Thai-style Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe courtesy of Easy Living.

Serves : 4

Preparation time : 10 mins

Cooking time : 20 mins

Ingredients :
175ml (24 fl oz) chicken stock
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 stalk lemon grass, thinly sliced
2 small red chillies, finely chopped
1 tblsp fresh ginger, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Grated zest of 1/2 a lime
3 skinless chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
400g tin of coconut milk
2 tblsp Thai fish sauce
2 tblsp lime juice
1 tsp brown sugar
120g (4oz) fresh rice noodles
Coriander leaves, to serve

Step One : Combine the chicken stock, shallots, lemon grass, chillies, ginger, garlic and lime zest in a large saucepan and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes.

Step Two : Add the chicken, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step Three : Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Step Four : Place the noodles in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Separate the noodles, then drain. Divide them between four deep bowls.

Step Five : Ladle soup over noodles and top with the coriander. Serve with quartered limes, if desired.

Tip : Add extra lime juice, sugar, Thai fish sauce or chilli according to your taste; it should have a good balance of sweet, sour and spice.

Thai Chicken Curry

Serves : 4

Ingredients:
175g (6oz) open mushrooms
6 spring onions
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, about 125g (4 ½ oz) each
1 tblsp olive oil
4 level tsp thai red or green curry paste
150ml (¼ pt) water
2 tblsp light soy sauce
400ml (2/3 pt) can coconut milk
Salt and ground black pepper
Fresh coriander to garnish

Step One : Wipe the mushrooms clean with damp kitchen paper. Cut each mushroom in half, then each into four.

Step Two : Trim 6 spring onions just above root end then peel away outer layer. Cut off the dark green leaves. Cut diagonally into 5mm slices.

Step Three : Using a small sharp knife, and working on the cutting board, cut 4 chicken breasts and fillets into bite size pieces.

Step Four : Heat 1 tblsp oil and 4 tsp curry paste in a large frying pan. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.

Step Five : Pour in the water, the soy sauce and the contents of the can of coconut milk and bring to the boil, stirring to mix thoroughly.

Step Six : Stir in the mushrooms, spring onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Serve garnished with coriander.

Thai-Steamed Snapper

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (Dec 2015) and taken from At Home with Umami: Home-cooked recipes unlocking the magic of super-savory deliciousness by Laura Santtini.

Umami translates from the Japanese to mean ‘savoury deliciousness.’ Santtini says umami is, ‘the ultimate expression of flavour; the extra mouthful-ness that makes us say “mmmmm”, the taste that keeps on giving long after its fellow basic tastes – sweet, salty, sour and bitter – are spent.’

Brilliant for a dinner party, you can also use this versatile marinade for fish fillets. This fish is ideal served with sticky Thai-style rice and a crisp green salad.

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

11 whole red snapper or other whole sustainable white fish (about 2kg), descaled, gutted and cleaned
4 limes (1 sliced)
1 bunch fresh coriander
1 bunch of spring onions, topped and sliced (reserve tops for stuffing fish)
1 sweet potato, diced into thumbnail-sized pieces
2.5cm (1 in) piece of fresh ginger, sliced
5 garlic cloves, peeled
3 lemongrass stalks, outer skin removed and roughly chopped
2 red chillies, deseeded (keep the seeds of half a chilli only)
3 tblsp toasted sesame oil
4 tblsp fish sauce
3 tblsp soy sauce
1 tblsp brown sugar or palm sugar

Step One : Preheat the oven to 200oC (400oF) Gas 6. Cut a piece of wide baking parchment twice the length of your fish. Fold the parchment in half and then open it, placing one half on a baking tray. Put the fish on the diagonal on the piece of parchment on the baking tray.

Step Two : Make slashes in the fish on the diagonal through the skin down to the bone on both sides. Stuff the cavity with a few slices of lime, half the coriander and the tops of the spring onions. Scatter sweet potato cubes and spring onion chunks around the fish.

Step Three : In a food processor, combine the rest of the coriander, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and chilli and blitz into a paste. Add the sesame oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and the juice of the remaining 3 limes and blitz again.

Step Four : Rub this marinade all over the fish and fold the other half of the parchment over the fish, wrapping the edges over to close tightly.

Step Five : Cook in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. To test if the fish is cooked, remove from the oven and take a peek inside a corner of the parcel, but be careful because the steam will escape. If the eye of the fish has turned white, this means your fish is cooked.

Step Six : Open the parcel and serve large chunks of fish on sticky Thai rice topped with a large spoonful of the cooking juices – that is where move of the umami is.

Thai-steamed Snapper

Brilliant for a dinner party, you can also use this versatile marinade for fish fillets. This fish is ideal served with sticky Thai-style rice and a crisp green salad.

