Home-made Thai Feast

Had friends round so prepared this lovely thai feast! Two dishes of pad thai (one with egg, one without), chilli cucumber and peanut salad, thai fish cakes and rice paper rolls! You have to get yourself to an asian supermarket and stock up on some ingredients to make this work. Here are the recipes:

Pad Thai

Dry pad thai noodles (soak in boiling hot water for 8 mins and then drain)

Raw prawns (peeled and deveined)

Beanspouts

Garlic chives

Egg (cook as omelette first and then cut into strips)

Fish sauce

Limes

Unsalted roasted peanuts (smashed)

Coriander or thai basil

Brown sugar

Crisp fried onion and garlic (look for ready-made in asian supermarket)

1 teaspoon chopped red chilli (optional)

1. Use biggest wok you have and heat up oil. Add garlic and chilli. If you want to have some pork in the pad thai, throw in now. Add the prawns, the garlic chives.

2. Once you throw in the noodles, you have to cook quickly. Add 1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce, squeeze 2 lime quarters of juice, add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and work in. I also add a little soy sauce to impart more flavour.

3. Add the beanspouts and egg

4. Once on plate, sprinkle raw coriander and peanuts on top. Serve with crisp fried onion and garlic and some additional lime quarters.

Prawn rice paper rolls

Packet of rice paper wrappers

Very fine rice vermicelli (cook in boiling hot water, run in cold water and drain)

fresh thai basil leaves

fresh coriander leaves

cooked prawns (peeled, deveined and sliced in half length-ways)

romaine lettuce leaves

*Dipping sauce*

80ml of cold water

1 teaspoon white sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 small red chilli chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

1. Dip a rice paper wrapper into lukewarm water for 10 seconds. When soft, place on board/plate.

2. Place some lettuce, followed by 2/3 prawns. Add a small amount of cooked but cool vermicelli. Top with basil and coriander leaves. Roll up as you would a spring roll.

*Rice paper wrappers have to be kept moist otherwise they become brittle. Sprinkle with a little cold water if needed*

Cucumber salad with peanuts and chilli

1 cucumber

3 tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons white sugar

1 tablespoon chilli sauce

half a red onion or some shallots

fresh coriander leaves

unsalted roasted peanuts (smashed)

2 tablespoons crisp fried garlic (can get ready-made in asian supermarket)

half teaspoon red chilli chopped (optional)

1-2 tablespoons fish sauce

1. Slice cucumber in half lengthways and then slice thinly. Combine vinegar and sugar in bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Toss with cucumber, chilli sauce, onion and coriander in large bowl. Leave to marinate for 45 mins. Just before serving, add peanuts, garlic, chilli and fish sauce. Toss.