Taste of Thai Recipes (serves 4 adults)

​THAI GREEN CURRY: (serves 4)

• 15ml vegetable/coconut oil
• 2 x 400ml tins coconut milk (ideally 17-19g fat per 100ml otherwise curry will be watery), and avoid brands with emulsifiers and other additives. Should just contain coconut extract and water, and ideally separated into a thick top creamy part and watery underneath part)
• 40g – 80g green curry paste (the amount depends on your particular brand of paste, and how hot you want it - taste and decide. I use 60g of the Mae Ploy brand)
• 2 kaffir lime leaves (you can omit if cant find)
• 40g soft brown sugar (or palm sugar if being authentic)
• 40ml fish sauce (or half the amount of soy sauce if vegan/vegetarian)
• A good pinch salt
• 400g chicken breast OR prawns (peeled, uncooked) OR butternut squash (if vegetarian)
• 250g broccoli or green beans
• 1 red pepper 
• 50g mange tout or baby corn
• 1 lime
• A few sprigs coriander 

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PREP

1. Wash all the vegetables.  
2. Open the tins of coconut milk and remove approx. 1/4 of the thick cream at the top of each tin and place in a bowl– reserve the rest in the cans 
3. Measure out your curry paste to a small bowl
4. Mix the sugar, fish sauce/soy and a good squeeze of lime juice into a small bowl – mix well – taste and adjust for a good balance of sweet/salty and sharp
5. Slice and finely chop the lime leaf  - add to the sugar/fish sauce mix (if you donr have this you can zest some of the lime skin into this instead)
6. Top and tail the green beans and cut in half/thirds OR cut the broccoli into small florets - place in a bowl
7. Take the “checks” off the pepper - cut into strips and halve across, or into a large dice – add to the bowl with the other veg
8. Cut the mange tout in half across on diagonal OR split the baby  corn down the middle lengthways – add to the veg bowl
9. Slice the chicken and reserve in a bowl OR devein the prawns OR peel and cube the butternut

 
COOK

1. Add oil to the pan - heat
2. Add curry paste - cook out for 30 seconds until aromatic, stirring
3. Add the creamy “top” of the coconut milk to the pan  - cook this out until again for a few minutes, stirring
4. Add the remaining coconut milk, lime leaves and fish sauce/sugar /lime (already prepared in a small bowl) - Mix through to combine and heat (not boil or it will split)
5. When the curry is hot through, check for balance of flavor – need a good balance of sour, salty, sweet and heat (from chilli) – adjust as required 
6. Add the chicken and veg - cook until the chicken is cooked and veg is tender. If using prawns, cook the vegetables 2/3rds first, then add the prawns. If using butternut, cook that first in the sauce until just tender (about 10 minutes), then add the rest of the vegetables 
7. ​If you feel its too watery (Thai curry isn't supposed to be very thick but some prefer it thicker), then mix 1 Tbsp cornflour with 2 Tbsp cold water and add this to the curry stirring until it thickens. 
8. Turn off and serve in a bowl with jasmine rice, and garnished with a wedge of lime and some coriander leaves

JASMINE RICE: (serves 4)

• 300g Thai jasmine  rice
• 450ml water
• 1/2 tsp salt 

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1. Rinse the rice three times until the water is no longer cloudy
2. Place rice in a med pan or rice cooker
3. Cover with water to ratio 1:1.5 (same water to rice plus extra 50%) - For 300g rice that's 450ml water.  
4. Add salt - stir once
5. Put lid on pan/rice cooker 
6. In a pan: Bring water up to boil and them immediately turn right down to low, and cook for ​10 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave with lid on to steam for an additional 10 minutes. 
7. In a rice cooker - just switch on and let the cooker do all the work. 
8. When rice is cooked and steamed, fluff up gently with a fork and transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander

PAD THAI: (serves 4)

• 200g Sen Lek (flat rice) noodles
• 1 chicken breast (use 2 if not including prawns) and 250g prawns (optional) OR 2 large portobello mushrooms
• 1 med red onion
• 1 large clove garlic
• 25ml vegetable oil
• 1-2 red chillies
• 60ml tamarind water (1 tsp tamarind paste mixed with 50ml water)
• 60ml fish sauce (or half the amount of soy sauce if vegan/vegetarian)
• 40g sugar
• 2 large eggs (omit if vegan)
• 4 spring onions
• 50g peanuts
• 50g bean sprouts
• 1 lime 
• Fresh coriander

PREP

1. Place the noodles in a large bowl, pour over boiling water to cover,cover with alid/clingfilm – soak until soft (you can just leave int he hot water until needed later). Wehn you need to use, drain the noodles through a colander into the sink – leave to drain in a sieve over a bowl
2. Peel and de-vein the prawns (if using), and rinse in cold water – place in a small bowl
3. Slice the chicken (or mushrooms if using) into strips – keep in a bowl
4. Peel the onion, cut in half (through the root), and place cut side down, then slice across into half-moon slices – place in a small bowl
5. Peel and finely chop the garlic, and add to the onions in the bowl
6. Deseed the chilies and finely chop (you decide how hot to make it!), add chilli to onions and garlic (use gloves!)
7. Beat the eggs together in a separate bowl - reserve
8. Make up the tamarind water (from paste) in a small bowl/measuring jug and add the fish/soy sauce and sugar - you want a balance of sweet, salty and sharp
9. Chop the peanuts roughly – put in a small bowl
10. Slice the spring onion into 2.5cm pieces and place in the bowl with the chopped peanuts
11. Add the bean sprouts to this bowl

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COOK (just prior to eating)

1. Place a little oil in the wok, add the chicken and cook on a high heat until cooked through – remove to a bowl
2. Add the prawns and stir fry for a few minutes until just cooked – remove to the bowl with the chicken
3. Add the onions, (mushrooms if using) garlic and chilli and fry until onion is just soft (and mushrooms well cooked if using)
4. Then add the spring onions, chopped peanuts and bean sprouts - stir well
5. Push the vegetables to the side and add the egg and cook quickly, breaking it up so it “shreds” - mix through vegetables
6. Then add the soaked, drained noodles, tamarind water/sugar/fish sauce mix, the chicken and prawn - mix all together, stir frying the noodles until cooked through, and liquid is largely evaporated
7. Remove to the serving bowl and garnish with coriander and lime wedges

UTENSILS NEEDED:

• Hob (with min two rings) 
• Med pan (with lid) - for the curry
• Med pan (with lid) - for the rice (or a rice cooker if you have one)
• Wok or large frying pan
• 3 heatproof spatulas/wooden spoons 
• ​Sieve/colander 
• 3 x med bowl
• 6 small bowls 
• Scale (multi-function, zero between)
• Measuring cups (if you don't have the scale above)
• Measuring spoons (Tbsp & tsp)
• 2 x chopping board (one for any raw protein, another for the veg)
• Large cook's knife
• Small utility knife (serrated is good)
• Vegetable peeler
• Scissors
• Tin opener
• 4 general mixing spoons (usual cutlery spoons are fine)
• 1 fork/small whisk
• Gloves (disposable)
• Slotted spoon/tongs
• Ramekin/small bowl 
• 3 x serving bowls and spoons/tongs