Asian Cuisine # 1 - Pad Thai

I'd like to be able to say that the first time I ever had pad thai noodles was somewhere in Ko Samui as Delia Smith, whose recipe inspired mine... but I didn't. It was actually at this brilliant place in Amsterdam called Wok to Walk.

Anyhow, this weekend I attempted to re-create the deliciousness of that dish in my flat. Twice. First time around, when I took the pictures below, I realised I was paying far more attention to my photographs than the dish itself, so it was slightly burnt and dull dull dull. However, the second time around, it was simply amazing. Here's what you have to do to make a good pad thai to feed two hungry people:

Ingredients:

* 110gr rice noodles

* 1 large chicken breast or same flesh quantity thigh and leg (I prefer thigh and leg meat as it's juicer and tastier - chicken breast reminds me of the long diets I used to struggle to follow)

* 175gr fresh/uncooked headless tiger prawns

* 3 tablespoons groundnut / other flavourless oil

* 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

* 2 medium red chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped (beware of the killer chili, and the sting it can leave on your hands - next time I cut these b*stards, I'll be wearing rubber gloves)

* 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half moon shapes

* 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

* juice of 1 large lime (my second pad thai had more lime juice than fish sauce and it gave it a wonderful limey flavour)

* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the garnish, you'll need:

* 50 gr crushed unsalted natural roasted peanuts

* 2 spring onions, finely chopped including green parts

It is of vital importance that when you are ready to make the pad thai (cooking time is no longer than 3 or 4 minutes) that all the ingredients are ready to be used and at hand.

The very first thing that I did was prepare the peanuts - it's very relaxing (I'm lying, it's a pain in the arse). Then, cut the chicken into nice pieces that you'd be happy to put in your mouth and fry it. Once it's cooked, remove from pan and leave in a bowl together with the rest of the ingredients - I even put them all in a cooking queue, so as to not lose concentration when adding it all to the very hot wok. Next, place noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water for about 15 minutes. After this, drain in a colander and put them back in bowl.

To prepare the prawns, peel (if you are not as lazy as I am as I purchased peeled prawns), devein (or as we say in Spanish, remove "la caca") and cut in 2/3 (depending on size of prawn).

Now you are ready for the REAL cooking of the dish, and with your array of ingredients ready and in line, begin by adding the oil to the wok and put it over a high heat until it is really hot. Then, first add the garlic, chili and red onion and fry until onion is tender.

Then, keeping the heat of wok still high, add prawns and chicken and cook until prawns are pink.

After that, add fish sauce and lime juice, stir for a couple of seconds and then add the noodles. Toss them around until they are heated (this takes around one minute).

Next add the beated egg by pouring it slowly and evenly all over. Let it begin to set and when you see your amazing pad thai has the audacity to try to turn into an omelet, stir it vigorously around until the egg is cooked in little shreds.

Then mix in half the garnish and give a final stir, before you serve immediately in bowls with the rest of the garnish sprinkled over each bowl.