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 2 COOKING TIME 25 MINUTES

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

FOR THE SAUCE

★ 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

★ 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.