Pad Thai

Serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as a side

One of my favourites! The garnishes really make the flavour of this and you can control the heat by adding the chilli to your own taste. If making this gluten-free ensure you the oyster sauce you use is – Lee Kum Kee do one.

You can easily scale this recipe up, and add any extra protein you like; prawns or chicken work well. You can make the sauce up in advance of the final cooking the dish, the same goes for the frying of the tofu and the egg. Doing so makes the final cooking quick and easy.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

3 tbsp fish sauce

2 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (gluten-free if required)

2 1/2 tbsp tamarind purée

4 1/2 tbsp packed/heaped light soft brown sugar

Stir fry:

2 handfuls of Stir fry vegetables of your choice (onion/pepper/baby corn/carrot ribbons work well)

3 handfuls of bean sprouts

225g firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes

2 eggs, beaten

200g wide flat rice noodles, cooked according to the packet instructions (then run through with cold water to stop them from sticking. You could also add a few drops of sesame oil to help keen them separate too)

Garnish:

1 lime cut into wedges

Fresh coriander leaves

Crushed chilli flakes

Crushed roasted peanuts

N.b. Steps 1-3 can be done in advance and stored in the fridge. If adding extra protein, stir fry before adding the vegetables in step 4.

Step 1: Mix all the sauce ingredients into a smooth sauce. Set to one side (if making in advance store, sealed in a tub, in the fridge).

Step 2: In a wok, fry the tofu in vegetable oil over a medium high heat, turning until nicely coloured and slightly crisped. Remove from the pan. Set to one side (if making in advance store, sealed in a tub, in the fridge).

Step 3: In the same wok, using the residual oil, scramble the eggs and cook until it is in dry pieces. Remove from the pan. Set to one side (if making in advance store, sealed in a tub, in the fridge).

If you have done steps 1-3 in advance remove from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking to allow them to come up to room temperature.

Step 4: Heat a little oil in the wok over a high heat. Stir fry the vegetables, moving them about the pan. Add the cooked rice noodles and keep tossing or stirring them, then add the fried tofu, egg and sauce, keep tossing everything so that it is all is coated in the sauce and heated through.

Step 5: Once everything is piping hot, serve, with fresh coriander, wedges of lime, crushed peanuts and chilli flakes. Delicious.