Golden Wok Tandoori dumplings perched on a bright slaw of julienned carrot, red onion, bean sprouts, long red chilli, mint and coriander, dressed with lime and fish sauce. The dumplings carry the heat; the salad keeps the bowl light. Lunch food that looks like dinner.

The tandoori dumpling itself is the funny crossover: a Punjabi flavour profile in a Chinese wrapper, the sort of thing that only happens in modern Australian kitchens where Indian spice and Chinese technique sit next to each other on the bench. Pan-fry them base-down first for the crust, then steam through with a splash of water under a lid.

The slaw is Vietnamese in spirit: a sour-sweet nuoc cham dressing (lime, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, chilli) tossed through hard vegetables that hold their crunch under the warm dumplings. Slice the chilli with the seeds for full heat, without if you want the perfume only.

A bowl that eats light but reads loud. A cold Vietnamese iced coffee or a bottle of Singha lager alongside. Works at room temperature, which makes it picnic-ready or boxed-lunch material.