Thai favourites for two

FLAVOURS IN HARMONY: Pad Thai is one of the most popular Thai dishes in the world. Once you try it, you will know why . . . You can bulk it up with tofu and/or prawns/shrimp, or omit the seafood and tofu and use chicken instead. Make it your way! Pictures via Pinterest

Thai cuisine is fragrant, exotic and delicious. Cooking Thai food often involves balancing flavours intricately, so you end up with the food equivalent of ‘harmony’ — rather than a dish that is too spicy, too sour, too sweet or dominated by any one flavour. Dana Morcan shares two of her favourite Thai dishes.

Thai food reminds my husband and I of past holidays in Thailand and warmer shores. Here are a few of the meals that we enjoy  — especially in the depths of winter!

PAD THAI

This favourite Thai recipe of mine, which I acquired from a friend and seasoned traveller years ago, calls for prawns and tofu. But you can also use thinly sliced chicken instead. Up to you!

Serves: 2

Preparation time: About 10-15 mins

Cooking time: About 10 mins

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp oil

4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed

Some firm tofu, cubed (I use about a quarter to half a block of tofu. It is better to use firm tofu in stir-fries — if it’s too soft, it can end up in a crumbly mess).

Prawns/shrimp — de-veined and shelled

(I use about quarter of a cup, but add more if you wish)

1 Tbsp of roasted nuts, crushed (I use roasted, unsalted cashews and I use a mortar and pestle to crush them)

100g thick rice noodles

1½ Tbsp lime juice

30g bean sprouts

2 spring onions, sliced

2 eggs

Pad Thai sauce

½ cup vegetable stock

1 Tbsp coconut sugar (or use dark sugar if you prefer)

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1½ Tbsp lime juice

1½ Tbsp of tomato sauce

METHOD

1. Make the Pad Thai sauce first — combine the fish sauce, lime juice, vegetable stock and tomato sauce, then stir in the sugar until dissolved. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok

until very hot. Add the firm tofu cubes and fry them for 20 seconds. Then turn heat down to medium and add the crushed garlic and sliced prawns.

3. Move everything to side of the wok. Crack in the eggs — right into the middle

of your wok. Heat the eggs until they are nearly cooked, then mix them very quickly into everything else in the wok.

4. Prepare the rice noodles according to packet directions. Usually this involves soaking them in boiling water in a separate bowl for about 3 minutes. Then drain them and add them to the wok.

5. Add the sauce to everything in the wok and stir well until the noodles have absorbed the sauce.

6. Add the crushed cashews, sliced spring onions and sprouts and serve.

Khao Phat Gai — Thai Chicken Fried Rice

Khao Phat Gai is a quick and easy chicken fried rice. Serve it hot with Prik Nam Pla — a chilli fish sauce.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp oil — divided

2 cups Jasmine rice — cooked and cooled prior to cooking

2 chicken breasts — sliced thinly and mixed with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce prior to cooking

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg

2 Tbsp golden soy sauce (or any soy sauce)

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 Roma tomato, sliced with seeds removed

2 spring onions

Dash of white pepper

1 or 2 limes — sliced into wedges for serving

1 cucumber — sliced for serving

Prik Nam Pla

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp lime juice

2 red chillies, sliced thinly (take care not to put hands anywhere near your eyes while working with chillies — you have been warned!)

METHOD

1. Prepare all the ingredients prior to cooking. Dice the onions, garlic and tomatoes. Slice the chicken into even pieces, then add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and combine.

2. Combine the ingredients for Prik Nam Pla (the homemade fish sauce) and set aside in a small serving dish.

3. Combine soy sauce and oyster sauce together and set aside in a small bowl.

4. In a frying pan or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until done. Remove cooked chicken and set aside.

5. Add another tablespoon of oil to the same pan over medium heat and add diced onions and minced garlic. Sauté for about a minute.

6. Add the cold rice, break up any chunks and toss around. Make a well in the centre

of the pan, crack an egg into that well. Scramble the egg, then toss with the rice to combine.

7. Add the soy sauce mixture, stir it through and then add the chicken back to the pan.

8. Lower the heat, add the sliced tomatoes, white pepper and about half of the sliced spring onions. Reserve the other half for garnish.

9. Plate the fried rice with sliced cucumbers, the rest of the spring onions and the Prik Nam Pla on the side.