, or to dip them in curries or slow-cooked stews, soaking up all the sauce.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

"Perhaps the least invasive form of aquaculture is the farming of molluscs. Species such as oysters, scallops and mussels are filter feeders and require pristine waters to thrive. These bivalves filter the phytoplankton and zooplankton from the water and do not need to be artificially fed." - Chef Mark Jensen

“In Vietnam, women hold the green papaya in one hand and, with a sharp knife in the other, rapidly and repeatedly cut into the fruit; fine shards fall away into a bowl. You can buy a special tool from an Asian supermarket that shreds the papaya beautifully (and safely), or simply slice the papaya very finely, then cut it into long thin strips.” - Chef Mark Jensen

“In this recipe, traditional French steak tartare, which is made with minced beef and served raw with egg yolk and seasoning, is given a Vietnamese makeover with the addition of Asian herbs and seasonings. The egg yolks used are quail, and it is dressed with a signature Vietnamese Nước Mắm Chấm.” - SBS Food

“Lemongrass is an essential ingredient in Vietnamese cooking. Not only does it impart a wonderful gingery citrus flavour to food, but it also has medicinal qualities. I grow lemongrass in my garden, so I also dry the stems to make my own lemongrass tea. Make this dish at your next Sunday barbecue and impress all your friends. The aromas released during grilling are amazing.” - Chef Luke Nguyen

“Squid is plentiful, reasonably inexpensive and can be roasted, grilled, sautéed, or stuffed and steamed. Yes, it’s very versatile, so please take advantage of it and experiment” - Chef Mark Jensen

“This is steak and three veg with a difference - packed with Vietnamese flavours, this is a great dinner to whip up on a weekday night.” - Chef Luke Nguyen