This week my table is set in Thailand, with three recipes from a chef-friend from that delightful country. Be warned, though, this food can be hot – though you can make dishes like this as hot or “not hot” as you like. I think most, probably all of the ingredients are readily available. Be careful, too, when slicing or chopping hot chillis, and whatever you do if you’ve been handling them, don’t rub your eyes!
Seafood Salad
Note: as it stands this delicious recipe is very hot. If you like only mild heat, then go carefully on the dry red chilli and the hot green chilli (jalapenos)
Ingredients
225 g / ½ lb of medium sized prawns or shrimp (tails on), or butterfly prawns
120g/4oz vermicelli
4 imitation crab meat sticks, sliced into 2.5cm/¼” thick pieces.
60g/2ox. squid, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp dry red chilli, ground
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp palm sugar (or substitute regular sugar)
1 tsp shrimp paste (Ka-pi)
1 tsp very finely sliced jalapenos
1 shallot (or salad onion), sliced thin
2 lime leaves, sliced thin
2 tbsp chopped onion
Fresh mint
Method
1. Place the fish sauce, lime juice, red chilli, palm sugar, and
shrimp paste, vermicelli, into a small saucepan and bring to a
simmer.
2. Add in the seafood and jalapenos. Cook for about two
minutes, or until the seafood is cooked though. Remove from
the heat, and add in the lime leaves, shallots, and onions.
Serve at room temperature.
Pad Thai Noodles with Shrimps
Ingredients
225g/8 oz rice noodles
4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided into two
1 egg, beaten
225g/8 oz uncooked (raw ) shrimp, peeled and de-veined
4 salad onions, chopped
60g/2oz coarsely chopped peanuts
1 packet Pad Thai Sauce
About 200g/6½oz (2 tea cups full) bean spouts
Coriander or parsley and lime wedges for garnish
Note: tender quick-cooking meat, such as chicken, beef or pork fillet, cut into thin strips may be substituted for the shrimps.
Method
1. Soak Noodles according to directions on packet.
2. Heat two tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet
over medium-high heat.
3. Add egg. Scramble lightly for about 20 seconds.
4. Add shrimp or meat and stir – fry until cooked through.
5. Add remaining vegetable oil and the drained rice noodles.
6. Add chopped onions, peanuts and Pad Thai Sauce. Stir-fry for
about 1 minute.
7. Stir in bean sprouts.
Serve hot, garnished with coriander and lime wedges.
Thai Red Curry Prawns
Ingredients
4 large King Prawns, shelled and de-veined but with tails on. (If you don’t mind getting messy fingers you can, if you wish, cook the prawns shell-on)
1 tbsp vegetable oil.
1 tbsp red curry paste (or less if you prefer it not so hot)
1 – 400ml/13.5oz can Coconut Milk (original or Lite)
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 tablespoons Fish Sauce
A fair few basil leaves (four sprigs or so)
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
2. Add the curry paste and stir until bubbling.
3. Add the prawns and brown on both sides.
4. Add the coconut milk , bell pepper, fish sauce, and basil.
5. Simmer until the prawns are cooked.
6. Serve with rice.
Thai Pad Pork
Ingredients
150g/5oz pork
30g/1¼ oz bamboo shoots
l medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced
1 tsp fresh ginger
90ml/3fl oz milk
50m/2fl oz coconut milk
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp red curry paste (less if desired)
1 tbsp sugar
½ tablespoons salt (or less if you prefer)
½ tablespoon oyster sauce
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet.
2. Add the curry paste and stir until bubbling.
3. Add the pork and brown on both sides.
4. Add the coconut milk the milk, sugar, salt, oyster sauce,
the onion, ginger and bamboo, shoots.
5. Simmer until the pork is cooked.
Serve with rice.