Pad Thai

Pad Thai is the iconic wok dish of Thai cooking: ready in a few minutes, if every ingredient is prepped in advance beside the stove.

The base

1. Soak the rice noodles in lukewarm water for 20-30 minutes, until pliable but still slightly firm – do not overcook them, they finish softening in the wok.

The sauce

2. In a small bowl mix the tamarind paste, the fish sauce, the sugar and the lime juice smooth; season it with a little salt until you get a balanced sweet-sour-salty flavour.

The cooking

3. Heat a wok or large pan hard, and in the oil fry the chopped garlic fragrant in a few seconds.

4. Add the beaten egg, and stirring constantly just set it, then throw in the chicken breast cut into strips, or the prawns, and fry it through over a high heat.

5. Toss in the drained noodles, pour over the sauce, and over a high heat quickly toss it together, until the noodles soak up the flavours.

The serving

6. Finally stir in the bean sprouts and the sliced spring onion, and fry them only briefly, so they stay crunchy.

7. Plate it up, sprinkle it with coarsely crushed, roasted peanuts, and serve it with lime wedges.

Tip: Prep everything beside the wok, because the cooking is lightning fast – there is no time to chop once you start.