I lived in Aberdeen, Scotland for quite a few years. It's a heart-achingly beautiful, wind-swept city that reminds people why the Scots think there is a major difference between Scotland and England. And the fact is, however you look at it, there is a great difference. It's a difference that shaped nations and a difference that remains to be properly celebrated, commiserated, questioned and explored. If you don't believe me, get yer arse up tae Aberdeen and have a look. It's no' that difficult.
But back tae the story....Papayas and pineapples don't grow in Aberdeen. And I know that for a fact. I was there for ages. Not very much grows there at all. Melons and cucumbers might, though, but if they do it will only be in greenhouses. In this introduction then, we're not talking about the same Aberdeen that I knew and loved. The Aberdeen that threw up this salad so naturally must not be the one I spent many of my formative years in.
But by the way, I did know there was more than one Aberdeen. I knew there was one in Canada and I knew there was one in Australia. I just didn't know there was one in the place I discovered this salad in. That was in Hong Kong. The Aberdeen you find there is a very different place from the original. There are loads of Chinese guys wandering about for a start, and the weather's much better. But it's not as different as you might imagine. For one thing both towns have busy harbours and fishing is a large part of the local economy. Granted, in both towns it's not as important as it once was. And here comes a wee story...When I first went to Aberdeen (Yawn, here we go....), years n years n years ago, fishing was very much part of the everyday goings on. One time I even slipped on a fish on the way home from a pub. Sure, I was drinking down in the dock area, but that still probably wouldn't happen nowadays. Now let's find a Chinese guy who can say the same about Aberdeen, Hong Kong.
I found this recipe in a restaurant which is part of a chain called 'Green Garden' or something like that. If it's important I can find out for sure by asking my daughter who can check with her veggie friend Sofie who recommended the restaurant in the first place. But do we need that? I don't know, Tell me if I have to. The speed at which I ascertain the details will be determined by the extent to which people are bothered about discovering the exact name. My advice is just go to Aberdeen and have a look around, for goodness sake. If you don't find it, you'll probably find something just as good or even better. China's like that.
For the meantime anyway, let's imagine, for the sake of the story, it's the Green Garden restaurant and it's in an easy to find location in Aberdeen.
First thing we can say is, they have loads of veggie dishes! Veggie central. Friends of the wandering vegetarian. A whole section in the menu is dedicated to herbivores. The only thing is but, the vegetarian selection includes things like 'Vegetables with fried pork skin' which if you've traveled in China you will realise is actually vegetables with soya protein made to look like fried pork skin, probably, or is it really vegetables with fried pork skin? Well, you're not going to die finding out are you? This is all part of the fun of travelling in China. If it was easy, who'd do it?
Before we go further, I just want to make one further small observation, and it's this: It appears to me that some recipes definitely depend more for their success on a particular technique, and some others depend more for their success on the quality of the ingredients. This is a 'quality of ingredients' recipe -no argument. Understand now. If you've got rubbish papaya, you're going to end up with rubbish salad. Once in Sri Lanka I ordered fruit salad in a restaurant, It was amazing. I ordered it again in another place and that was amazing too. You know why? Because Sri Lankans grow the meanest pineapple, papaya and bananas in the whole world. You want pineapple? Go to Sri Lanka.. same-same papaya and banana. You've got to see those bananas - they're so cute! The bananas are the size of plums - no kidding! Same shape too. And the pineapples...well... you ever see a pineapple the size of a small orange, you're looking at a Sri Lankan pineapple. And everything's so sweet. I tried the same recipe later - papaya, pineapple and banana, thoroughly chopped and drizzled with a little lime juice and sprinkled with sugar. Was it good? No. It was rubbish. And why was it rubbish? Rubbish ingredients, that's why. A rubbish papaya is a turnip. Save your money and buy a turnip. And cook something else, not this. We're almost at the recipe and you have been warned......
A last point before we get there, I just want to point out that given the variation in size of some of the fruit involved here it would be difficult to state exact quantities in this recipe and it's not really necessary. Suffice to say that all the fruit, vegetables, beans etc. are used in roughly equal amounts and the amount of yoghurt you need will depend on how much of everything else you use. Just keep spooning it in until it looks right.
Yoghurt
Melon
Papaya
Pineapple
Cucumber
Sweet corn
Red beans
I sort of gave the game away in the final paragraph of the introduction. There's not much more to add to that other than what is probably fairly obvious - peel and chop the melon, papaya, pineapple and cucumber before mixing with the other ingredients. That's it.