Recipe by Chef Ray McVinnie
Created for Dilmah Chefs & the Teamaker at the MJF Centre, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka in May 2014

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Dilmah Vivid Ceylon Whole Leaf Green Tea
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp lime juice
1 hot green chilli, sliced
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
6 tbsp roasted cashews
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp castor sugar
12 baby Cos lettuce leaves
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 firm mango, peeled and sliced
18 large raw, peeled prawns, butterflied
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
4 tbsp unsalted peanuts, chopped and roasted
Mint and coriander leaves for serving

Preparation:

Infuse the tea leaves in 250ml of boiled water, strain. Place the tea leaves in a large bowl cover well with cold water and reserve for 12 hours. Strain and discard the water. Pick the leaves over to remove any twigs.
Place the leaves in a small food processor with salt, 1 tablespoon of lime juice and ginger and grind to make a coarse paste. Ferment for 48 hours in an airtight container at room temperature.
Place the tea leaf mixture back in the food processor and add 2 tablespoons of cashews and the sesame oil. Process until creamy. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Reserve. This is the pesto.
In a bowl, mix the remaining lime juice, fish sauce and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Reserve. This is the dressing.
Place 2 Cos leaves on each of 6 plates and cherry tomato halves and mango slices on the Cos leaves.
Season the prawns, brush with the vegetable oil and grill or panfry. Remove from the heat and place 3 per plate.
Dot the pesto around the salad. Drizzle some dressing and sprinkle the extra cashews, the sesame seeds and peanuts over everything.
Scatter a few mint and coriander leaves on top and serve.