Saturday 07 / September / 2024
VEGETARIAN PAD THAI
This is the most popular dish on Thai restaurant menus. A fascinating mix of flavours and an intriguing mix of aromatic, crunchy ingredients makes Pad Thai a must if you plan a Thai food theme for dinner or lunch.
Ingredients
• 350g dried Pad Thai rice noodles
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced into wedges
• 1 bell pepper, cut into wedges
• 10 florets of broccoli
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup spring onions, sliced
• A small bunch of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted pounded
peanuts
• A few red chillies, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
• 2 tablespoons water or vegetable stock
• Lime wedges for serving
Pad Thai Sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
Preparation
• To begin making the vegetarian Pad Thai recipe, make sure you have all the ingredients ready and cut in the desired shapes.
• Next, bring a pot of water to a boil and remove from heat. Soak rice noodles in the hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Keep aside.
• Into a bowl, add the tamarind water, other Pad Thai sauce ingredients and stir well.
• Place your wok over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil plus the garlic and onions. Stir fry for about a minute to release the fragrance.
• Add the carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli and stir-fry 2 minutes until the vegetables are lightly softened and yet crisp.
• Next push the ingredients to the side of the wok and add the drained noodles and 1/3 of the Pad Thai sauce. Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute using 2 ladles and a tossing motion (like tossing a salad).
• Add a little more sauce and continue stir-frying in the same way for 1-2 more minutes, or until the noodles begin to soften.
• Add the bean sprouts plus the remaining sauce. Stir-fry to incorporate everything together for 1-3 more minutes, or until noodles are cooked.
• Noodles are cooked to perfection when they are soft but still deliciously chewy and a little bit sticky. Remove from heat and taste-test, adding more Pad Thai sauce or soy sauce or chilli sauce if desired for more salt or flavour.
• To serve, scoop noodles onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with the green onion, coriander, and peanuts. Add wedges of fresh-cut lime on the side.
• Serve the Pad Thai immediately for a quick weeknight dinner.
• Thai chilli sauce can also be served on the side for those who like their noodles extra spicy.
VIETNAMESE RICE PAPER ROLLS
Roll up these rice paper rolls for a fresh healthy start to your Vietnamese feast. Rice paper wraps are a staple of Vietnamese cuisine. Made from rice starch, they’re a healthier alternative to deep-fried spring rolls, and are gluten free.
Ingredients
1 cup shredded chicken
1/8 Chinese cabbage finely
shredded
1/2 cup bean sprouts, trimmed
1 small red capsicum, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
12 x 22cm rice paper rounds
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve
Preparation
• Rice paper rounds are a staple of Vietnamese cuisine. Made from rice starch, they’re a healthier alternative to deep-fried spring rolls, and are gluten free. Combine chicken, cabbage, bean sprouts, capsicum, mint, 1/3 cup coriander, 2 tablespoons lime juice and fish sauce in a large bowl.
• Place 1 rice paper round in a medium bowl of lukewarm water for 15 seconds or until just soft. Place on a clean tea towel or paper towel.
• Arrange 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture along the centre of rice paper round. Fold ends in and roll up firmly to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining rice paper rounds and filling. Serve with sweet chilli sauce and coriander.
SINGAPOREAN NOODLES
Dig in your chopsticks to savour this delectable preparation of spicy noodles tossed in curry powder and sauces that floor your tastebuds.
Ingredients
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce (ordinary dark soy sauce)
• 2½ teaspoons curry powder (hot or ordinary)
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon white pepper powder (or substitute with black pepper)
Stir Fry
• 2 packs of dried rice vermicelli noodles
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil, separated
• 8-10 medium raw shrimp / prawns, shelled and deveined
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated
• 1 cup of red bell pepper (capsicum), thinly sliced
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced (yellow, brown or white)
• 2 teaspoons thinly sliced green chillies
Preparation
• Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix.
• Place rice vermicelli noodles in a large bowl filled with boiled water and soak as per packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or heavy based fry pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp/prawns, and stir fry until just cooked. This should only take 1 minute or so. Remove and set aside.
• Add the egg and spread it out to make a thin omelette. Once set, use the egg flip to roll it up, remove from the wok and slice (while still rolled up).
• Return the wok to medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 20 seconds or so until fragrant.
• Add the onion and bell peppers (capsicum) and cook for 3 minutes or so until the onion is translucent.
• Add the vermicelli noodles and give it a big stir. Then add the sauce, egg and shrimp/prawns. Stir until the sauce coats all the noodles and everything is heated through - about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
BANG BANG CHICKEN
Amazingly crisp chicken bites drizzled with sweet chilli mayo – so good, you’ll want to double or triple the recipe.
Ingredients
For Sauce
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Salt and pepper to taste
For Chicken
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 pieces chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• Oil for frying
Preparation
• To prepare the sauce, mix all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl and refrigerate until ready for serving.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. To the bowl add the hot sauce, egg, buttermilk and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl, toss to make sure each piece is coated in the batter and set aside.
• In another bowl add about a cup of Panko breadcrumbs.
• Add about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet and heat the oil over medium-high heat.
• Coat each piece of chicken with breadcrumbs, add more breadcrumbs as needed, and fry on both sides for about 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Place on paper napkins to soak up some of the oil. Repeat with all chicken pieces. Do not overcrowd the chicken, only add a few pieces of chicken to the skillet at a time, so the chicken turns out crispy. Drizzle chicken with sauce and serve.
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