Thai.

Serves 2.

100g dried flat rice noodles
3 tbsp sunflower oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, chopped
200g small, raw prawns, peeled
100g bean sprouts, rinsed
2 spring onions, chopped into 3cm pieces, green and white parts separated
3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp roasted peanuts, lightly crushed
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
Juice of 1 lime

Pour boiling water over the noodles and leave for 15 minutes till just soft but al dente. Rinse in cold water and drain. Stir a splash of the oil through the noodles to stop them sticking.

To make the omelette, coat a wok or non-stick frying pan with a thin layer of oil and heat. Pour in the beaten eggs and tilt the pan to make a very thin, wide omelette. Loosen the edges with a fish slice or knife, turn out, slice into strips and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Stir fry the garlic, white bits of the spring onions and the prawns on a high heat. Put this mixture to one side.

Put the noodles in the hot wok, followed by the omelette strips, green parts of the spring onions, the prawn mix, fish sauce, lime juice, chilli and sugar, turning quickly to bring everything together over a high heat. Add a splash of water if it looks too dry. Finally, stir the beansprouts through.

To serve, scatter with crushed peanuts, torn coriander leaves and quartered limes.

|

Serves 4.

This would generally be known as Tom Kha Gai in Thailand, but to truly take that title it should include galangal. Here, I have substituted the more available and somewhat similar ginger, but if you can get fresh galangal, do give it a go. If you can get kaffir lime leaf, use this instead of the lime zest.

1 pint of chicken stock
5cm chunk of ginger, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed, outer leaves removed and cut into 2cm pieces
4 strips of lime zest
1 can of coconut milk
450g skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
250g button mushrooms, wiped and sliced in half
1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
Lime juice to taste (around one tbsp)
1 hot red chilli, seeds removed and sliced into tiny pieces
Handful of fresh coriander leaves
Pinch of caster sugar (to taste)

Combine the stock, ginger, lemongrass and lime zest in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, and then turn down and simmer for a further ten minutes. Remove the ginger and lemongrass.

Add the coconut milk and turn heat up to medium. Add chicken, mushrooms and lime zest strips and cook for about five minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked and the mushrooms are tender. Add the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice, tasting to get correct quantities. Take off the heat. Divide the soup between four bowls and garnish with coriander.

Recipes by Cassie Kill.
Cooking by Freddie Bates.
Photos by Sara Hill.

)