Pad thai with prawns & tofu

Pad thai has evolved into a kind of cult dish both on the street and in the better Thai restaurants, and that makes perfect sense – it’s simply incredibly tasty and seriously satisfying. Thanks to typically Thai flavours, such as dried prawns, herbs and delicious tamarind sauce, it is both fresh and sour as well as warming – a modern classic.

1. Cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the packet and make the tamarind sauce in the meantime. Grate the palm sugar into a bowl, add the tamarind paste, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, a splash of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of boiling water, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary – the sauce should be sweet and sour and lightly salty. Split the chillies, remove the seeds, cut them into thin strips and place them in a bowl with the juice of 1 lime to make a quick pickle.

2. Drain the noodles and toss them with a splash of oil. Peel and roughly chop the shallots. Clean the Chinese chive stems and finely chop them. Pick most of the basil and mint leaves and roughly chop them. Cut the tofu into rough 1 cm pieces. Make a slit along the back of the prawns and remove the veins – this will also make them curl open nicely during cooking. Rinse the dried prawns under the cold tap and pat them dry with kitchen paper.

3. Place a large wok over a medium heat with a splash of oil and stir-fry the dried prawns, peanuts and chilli flakes for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the wok from the heat, crush half of the mixture in a mortar and set aside. Return the wok to the heat with an extra splash of oil, add the shallots and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until they also turn golden brown. Toss in the prawns, chives, chopped herbs and grated radish and continue stirring regularly for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the prawns are almost cooked. Beat the eggs, pour them in and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in the tofu, noodles, bean sprouts and tamarind sauce.

4. Divide the pad thai between bowls, sprinkle over the mixture from the mortar and scatter over the remaining mint and basil. Serve with the pickled chillies and lime wedges for squeezing. Delicious!

Title: Jamie’s Food Fight Club weekend cookbook
Author: Jamie Oliver
Publisher: Kosmos Uitgevers
Price: €20,-