Phat thai/fried thai noodle
As somebody who knows there way around an Asian kitchen and has cooked professionally. Sometimes it is hard to give the exact quantities of ingredients for Asian recipes. The reasons for this is that the flavours of the ingredients will not be the same each time, resulting in that you may need more or less depending on the season, and/or how long the ingredients has been stored for.if you can, it is a good idea to smell and sample the freshness of the ingredients before use if you can. It will help your cooking become more consistent in flavour.
Watching an Asian person cook, compared to a Western cook, the Asian cook seems to be more intuitive, not requiring a written recipe, unlike the western cook. I believe this is a result of Asian children learning to cook at a very young age, both males and females. This gives them the confidence to be able to make a dish without using any exact measurements of the ingredients used. Some days the spoonfuls are bigger or smaller depending on the other amounts of ingredients, or other variables. This is the way that I cook.
I have a list of recipes from a suburban Thai restaurant I cooked in the late 1990s, it basically contains a list of ingredients with some half arsed measurements included, assuming you knew the rest.I have included a recipe for Phat Thai from this restaurant. It is a little bit unorthodox, but as it contains a lot of pantry items, it is a good standby recipe,and is pretty easy provided you have the right ingredients. The other recipe I have included is more of a classic, and comes from David Thompson's classic Thai cookbook Thai food.
Suburban Phat Thai
Ingredients
6 small dried prawns
1 teaspoon finely chopped dried salted radish
1 egg
2 handfuls Phat Thai noodles soaked in cold water for at least 20 minutes,or until soft.
2 heaped tablespoons chilli paste with soya bean oil(Pantainorasingh brand is the one I like)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic.
1 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce, depending on taste
2 tablespoons coconut vinegar, or regular white vinegar can be used
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 handful bean shoots.
2 spring onions, finely chopped
50 g roasted crushed peanut
Method
In a hot wok add two tablespoons oil and swirl around to coat the inside of the wok. Add the dried prawns,and garlic and dried salted radish and cook for one minute to release the flavours. Push to the side of the wok,add the raw prawns and cook until just pink. Break in one whole egg, using a spatula to move the egg constantly to help it not stick. Push up the sides of the wok, adding more oil,if necessary add the chilli paste with soya bean oil and fry for 20 to 30 seconds.Adding the soaked noodles stir fry over a high heat for two minutes taking care the noodles do not stick to the bottom of the wok. Adding small amounts of water, while tossing the noodles helps them not to stick and burn. It is better to stand at the wok constantly moving the noodles by tossing, rather then using tools which chop the noodles up, and results in a glutinous mess. When the noodles are almost cooked, add in the fish sauce, coconut vinegar, and sugar continuing to toss for a further 30 seconds to combine. At the last minute add in the bean shoots and spring onions, tossing briefly to mix through the noodles. Transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with more finely sliced spring onions, and then sprinkle with crushed roasted peanuts. Serve with wedges of lime or lemon, and crushed dried chilli on the side.
Watching an Asian person cook, compared to a Western cook, the Asian cook seems to be more intuitive, not requiring a written recipe, unlike the western cook. I believe this is a result of Asian children learning to cook at a very young age, both males and females. This gives them the confidence to be able to make a dish without using any exact measurements of the ingredients used. Some days the spoonfuls are bigger or smaller depending on the other amounts of ingredients, or other variables. This is the way that I cook.
I have a list of recipes from a suburban Thai restaurant I cooked in the late 1990s, it basically contains a list of ingredients with some half arsed measurements included, assuming you knew the rest.I have included a recipe for Phat Thai from this restaurant. It is a little bit unorthodox, but as it contains a lot of pantry items, it is a good standby recipe,and is pretty easy provided you have the right ingredients. The other recipe I have included is more of a classic, and comes from David Thompson's classic Thai cookbook Thai food.
Suburban Phat Thai
Ingredients
6 small dried prawns
1 teaspoon finely chopped dried salted radish
1 egg
2 handfuls Phat Thai noodles soaked in cold water for at least 20 minutes,or until soft.
2 heaped tablespoons chilli paste with soya bean oil(Pantainorasingh brand is the one I like)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic.
1 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce, depending on taste
2 tablespoons coconut vinegar, or regular white vinegar can be used
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 handful bean shoots.
2 spring onions, finely chopped
50 g roasted crushed peanut
Method
In a hot wok add two tablespoons oil and swirl around to coat the inside of the wok. Add the dried prawns,and garlic and dried salted radish and cook for one minute to release the flavours. Push to the side of the wok,add the raw prawns and cook until just pink. Break in one whole egg, using a spatula to move the egg constantly to help it not stick. Push up the sides of the wok, adding more oil,if necessary add the chilli paste with soya bean oil and fry for 20 to 30 seconds.Adding the soaked noodles stir fry over a high heat for two minutes taking care the noodles do not stick to the bottom of the wok. Adding small amounts of water, while tossing the noodles helps them not to stick and burn. It is better to stand at the wok constantly moving the noodles by tossing, rather then using tools which chop the noodles up, and results in a glutinous mess. When the noodles are almost cooked, add in the fish sauce, coconut vinegar, and sugar continuing to toss for a further 30 seconds to combine. At the last minute add in the bean shoots and spring onions, tossing briefly to mix through the noodles. Transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with more finely sliced spring onions, and then sprinkle with crushed roasted peanuts. Serve with wedges of lime or lemon, and crushed dried chilli on the side.
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