Crab & smoked chicken pad Thai noodles

Ingredients (serves 2)

50ml, thick tamarind water. (or buy my pad Thai stir-fry sauce with UK-wide, next day delivery)

50g palm sugar. (or buy my pad Thai stir-fry sauce with UK-wide, next day delivery)

50ml vegetable oil.

1 banana shallot peeled and thinly sliced.

150g flat rice noodles, 5mm thickness, soaked for at least 2 hours in cold water so they are softened, the thicker the better.

10g, toasted peanuts, semi pounded.

2-3 tablespoons fish sauce. (or buy my pad Thai stir-fry sauce with UK-wide, next day delivery)

2 dried long red chillies, toasted in a dry pan until crispy and then powdered in a pestle and mortar.

2 medium whole eggs, cracked into a bowl.

50g beansprouts, washed.

20g Chinese chives, finely chopped.

150g cooked, cold and shredded smoked chicken meat.

50g brown crab meat.

Optional garnish:

20g roasted peanuts.

Chilli powder or chopped birds eye chilli.

More beansprouts, washed.

Chinese chives.

1 lime, cut into cheeks.

Method

1.      Firstly, prepare the ingredients. The trick with a Pad Thai is to have all the above ingredients at arm’s length of a hot wok so you don’t have to move from the spot. Therefore, it’s the ideal street food dish as its very quick to produce once all the ingredients are prepped. The only thing that needs preparing beforehand is the tamarind sugar. On a medium heat gently melt the palm sugar and tamarind water in a saucepan, stirring occasionally until there are no lumps of sugar left. Once this is complete lay it next to the wok with all other ingredients.

2.      Next heat the vegetable oil in a large wok, on a high heat and add the egg, leave to cook for 10 seconds or so and then scrape, this will result in chunks of egg that resemble chunks of omelette rather than scrambled egg. Immediately after this add the shallots to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute until translucent. Then add the noodles making sure not to add much water to the pan from the soaking, stir fry the noodles by moving them constantly, not allowing them to cling to the bottom of the pan. Spread them across the surface of the wok as much as possible to ensure even cooking, they are ready for the next stage when they begin to turn translucent.

3.      At this stage move the noodles to one side of the wok, in the centre (where it is hottest) add a little more oil and place the cooked chicken within the sizzling oil, stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the chicken gets a little colour, then toss all the ingredient back together in the wok.

4.      Now add the tamarind sugar to the wok, pour it around the inside edges of the wok, above where the noodles are sat, this ensures that the sauce has direct contact with the heat straight from the metal of the wok and caramelises as it dribbles down into the noodles. Throw in the brown crab at this stage too and then toss the noodles to combine all the sauce through the noodles. Next turn the heat off and add 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, ½ the peanuts, the beansprouts, Chinese chives and then toss all ingredients through the stir fry to warm.

5.      Lastly check the seasoning and serve. It should be sweet, fishy and savoury, with a smokey chilli kick if it’s too sweet add the rest of the fish sauce. Serve on a large plate with the rest of the peanuts, chilli powder, chopped chillies, beansprouts, Chinese chives and the lime cheeks to one side of the same plate for people to season themselves.