INGREDIENTS:

1 pomelo

5 oz (150 g) squid tubes

12 oz (350 g) small shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup (125 g) fried onion flakes

1/4 cup (125 g) roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Leaves of 8-10 sprigs Vietnamese mint, finely sliced

Sugar to taste

Lettuce leaves (butter, mignonette, Bibb)

1 packet shrimp crackers

Dressing

2 small cloves garlic, chopped

1-2 fresh chiles, chopped

2 Tablespoons fish sauce diluted with 2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar, or to taste

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste

2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To make the dressing, mash the garlic and chili together to a paste. Add the diluted fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice and sugar and mix well.

2. Peel the pomelo. Pull the membrane off the segments as completely as possible. Discard the seeds, pull the flesh apart into small flakes and set it aside.

3. Cut the squid tubes into pieces with a diamond pattern. Put the pieces into a strainer and dip this into a pot of boiling water just until the pieces curl up and are cooked and white, with an attractive patterned surface. Remove the strainer and drain the squid thoroughly. Boil a new pot of water and cook the shrimp until they turn pink. Drain and cool them.

4. Combine all the ingredients except the shrimp crackers and the lettuce. Toss well with Dressing to taste, adding extra sugar if you wish. Serve in a lettuce-lined bowl placed in the center of the flat platter. Surround the bowl with shrimp crackers.