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Hot-Smoked Salmon witH Runny duck eggS & cHilli ButteR
This impressive crowd-pleaser is fantastic cooked on a barbecue as the added smokiness creates a delicious dish, but it can be cooked with ease in the oven, too.
Feeds 6-8 Gluten-Free
150g butter
1kg-1.2kg whole side of salmon, scaled and pin-boned
8 duck eggs small bunch of dill, roughly chopped
★ Gently melt the butter in a medium saucepan with 4 finely sliced long green and red chillies, peeled cloves from half a head of garlic (roughly pounded using a pestle and mortar) and 4 tablespoons of fish sauce. Using your hands and a tablespoon, carefully spoon the seasoned butter over the flesh side of the salmon while gently massaging it all over the flesh. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
★ Get the barbecue hot or preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. The salmon is best cooked fast over a high heat. Place it in a roasting tray and cook over a barbecue or in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If the flesh flakes easily and lifts away from the skin, and is hot throughout, it is ready. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
★ Meanwhile, cook the eggs. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a gentle rolling boil, then carefully place the eggs in the water. Cook them for 6½ minutes (or for 9 minutes if you don’t like a runny yolk) and then remove and place them in iced water. To make them easy to peel, drop a splash of white vinegar into the iced water. As soon as the eggs are cool enough to handle, lift them out one at a time and, using the back of a tablespoon, gently crack the top and bottom of each and place back in the water – the vinegar water will do its magic, making the shell slide off with ease in your hand. Repeat until all the eggs are peeled then slice them in half.
★ Place the salmon on a large serving dish or banana leaf. Scatter the duck eggs around the salmon, runny-side up, with a tiny pinch of salt in each of the yolks. Sprinkle over the dill and drizzle with any excess fish sauce butter.
★ Serve with sticky rice, lime wedges and bowls of sriracha (hot chilli sauce) for extra spice.
Stir-Fried GlaSS NoodleS with Broccoli aNd criSpy Garlic
In Thailand, stir-fried glass noodles are known as
Traditionally, they are cooked with chicken, oyster sauce and vegetables; however, this vegan version always goes down a storm. For added richness, get your hands on some vegetarian oyster sauce – a dollop of that in this stir-fry gives it a lip-smacking umami hit.
Feeds 2 Vegetarian, Vegan, gluten-Free
(use seaweed sauce or gluten-free soy sauce)
200g dried glass noodles (or mung bean noodles) 100g tenderstem broccoli 1 tsp caster sugar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
20g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped small handful of Thai basil leaves juice of 1 lime
★ Put the glass noodles in a bowl, cover with room-temperature water and leave to soften for 10 minutes, then refresh in cold water and drain.
★ Finely chop 6 garlic cloves or pound them to a paste using a pestle and mortar. In a small, deep saucepan, heat 300ml vegetable oil over a medium heat to around 180C. To check the temperature, place a small amount of garlic in the hot oil; it should bubble gently and float on the surface. Add all the garlic to the hot oil and fry for 4-5 minutes until the garlic is golden brown.
★ Place a metal sieve over a heatproof bowl and carefully pour the garlic through the sieve to separate it from the oil, then tease it apart with a fork. Drain the garlic on kitchen paper and set aside. Cool and store any leftover oil, and use instead of vegetable oil.
★ Cook the broccoli in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes until vibrant green and softened slightly but with a little crunch.
★ Meanwhile, place a few tablespoons of garlic oil in a nonstick wok over a high heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the broccoli from the boiling water, place it in the wok then stir-fry for a minute or two, until it browns a little. Add the glass noodles and stir-fry for a further minute. Add the sugar and soy sauce and stir into the noodles, allowing them to caramelise. Remove from the heat and add the peanuts, Thai basil, 2 finely sliced long red chillies and the lime juice, then fold together.
★ Serve the noodles in bowls with chopsticks, scattered with the crispy garlic. Add some Thai basil flowers as garnish, if you like.
DrunKen nooDleS wiTh TiGer prawnS & Thai BaSil
Known as in Thailand, drunken noodles are a great way to use up any bits and bobs you have in the fridge. You can add whatever vegetables or protein you like – it’s tasty with braised duck, chicken or crab. I’ve never known why it’s called drunken noodles, so I sometimes add a shot of whisky to ensure it makes more sense!
Feeds 2 Vegetarian
(if using vegetarian oyster sauce and mushrooms – see tip)
100g flat rice noodles (fresh are best)
6 fresh raw tiger prawns, outer shells removed and deveined 2 eggs, cracked into a bowl 3 tbsp palm sugar, pounded in a mortar so there are no lumps 3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 head of pak choi, core removed and thinly sliced small handful of Thai basil leaves
★ If you are using dried noodles, check the packet instructions, as you may need to soak them in water for an hour to soften before stir-frying; if so, once soaked, drain thoroughly.
