Asian-inspired flavour a winner for DJ Tom Bainbridge

It might not be something you cook every day, or even very often at all – but when the feeling strikes it's the dish you can rely on the most.

Tom Bainbridge's recipe for san choy bau hits the spot for him, a Chinese-inspired pork mince dish that is perfect for entertaining in summer.

Although it hasn't been in his repertoire for all that long, Mr Bainbridge says it's become one of his favourites.

“I came across it when I was looking to make something a bit different,” he said.

“It would have been the first summer I was here in Albury and I wanted something a bit fresh in the hot weather over summer.

“I just Googled the base recipe, and I've made it up from there.”

A fan of Asian flavours, Mr Bainbridge turned to the recipe after growing up with a lot of more traditional Western cuisine.

“I grew up eating a lot of spaghetti and lasagna, a lot of other more Australian foods,” he said.

“Since I've been by myself I've wanted to branch out a bit more.

“This dish is great because it's so healthy, it's doesn't really have any carbs at all and it tastes quite fresh.

“At the same time, it's surprisingly filling.

“It's great for when people come around, you can make as much or as little as you want.

“I like getting into cooking, getting involved with my hands and getting messy.”

While it's a relatively straightforward recipe, it isn't without its own x-factor – sultanas.

“It's a fairly salty dish, it's got a lot of soy sauce, a lot of oyster sauce in it,” Mr Bainbridge said.

“I thought it'd be good to add something with a bit of sweetness to it, to try and balance all the flavours out a bit.

“My mum made chow mein fairly often when I was growing up, so that's where the idea came from.

“You get a little burst of that sweet flavour, it's really satisfying.

“Mum was the one who really taught me how to cook, we used to make a lot of tuna mornay, that sort of thing.

As always, pairing the right food with the right drink is the name of the game.

Fortunately, Mr Bainbridge has you covered – depending on the kind of entertaining you plan on doing.

“Little Bling from the Bridge Road brewery goes really well with it,” he said.

“You can also go with a sparkling shiraz from All Saints Estate, depending on the occasion.

“I'll often cook and talk on Facetime with my boyfriend, it's those little things about cooking that I like.”