Ingredients:

11 whole red snapper or other whole sustainable white fish (about 2 kg), descaled, gutted and cleaned
4 limes (1 sliced)
1 bunch of fresh coriander
1 bunch of spring onions, topped and sliced (reserve tops for stuffing fish)
1 sweet potato, diced into thumbnail-sized pieces
2.5cm / 1 in piece of ginger, sliced
5 garlic cloves, peeled
3 lemongrass stalks, outer skin removed and roughly chopped
2 red chillies, deseeded (keep the seeds of half a chilli only)
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
4 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar

Serves: 4

Step One: Preheat the oven to 200oC (400oF, gas mark 6). Cut a piece of wide baking parchment twice the length of your fish. Fold the parchment in half and then open it, placing one half on a baking tray. Put the fish on the diagonal on the piece of parchment on the baking tray.

Step Two: Make slashes in the fish on the diagonal through the skin down to the bone on both sides. Stuff the cavity with a few slices of lime, half the coriander and the tops of the spring onions. Scatter sweet potato cubes and spring onion chunks around the fish.

Step Three: In a food processor, combine the rest of the coriander, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and chilli and blitz into a paste. Add the sesame oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and the juice of the remaining 3 limes and blitz again.

Step Four: Rub this marinade all over the fish and fold the other half of parchment over the fish, wrapping the edges over to close tightly.

Step Five: Cook in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. To test if the fish is cooked, remove from the oven and take a peek inside a corner of the parcel, but be careful because the steam will escape. If the eye of the fish has turned white, this means your fish is cooked.

Step Six: Open the parcel and serve large chunks of fish on sticky Thai rice topped with a large spoonful of the cooking juices – that is where most of the umami is.

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (December 2015) and taken from At Home with Umami by Laura Santtini.

Restaurateur and inventor of Taste #5 Umami paste Laura Santtini, is credited with making the ‘chef’s best-kept secret’ accessible to home cooks at all levels. Umami is the savoury fifth basic taste; literally translating from the Japanese to mean ‘savoury deliciousness’, it is universal and can be used in food from every country and culture to make it extra tasty.

In Santtini’s words, umami is, ‘the ultimate expression of flavour; the extra mouthful-ness that makes us say “mmmmm”, the taste that keeps on giving long after its fellow basic tastes – sweet, salty, sour and bitter – are spent.’

In her book, At Home with Umami, Santtini talks about how she has always been fascinated by flavours and the feelings they evoke. Chapters include ‘Fresh & Uplifting’, ‘Heady & Daring’ and ‘Mellow & Comforting’, so you can check into how you’re feeling and cook full-flavoured food to match your mood.

Spiced Mussels in Coconut Milk

Now that Thai red and green curry pastes are available in most large supermarkets, it takes only minutes to whip up a stunning dish like this. Fishmongers and large supermarkets now sell ready-cleaned live mussels in 2kg bags, which need only soaking in cold water for 2 hours before cooking. Discard any which stay open after you give them a tap.

Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 shallots, chopped; 1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped; 1 x 190g jar or 4 tbsp Thai green curry paste (from most large supermarkets); 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk; 2kg/4 lb 8oz mussels, cleaned; juice of 1 lime, or to taste; 3 tbsp chopped coriander; 1-2 chillies, deseeded and chopped, or to taste.

To Serve: Lime wedges

Heat the oil in a very large, lidded pan (or divide the ingredients in two and use two pans) and stir-fry the shallots and pepper for 8-10 min over a low-medium heat, until softened. Add the curry paste and stir-fry for 1 min more.
Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil, stirring, then turn up the heat, add the mussels and cover the pan/pans tightly. Cook, shaking occasionally, for a few min or just until all the mussels are open, taking care not to overcook them.
Stir in the lime juice, coriander and chilli and serve in warmed bowls with lime wedges to squeeze over.

Red Thai Chicken

A subtle blend of spices combine perfectly with coconut milk and chicken for a wonderfully fragrant mild and creamy curry.

Serves 4; Prep 15 mins; cook: 50 mins; Cals per portion: 333

Ingredients:- Red curry paste:- 2 red chillies, chopped; 1 stalk lemongrass, chopped; 2.5cm / 1in root ginger, peeled and chopped; 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground coriander; 2 tbsp stirfry oil
Chicken curry:- 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, sliced; 1 onion sliced; 400ml can Thai coconut milk; 1 tbsp mango chutney; 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped; 225g/8oz potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped; handful of freeze dried Kaffir lime leaves

Put the chopped chillies, lemongrass, root ginger and garlic cloves with the cumin, coriander and stirfry oil into a pestle and mortar or food processor, and work the mixture to a paste.
Fry the curry paste for about three minutes, stirring it continuously. Then add the sliced chicken breasts and sliced onions, and stirfry until all the chicken pieces have turned white.
Gradually pour the Thai coconut milk into the chicken mixture and then stir in the mango chutney. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chopped peppers and potatoes, and the Kaffir lime leaves, then simmer for a further 30 minutes until potatoes are tender. Serve immediately with Thai fragrant rice.