Prawn Pad Thai
Anju Kirby is currently undertaking her masters in Biomedical Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London and has provided this recipe. Anju has said:
For me, cooking is all about friends, family and trying new things! I like nothing better than creating and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen with my twin sister…. and also taking pretty photos of our creations! Remember to always have fun with your food, cooking is not work, it’s PLAY!
Fancy Shmancy Prawn Pad Thai
BY ANJU
Who says student cooking has to be boring?! This recipe is a great one to impress your flat mates with! This pad-thai dish is deceptively simple and while you can swap out the protein for chicken, tofu, vegetables and more, I really recommend you give the shell-on prawns a go! They are full of flavour and available in the freezer aisle, so you can keep these ingredients ready for whenever you’re feeling fancy!
4-5 servings (as in picture): 380 calories per serving
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking time 25 mins
Cost per serving: ≈£1.95 (adjusted for portion sizes and using Tesco prices as the count)
Ingredients
- 450g ‘straight to wok’ medium ribbon noodles
- 4 tsp soft brown sugar
- 1 clove of garlic, sliced
- 4 tsp tamarind paste
- 6 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 12 whole, raw prawns, shell on!
- 3-5 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
- 320g stir fry veg pack, or your own thinly sliced veg (bell peppers, carrots, mange tout, bean sprouts, etc.)
- 30g roasted salted peanuts, crushed
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 lime wedge per portion
- Crushed chilli flakes, fresh chillies, sliced ginger (all optional, to taste)
Method:
Mix the sugar, tamarind, fish sauce, (chillies/ ginger) and 2 tsp of water in a bowl. Set aside.
Add the oil to a pan and heat. Then, fry the onions until soft, adding prawns and garlic to the pan in the last 1-2 mins. The prawns will very quickly begin to turn pretty in pink. Stir using a large spatula to avoid damaging the beautiful prawns!
Once the prawns are colourful, add the ribbon noodles. Pour in the dressing and stir fry for a few seconds until it’s absorbed (add a splash of water if it all gets a bit sticky!) then add the vegetables you chose and cook on medium heat until the liquid dries up and the noodles are nicely coated.
At the last minute, pour in the beaten egg and stir fry to distribute it evenly. Warning, this stage may make you feel like Gordon Ramsay!
Serve on warm plates if you want that restaurant feeling!
Garnish with the peanuts, coriander and lime wedges.
