The beauty of noodles and riceNalinee is enthusiastic about helping people learn to cook Thai food on a budget that will feed big families — and this is where noodles and rice are great, she says.
“They pad out the dish and make it filling.”
Social media followingMs Boonsom started posting her food on a community social media site Gisborne Pre-Loved and is fast building up a following.
The day I visited she showed me how to make the perfect Pad Thai.
The art is in getting the balance right between sweet and sour, she says.
Pad ThaiPrep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 11 mins
Author: Seonkyoung Longest.
Ingredients:
8 oz semi-fresh rice noodles or 4 oz of dried rice noodles
Half a boneless chicken breast, sliced thinly
3-4 oz large/jumbo prawns peeled and deveined
3 oz pressed, fried or extra-firm tofu (if you are using extra-firm tofu, wrap with paper towel to get rid of excess moisture)
Half a shallot (or a spring onion)
2 oz Thai preserved sweet radish (approx 2 Tbs)
2 oz garlic chives or 3 green onions plus more to garnish
4 oz bean sprouts, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup of roasted peanuts plus more for garnish
2 eggs
3 Tbs cooking oil, plus more if needed
Lime wedges
Chilli flakes
For the sauce:
3 Tbs fish sauce
2 Tbs palm sugar (or you can use regular sugar)
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
1/4 cup of cold water, plus more if needed
1 to 2 tsp Thai sriracha or dried Thai chilli (optional)
Preparation:
1. Soak dried rice noodles in warm water for 10-15 minutes until soft, then drain completely. If you are using semi-fresh ones, skip this process.
2. Chop shallot and preserved sweet radish finely. Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces and chives into 2 inch-long pieces.
Chop roasted peanuts finely.
Set all vegetables to the side.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for sauce and mix well until tamarind and sugar have dissolved.
4. Heat a wok or fry pan over a high heat and add 1 Tbs of cooking oil; add sliced chicken and prawns and cook until they are golden on the edges — about a minute each side. Remove from wok and set aside.
5. In the same wok add 1 Tbs cooking oil, add tofu and cook for 1-2 mins or until edges are golden. If you are using extra-firm tofu, cook a little longer.
6. Add chopped shallot and radish. Stir-fry everything together for about 1-2 mins. Add noodles and sauce made earlier. Stir-fry until noodles absorb sauce completely and there is no more liquid on the bottom of the wok — about 2-3 mins. If your noodles are cooking slowly, add more water, about 2 Tbs at a time. If your noodles are sticking together add 1 Tbs of oil at a time.
7. Push everything to the side of wok to make room for the eggs. Add a bit more oil and crack 2 eggs into wok. Don’t scramble yet — let them cook halfway through. Then break yolks and start to scramble; that way you’ll have nice egg bites. Mix scrambled eggs and noodles together by tossing and stirring.
8. Add bean sprouts, garlic chives, peanuts, chilli and prawns. Toss everything together for about a minute.
Remove from heat and transfer to serving plate.
9. Garnish with extra fresh bean sprouts, garlic chives, chopped peanuts, dried Thai chilli power and lime. Enjoy!
