STEAMED COD WITH GINGER AND SOY (PLA NEUNG SEE EW)
Steaming is a common cooking method in Thai cuisine, and one that retains the moisture within the food. This is a delicious version of a steamed fish recipe handed down to me from my dad.
SERVES COOKING TIME
2 25 MINUTES 2 cod fillets
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely sliced into matchsticks
½ small onion, finely sliced 1-2 red chillies, finely sliced coriander leaves, to garnish
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE H H H H H
1 tbsp miso paste 1 tsp grated ginger 1 tsp grated garlic 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp soy sauce
1 Mix together all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
2 Cut out a piece of baking parchment big enough to wrap both fish fillets generously. Place the fillets in the centre of the parchment then top with the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, onion and chilli.
3 Loosely wrap the parchment over the fish into a parcel, securing it with kitchen string.
4 Using a vegetable steamer (a bamboo one is ideal, steam the parcel for 10-12 minutes over a medium heat.
5 Carefully open the parcel and transfer the fish to plates. Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve alongside seasonal vegetables and the dipping sauce.
EASY SWAP H
Substitute the cod with any white fish such as hake, pollock or haddock.
PRAWN TOAST (KHANOM PANG NA KUUNG)
A delicious snack from my childhood. Don’t throw away any stale bread! Make this dish instead.
MAKES COOKING TIME
200g raw peeled prawns 2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 egg yolk
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ground white pepper 5-6 slices of stale bread, each cut into 4 triangles
1 tbsp sesame seeds (use a
H20-24 PIECES 25 MINUTES
TO SERVE H
Thai sweet chilli sauce or sweet plum sauce
1 Chop the prawns until coarsely minced, then put in a bowl with the spring onions, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, egg yolk, garlic and pepper. Mix well.
2 Spread the mixture thinly and evenly over each triangle of
bread, then sprinkle sesame seeds on top of each.
3 Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat and shallow-fry the triangles sesame sidedown to start with, for 3 minutes, then turn them over and fry for 2-3 minutes more, until cooked and golden. Serve with sweet chilli or plum sauce.
EASY SWAP H
Use minced pork or chicken instead of prawns.
DRUNKEN NOODLES (PAD KEE MAO)
This hot and spicy stir-fried rice noodle dish is a popular Thai street food. ‘Kee mao’ translates as ‘drunken’ and several theories exist around the name. Most people say that it refers to the spiciness, making diners drink heavily to combat the heat. Some believe it’s because it is an excellent hangover cure. Others reckon it’s because the dish is so hot that the diner has to be drunk to stand it!
SERVES COOKING TIME
115g dried flat rice noodles
(or you can use vermicelli rice or egg noodles)
4-5 tbsp vegetable oil
3-4 large dried chillies
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3-4 fresh red chillies
1 onion, finely sliced
150g boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
handful of green beans, chopped into lengths of about 3cm
4-5 baby corns, sliced in half lengthwise
2-3 vines of fresh baby green peppercorns (see easy swaps)
2 handfuls of Thai basil
HHHHH2 25 MINUTES
FOR THE SAUCE H H H H
2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp fish sauce 2 tbsp brown sugar
1 Soak the noodles in cold water for about 10 minutes to soften them up. Rinse, transfer to a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and mix well. Set aside.
2 Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set it aside.
3 Drizzle the remaining 3-4 tablespoons of oil into a frying pan over a medium heat, add the dried chillies and quickly fry for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and set the chillies aside (leaving the oil behind in the pan).
4 Add the garlic to the pan and
quickly stir, then add the fresh red chillies and onion. Stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
5 Add the chicken and mix well for a couple of minutes, then add the green beans and baby corn and mix well.
6 Add the drained noodles and the sauce and toss to mix, then add 2-3 tablespoons of water, if needed, to loosen the sauce.
7 Add the peppercorns and
Thai basil, then toss and remove from the heat.
8 Top with the reserved fried chillies and serve.
EASY SWAPS H
If you can’t find fresh young peppercorns use the version in brine or simply leave them out.
You can use Italian basil in place of the Thai basil.
H
GRANDMA’S STICKY PORK BELLY (KAI PALOW KHUN YAY)
This Chinese-style braise is a childhood favourite of mine that brings back happy memories every time I cook it.
SERVES COOKING TIME
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
1kg pork belly, cut into
2cm-3cm cubes
4 baby shallots, finely sliced
6-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped 10g ginger, grated, plus 25g, finely sliced
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
(see tip, right)
3 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tsp brown sugar
2 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
3 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tsp honey
3 long red chillies, sliced
1 litre stock or water
2 carrots, chopped in chunks bunch of Thai basil, leaves only
H4
TO SERVE H H
60 MINUTES 2 hard-boiled eggs steamed rice
1 Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the pork-belly cubes, shallots, garlic, grated ginger and half of the sliced ginger.
2 Fry until the pork belly is lightly caramelised then turn the heat down to medium.
Add the soy sauces, sugar, star anise, cinnamon sticks, oyster sauce, honey and two-thirds of the chillies. Combine well.
3 Add the stock or water and bring to the boil. Add the carrots and reduce to a simmer for 50-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced.
4 Take off the heat, mix in the basil leaves, the remaining chilli slices and sliced ginger, then serve with the hard-boiled eggs and steamed rice.
TIP
H Sweet soy is a Chineseinfluenced sauce that is sticky and almost black – similar to the Indonesian staple kecap manis. Look for a brand such as Lee Kum Kee and seek it out in major supermarkets or from ocado.com.
EASY SWAP H
Try using pork or beef ribs in place of the pork belly.
STIR-FRIED SQUASH WITH EGG (PAD FAK TONG)
This is a super-nutritious, tasty and quick stir-fry, perfect for a midweek supper.
SERVES COOKING TIME
2
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 280g butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into
2.5cm chunks
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs a little finely sliced red chilli handful of Thai basil leaves salt and ground white pepper
TO SERVE H
jasmine rice, cooked
1 Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat, add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes until golden. Add the squash and stir-fry for 10 minutes until tender.
2 Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, then stir to coat the pumpkin.
3 Add the eggs and leave to half-cook before mixing them through the other ingredients.
4 Season with salt and pepper, add the chilli and Thai basil, give it all a quick toss, then serve with the jasmine rice.
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