Pad Thai

This is my favourite recipe for Pad Thai (or Thai Fried Noodles). The best part of making this dish is the garnish.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup small cooked prawns
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce (Nam Pla)
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 eggs, beaten
375g (3/4 pound) rice vermicelli, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
1 cup bean sprouts

Garnish:
1 tablespoon dried prawn powder
2 tablespoons peanuts, coarsely ground
1/2 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes (or powder)
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped
2 limes, very finely sliced

Cooking:
Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic until golden. Quickly add the prawns and stir fry until heated through. Add the sugar, fish sauce and ketchup and stir until sugar dissolves. Add the beaten eggs, letting them set slightly, then stir to scramble. Add the noodles and toss and stir for about 2 minutes. Reserving about 4 tablespoons of the bean sprouts, add the remainder to the wok. Stir over heat until the bean sprouts are barely cooked. Turn the Pad Thai onto a platter, placing the reserved, raw bean sprouts on one side.

Presentation:
Sprinkle the noodles with the garnish ingredients in the following order: prawn powder, peanuts, chilli flakes, green onions, coriander leaves. Ring the platter with the lime slices and serve.

This recipe comes from Jennifer Brennan's "The Original Thai Cookbook".

South Sea Noodles

Make a glorious impression with this dish. Be careful not to soak the rice noodles too long. They must not be soft before they are stir fried.

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:
300g (12 oz) rice noodles
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely sliced
4 rashers bacon, cut into matchstick strips
2 tablespoons dried shrimps, soaked for 20 minutes, and drained
1 teaspoon curry powder
100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) chicken stock
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g (1 pound) uncooked prawns, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 spring onions, cut into 1 cm (1 inch) pieces
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or coriander

Preparation:
Soak the noodles in very hot water for 2 minutes until tender (not soft). Refresh under cold water and drain. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a wok until almost smoking, add the onion, bacon and dried shrimps. Stir fry for 1 minute, then add the curry powder and fry for another minute. Pour on the stock and bring to the boil. Add the noodles. Toss together until the noodles are coated with the sauce. Transfer to a serving dish.
Reheat the wok and add the remaining oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and prawns. Stir fry for one minute, then add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and rice wine. Pour the sauce onto the noodles, sprinkle on the spring onions and coriander. Serve immediately.

This is based on a recipe from Kenneth Lo in his book, "The Encyclopaedia of Regional Chinese Cooking", Octopus Books, 1984.

Singapore-Style Rice Noodles

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:
225g (8 oz) rice noodles, rice vermicelli or rice sticks
110g (4 oz) leeks
110g (4 oz) carrots
110g (4 oz) red capsicums
4 spring onions
25g ( 1 oz) fresh chillies
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Sauce:
2 tablespoons curry paste
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic
300 ml (10 fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons light soy sauce

Garnish:
Fresh coriander leaves

Preparation:
Soak the rice noodles in a bowl of warm water for 25 minutes until they are "al dente" rather than soft. Drain in colander or sieve.
Wash and finely shred the white part of the leeks. Finely shred the carrots, capsicums, spring onions and chillies. In a small bowl, combine the eggs with the sesame oil.

Cooking:
Heat wok or large pan over a high heat, add the oil. When almost smoking, add the carrots, leeks, spring onions and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the capsicums and stir fry for about 1 minute. Put in the curry sauce ingredients and the drained noodles. Stir fry the mixture for about 5 minutes until well mixed and heated through. Then add the egg mixture, blending thoroughly. Stir fry for 1 further minute. Serve at once, garnished with fresh coriander.

Based on a recipe in "Ken Hom's Vegetable and Pasta Book".