Warm the allspice, peppercorns, coriander and fennel seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Crush lightly in a mortar. Throw the pineapple wedge directly over a flame or into a smoking-hot pan. You want deep blackening. This brings caramel, smoke and acidity. Place onion, garlic, ginger, thyme and chillies in a blender. Pour in the oil, lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and molasses. Add the toasted spices, nutmeg, cinnamon and bay leaf, then blitz till thick but pourable.

Pierce the chicken thighs all over, immerse in the marinade, massaging to coat each piece completely. Refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight. Cook as desired, serve in warmed tortillas with avocado, sour cream, watercress, salsa and pickled cucumbers.

Prepare the whisky mustard sauce ahead of service. Melt the butter and sweat the shallots and garlic until soft. Add the whisky and reduce. Stir through the honey, mustards, mustard powder and porcini powder, then add the beef stock and cream. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, then adjust seasoning. Hold warm in a bain-marie, or use it to deglaze the same pan you’ve cooked your steaks in for added depth.

Cook steaks to the desired cuisson and rest well. While the steaks are resting, warm the bug meat in the sauce. Pile the bug meat back into one half-shell so it spills naturally onto the steak when plated. Serve with additional sauce on the side and the steak garnish that suits your venue – fries, mash, greens, bread.

To prepare the chilli peanut sambal, preheat a fan-forced oven to 170°C. Spread the peanuts on a tray lined with baking paper and roast for 25 minutes, shaking occasionally. Add the peanuts to a food processor with the roasted chillies, fried shallots, sugar and salt, and pulse until well combined but still coarse. Transfer to a bowl, add the roasted coconut and lime powder, and mix thoroughly.

For the chilli paste, heat the oil over medium–low heat in a large saucepan. Add the crushed chilli, sliced onion, garlic, roasted chilli, lemongrass and lime leaves. Cook gently until softened and fragrant. Add coconut juice, palm sugar, turmeric powder and garam masala. Continue cooking over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until lightly caramelised. Add the fresh coconut meat and fish sauce, then season with salt to taste. Taste and adjust the balance – it should be sweet, hot and savoury. Set aside.

For the Asian herb salad, keep the skin on the green apple and cut it into fine julienne strips. Wash and pick the mint, coriander, Vietnamese mint, and Thai basil leaves. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice..

To prepare the dish, mix the salmon with the chilli paste in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes. Place each salmon portion on a banana leaf, fold over to enclose and secure with a skewer or similar. Cook on a char-grill or in a preheated 180°C oven for 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with the salad and chilli peanut sambal.

Peel the prawns, keeping the head and tail shells intact. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade, add the prawns and toss to coat. Marinate for up to 24 hours. Thread the prawns tail to head onto skewers. Grill over high heat for about 1 minute per side, until lightly charred.

For the dipping sauce, grind pepper and salt together in equal parts. The key to this condiment is that it must be mixed fresh to order. Serve the ingredients separately so diners can make their own – ‘a little table-side theatre’ that lets each person adjust the balance of salty and sharp to taste.

Start by blanching the skin of the duck by pouring boiling water over the bird to help tighten and dry it out, which encourages crispness during roasting. Pat the duck dry with paper towel and allow it to air-dry in the fridge for several hours or overnight, if time allows. Dust the internal cavity with sea salt and Chinese five spice. Roast the duck at 220°C for 45 minutes per kilo – for a 2.3kg duck, that’s roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes. Once done, rest the duck for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Heat the coconut cream in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously as it comes to a boil – the cream will begin to split, releasing its oil. Once the oil starts to separate and the cream thickens slightly, add the red curry paste, star anise, cinnamon stick and sliced ginger. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until darkened and aromatic.

Add any optional ingredients – such as Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, lychees, snake beans or cherry tomatoes – at this point. 

Add the kaffir lime leaves and continue to stir. Pour in the fish sauce and palm sugar, mixing until the sugar dissolves. Add the coconut milk, cream and stock, bring everything back to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.