HOT THAI RECIPES

FRIED RICE AND PRAWNS (SHRIMP)
When you‘ve got one eye on the clock and a meal to make this the one! Made in a trice, yet simply stunning to look at, its taste belies its simplicity.

SON-IN-LAW EGGS
This recipe is supposedly so called because it is an easy dish for a son-in-law to cook to impress his new mother-in-law!


GREEN BEEF CURRY
This is a quickly made curry prepared with strips of beef steak, cubed aubergine (eggplant) and onion in a cream sauce flavoured with green curry paste. Serve with fluffy rice and a salad


PAW - PAW (PAPAYA SALAD)
Choose firm paw-paws – or papayas as they are something called – for this delicious salad.


(SHRIMPCELLOPHANE NOODLES WITH SHRIMPS & BEAN-SPROUTS
Cellophane or ‘glass’ noodles are made from mung beans. They are sold dried, so they need soaking before use.

PINEAPPLE AND FISH CURRY

This is a fiery hot Thai curry dish all the better for serving with refreshing (and cooling) fresh pineapple pieces.

Ingredients:


SERVES 4

2 pineapples
7 cm/ 3 in piece galangal, sliced
2 stalks lemon grass, bruised then chopped
5 sprigs fresh basil
500 g/1 lb firm white fish fillets, cubed (monkfish, halibut or cod, for example)
125 g/4 oz peeled prawns (shrimp)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp red curry paste (see page 36)
125 ml/4 fl oz/ ˝ cup thick coconut milk or cream
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp palm or demarara sugar
2-3 red cillies, deseeded and cut into thin julienne strips about 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces coriander (cilantro) sprigs, to garnish

Directions

1.                  Cut the pineapple in half lengthways. Remove the flesh, reserving the shells if using (see right). Remove the core from the pineapple flesh, then dice into bite-sized pieces.

2.                  Place the galangal in a large shallow pan with the lemon grass and basil. Add the fish cubes and just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the prawns (shrimp) and cook for a further 1 minute or until the fish is just cooked. Remove from the flavoured stock with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

3.                  Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan (skillet) or wok, add the curry paste and cook for 1 minutes, stir in the coconut milk or cream, fish sauce, brown sugar, chillies and lime leaves.

4.                  Add the pineapple and cook until just heated through, add the cooked fish and mix gently to combine.

5.                  Spoon into the reserved pineapple shells, if liked, and serve immediately, garnished with sprigs of coriander (cilantro)

VARIATION
This dish could be served on plates, but for a stunning presentation on a special occasion, serve in the hollowed-out shells of the pineapple.

RECIPES CATEGORIES