We have had a well overdue break in Thailand. There we attended a friends wedding on the beautiful island of Koh Samui and continued on to spend more time on the island. This was the first time I had been to Koh Samui and I must say whilst it was pretty built up with resorts everywhere. It had a pretty laid back feel to it Thai food has to be one of the most celebrated of world cuisines, it always has a certain freshness to it with a punchy finish.
A lot of what makes it so good is the Yen Yang of flavours. The perfect balance of Salty (Thai fish sauce) Sweet (Palm sugar) Sour (Limes) Spice (chilli)
One of the most popular dishes served all over the island, eaten by both local and tourists alike is the classic Pad Thai
This recipe is from Island Organics, which is a great cooking class that Bee attended for the day.
Pad Thai
- 1 Egg
- 1 Shallot, diced
- 100 gm Tofu, large dice
- 2 Tbsp Palm sugar, smashed
- 2 Tbsp Sweet chilli sauce
- 2 Tbsp Soya sauce
- 4 Prawns
- 50 gm Flat noodles, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 Spring onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce (if available)
- 2 Tbsp Tamarind sauce (if available)
- 1 Tbsp dried shrimps
Heat a large pan or wok over a medium heat, add in the cooking oil followed by the egg, using a fork scramble and move to the side of the pan
Add the shallots, dried shrimps and tofu, combine
Then add the palm sugar, tamarind sauce, sweet chilli, soy and oyster sauce. Followed by the prawns. Toss for a minute or so then move to the side.
Add the rice noodles with a couple of Tbsp of the water and mix until soft.
Mix all the rest of the ingredients through the noodles and finally the bean sprouts.
Serve on a plate with some sprinkled crushed peanuts, extra spring onions and a slice of lime