★ Pound 2 roughly chopped bird’s eye chillies and 2 peeled garlic cloves together to a coarse paste using a pestle and mortar. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a nonstick wok and leave over a high heat for a minute or so until it is smoking hot. Add the noodles and spread them across the heat of the wok, then toss them regularly for around 30 seconds until they begin to turn translucent and soften. Move them to one side of the wok, add another tablespoon of oil, then add the garlic and chilli paste with the prawns (or mushrooms
– see tip). Stir-fry for 1½-2 minutes until the paste begins to turn golden brown and the prawns have turned pink. Pour the eggs over the top, leave them to scramble for a few seconds and then move them a little to avoid burning.
★ When the eggs are cooked, mix everything with the noodles, then add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce (or soy sauce, if you prefer), the palm sugar and oyster sauce and toss through the noodles. Continue to stir-fry for a further minute or so and these liquids will cook the (fresh) noodles and season the stir-fry. Turn off the heat and taste. It should be sweet, salty and moreish, so adjust the flavours as necessary.
★ To finish, gently fold the pak choi and Thai basil leaves into the noodles and serve in bowls with chopsticks. Squeeze over a little lime juice, if you wish.
Swap the prawns with king oyster mushrooms for a vegetarian alternative.
Use 6 mushrooms, cut into 1cm-thick slices, and cook as for the prawns above.
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Smoky Stir-Fried BeeF with Chilli Jam & onion
This recipe is one of the first stir-fries I was taught and for this reason sticks close to me as a favourite. It is incredibly important to have the wok explosively hot and to cook quickly. If you get the temperatures perfect, the beef will be rare in the middle, yet smoky and charred on the outside. Try it with venison, too.
Feeds 2 Gluten-Free
4 banana shallots, unpeeled 1 lemongrass stalk
250g beef steak, bavette or onglet, sliced across the grain into 3cm chunks
1 white onion, sliced into 1cm chunks 1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp palm sugar (or 1 tsp caster sugar)
2 tbsp tamarind paste
★ Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4.
★ To make the chilli jam, place the banana shallots, lemongrass, half a head of garlic (in the skin) and 3 long red chillies on a nonstick baking tray, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Roast on the top shelf for 25-30 minutes until softened (the lemongrass may need a further 5-10 minutes).
★ Leave until cool enough to handle, then peel the skin from the garlic and shallots. Discard the skin and set the flesh to one side. Remove the stalks from the chillies and roughly chop, then remove the tough outer layer from the lemongrass and thinly slice. Using a pestle and mortar, pound everything together to make a coarse paste, or blitz in a food processor. This is your roasted chilli jam.
★ Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a nonstick wok over a high heat until almost smoking hot. With a wok spoon (or wooden spoon) in one hand, stir-fry the beef and onion in the oil, gently moving them constantly to seal the meat on all sides and begin to caramelise the onion. Add the roasted chilli jam and continue to toss for a minute or so – you may need to scrape the wok as the jam will stick a little. After roughly a minute, reduce the heat and deglaze the wok with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, the vinegar, sugar and tamarind paste and stir well. Taste the stir-fry; it should be sweet, sour, salty, smoky and spicy, so adjust the seasoning as you prefer.
★ To serve, pile the beef into bowls along with all the juices and enjoy with steamed jasmine rice. Serve with sliced cucumber and fresh coriander or Thai basil leaves to add a little colour and freshness, if you like.
Stir-Fried ChiCken with CaShew nutS & egg noodleS
This stir-fry is probably one of the most popular and common dishes you’ll find in any ‘hole-in-the-wall’ eaterie across Thailand. Known as gaiphatmetmamuang himmaphan, this dish is also typically stir-fried without noodles and served with steamed jasmine rice, which is equally delicious.
Feeds 2
200g boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into tablespoon-sized pieces
2 eggs, cracked into a bowl 150g fresh egg noodles (or dried noodles blanched until soft and refreshed in cold water) 200ml chicken (or vegetable) stock pinch of caster sugar
3 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp toasted cashew nuts
★ In a bowl, mix 3 finely chopped garlic cloves (alternatively, these can be ground to a paste using a pestle and mortar), 2 thinly sliced red bird’s eye chillies, the chicken (or sweet potato – see tip), 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the oyster sauce (or kecap manis – see tip). Massage together with your hands, ensuring all the chicken (or sweet potato) is covered.
★ Place a nonstick wok over a high heat and leave it to get really hot for a few minutes. Pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the wok – the intense heat should ensure it is smoking hot immediately. With a wok spoon (or wooden spoon) in one hand, add the eggs, then leave to cook for 20 seconds before scraping around the wok – this will create chunks of egg like an omelette.
★ Add the chicken (or sweet potato), garlic and chilli mixture and stir-fry for 2 minutes until all the chicken is sealed and the garlic is starting to turn golden brown. Add the noodles and stir-fry for a further minute, moving the noodles constantly to colour them without letting them stick to the wok. Next, add the stock, caster sugar, oyster sauce and cashews and stir-fry for a further minute to soften the nuts and ensure the chicken (or sweet potato) is cooked through.
★ Taste the juices with a teaspoon – they should be savoury and a little spicy with a touch of sweetness, so adjust if necessary. Serve in bowls with chopsticks.
For a vegetarian version, use kecap manis or vegetarian oyster sauce and replace the chicken with peeled sweet potatoes, chopped into 2cm chunks, boiled until soft and then refreshed in cold water before stir-frying. Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
TIP