Pad Thai

Ingredients:

1/2 lime
1 egg
4 tsp fish sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground dried chilli pepper
Ground pepper
1 shallot, minced
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp tamarind
1/2 package Thai rice noodles
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2-1/4 lb shrimp (Optional)
1/2 banana flower (Optional)
1/3 cup tofu extra firm (Optional)
1-1/2 cup Chinese chives - green (Optional)
2 tbsp peanuts (Optional)
1-1/3 cup bean sprouts (optional)
1 tbsp preserved turnip



Method:

For 5-10 minutes soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water while preparing the other ingredients. Julienne tofu and cut into 1 inch long matchsticks. Cut up Chinese chives into 1 inch long pieces.

Set aside a few fresh chives for a garnish. Rinse the bean sprouts and save half for serving fresh. Mince the shallot and garlic together.

Use a wok and heat it up on high heat and pour oil in the wok. Fry the peanuts until toasted and remove them from the wok. Add shallot, garlic and tofu and stir all these ingredients until they turn brown.

Drain the noodles and add to the wok. Stir quickly to avoid sticking. Now add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce, chilli pepper and preserved turnip into the noodles and stir on high flame.

If your wok is not hot enough, turn up the heat. Crack the egg onto the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Fold the egg into the noodles. Add shrimp and stir. Also add bean sprouts, chives. Stir a few more times. The noodles should be soft and tangled.

Pour onto the serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve hot with the banana flower slice and a wedge of lime on the side and raw Chinese chives and raw bean sprouts as topping.

Chicken Basil

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground chicken
1 tbsp garlic properly minced
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4-7 minced Thai chilli pepper
1 tbsp sugar
1-2 packages of holy basil





Method:

Let's start with mincing the garlic and chilli pepper together. Now start cleaning the gra-pow or chicken basil leaves. The leaves will automatically shrink when cooked and this dish's flavour comes mainly from the leaves.

Now next step is fry the garlic and chilli pepper in oil over high heat. When garlic starts to turn brown, drop the ground chicken into the garlic. Stirring it constantly. Keep on stirring until all the juice is gone.

Next step is to add sugar and fish sauce and then add Thai basil. Mix the leaves with meat for few minutes and then remove from the heat and put the Thai 'Chicken Basil' in the serving bowl with rice.

Thai Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

1/4 can cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp dry sherry
2 egg whites
1 1/4 can cashew nuts finely chopped
2 whole chicken breasts, remove the skin boned and thinly sliced
2 cans of peanut or vegetable oil




Method:

Take a small bowl and add cornstarch, salt, sugar and sherry altogether and mix well. In separate bowl, beat egg white lightly until just frothy.
Gradually add cornstarch mixture in the beaten egg. Stir this mixture gently until blended.

Place chopped cashews on plate. Dip the chicken slices into egg mixture and coat them with cashews. Place on waxed paper. Pour oil into wok and place tempura rack onto wok, making sure rack is level and hooks rest securely on edge of wok.

Heat oil over medium to medium-high flame until it reaches 375 degrees. Now drop 5 or 6 slices of chicken carefully into hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until it turns golden brown. Remove the chicken from oil and place on tempura rack to drain and keep warm. Enjoy the Thai Cashew Chicken and this makes about 32 appetizers.