PRAWN PAD THAI

PREP + COOK TIME 45 MINUTES (+ STANDING) SERVES 6

2 tablespoons small dried shrimps

400g dried rice noodles

1/3 cup (80ml) peanut or vegetable oil ¼ cup (60ml) boiling water

½ cup (135g) grated palm sugar 1 tablespoon tamarind puree

¼ cup (60ml) lime juice

1/3 cup (80ml) fish sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

800g uncooked medium king prawns

2/3 cup (100g) roasted unsalted peanuts 3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 fresh long red chilli, chopped finely 3 eggs, beaten lightly

6 green onions, sliced thinly

diagonally

½ cup (40g) fried asian shallots

150g bean sprouts

1 cup firmly packed coriander leaves 2 limes, each cut into 6 wedges 1 Place shrimp in a smal heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water; stand for 30 minutes or until softened. Drain; chop finely. Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl; cover with boiling water (STEP A). Stand for 5 minutes or until just tender; stir with a fork to separate strands. Drain; toss with 2 teaspoons of the oil. Cover with plastic wrap (to prevent drying out).

2 Stir the boiling water, palm sugar, tamarind, lime juice and sauces in a small jug or bowl until sugar dissolves (STEP B).

3 Peel and devein prawns, leaving tails intact. Chop half the peanuts coarsely; chop remaining nuts finely.

4 Heat a wok over high heat; add 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil.

Add prawns; stir-fry for 2 minutes or until just beginning to change colour; remove from wok (STEP C).

5 Add remaining oil, shrimp, garlic and chilli to wok; stir-fry for 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant. Add egg; stir-fry for 1 minute or until just set. Add noodles, prawns, three-quarters of the green onion and sauce mixture; stir-fry for 2 minutes or until noodles are heated through.

6 Remove from heat; sprinkle over finely chopped peanuts and half the shallots; toss to combine (STEP D). 7 Divide pad thai between 6 serving bowls. Combine coarsely chopped peanuts, bean sprouts, remaining green onion, shallot and remaining coriander in a large bowl; sprinkle over pad thai; serve with lime wedges.

STEP A

Place noodles in a heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water. The water has to be boiling so the noodles soften on standing – this will take about 10 minutes. Once soft, drain, and, if liked, snip into shorter lengths to make eating easier!

STEP B

So sugar dissolves quickly and easily, make sure it is either very finely chopped or finely grated.

STEP C

Stir-fry prawns until they curl and change colour - this is how you will know they are cooked.

STEP D

Stir-fry noodles gently, so they don’t break up before they are heated.