9 Simple Thai Recipes

For the marinade, combine the lime juice, garlic, sesame oil, fish sauce, light brown sugar, chilli and white pepper in a jug; mix well. Pour half into a shallow dish, along with the soy sauce. Add the chicken and turn to coat; marinate for 20 minutes to an hour. Add the shallots to the other half in the jug and set aside – this is your salad dressing.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7. Heat the oil in an ovenproof pan over a medium heat. Fry the chicken, skin-side down, for 6-8 minutes, until golden and crisp; flip skin-side up and turn off the heat.

Pour the marinade from the dish into the pan, add a splash of water. Transfer to the oven and roast for 30 mins or until cooked through, basting halfway. Meanwhile, cook the rice as per pack instructions.

For the salad, put the cucumber, mango, mint, Thai basil and coriander in a bowl. Toss with the dressing.

Serve the chicken, spooning over any pan juices, with the salad, extra lime wedges and rice.

Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions; drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the seasoning ingredients with 2 tablespoons of water and stir well.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the prawns and cook for 1 minute. Push the prawns to one side of the wok or frying pan and drizzle in a little more oil.

Crack in the egg, scramble it, cook until dry and then add the noodles and seasoning mixture. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the bean sprouts and chives, continue to cook for 1 more minute and then turn off the heat.

Transfer to two serving bowls and garnish with the spring onion, coriander, chilli flakes, lime wedges and peanuts. Serve at once.

To make the fishcakes, combine the fish, curry paste, egg whites, fish sauce and sugar in a food processor. Pulse a few times, to mix until it forms a smooth, thick, and sticky paste, for around 2 minutes or so. Once finished, poke the fish paste with a spoon. It should be firm, elastic, and springy. Transfer the fish paste into a big bowl.

Fold the green beans into the paste using a spatula.

Cover a small deep pan with about half an inch of oil and place on a medium heat.

Work on the fish cakes in batches. Use an ice-cream scoop to transfer a ball of 2 tablespoons of fish paste onto an oiled spatula. Then use the back of another spatula or a large spoon to flatten the ball into a 0.5cm-thick disc. Gently slide the fish cake into the pan. Fry until the bottom side turns golden, about 30 to 40 seconds. Flip and cook the other side until golden. The whole process should take about 1 minute. To test if it’s ready, transfer a fish cake onto a plate and poke it with a toothpick. You should feel the bouncy resistance and the toothpick should come out clean.

To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl right before serving. Serve the hot fish cake with dipping sauce as an appetiser or serve them on top of rice or noodles as a main.

Pound 2 roughly chopped bird’s eye chillies and 2 peeled garlic cloves to a coarse paste using a pestle and mortar.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick wok and leave over a high heat for a minute or so until it is smoking hot. Add the noodles and spread them across the heat of the wok, then toss them regularly for 30 seconds or so until they begin to turn translucent and soften. Move them to one side of the wok, add another tablespoon of oil, then add the garlic and chilli paste with the prawns.

When the eggs are cooked, mix everything with the noodles, then add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce (or soy sauce, if you prefer), the palm sugar and oyster sauce and toss through the noodles. Continue to stir-fry for a further minute or so and these liquids will cook the (fresh) noodles and season the stir-fry. Turn the heat off and taste – it should be sweet, salty and moreish, so adjust as necessary.

To serve, gently fold the pak choi and Thai basil leaves into the noodles and serve in bowls with chopsticks. Squeeze over a little lime juice, if you wish.

Pour in the sauce and bubble briefly, then put back the beef along with any juices. Coat well in the sauce. Taste and add any extra seasoning as necessary.

Heat oil in a large fry pan or pot. Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes or until they start to soften.

Stir in the curry paste and cook for one minute. Add the carrots and mushrooms and stir for another minute.

Add the coconut milk, broth and lime leaves if using. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce to decide whether to add more curry paste.

Add the bok choi, red pepper and tofu. Bring back to a simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Remove from heat and stir in the coriander, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve with your favourite rice or noodles.

Cut each piece of salmon into 3 equal pieces then put in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of curry paste, pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well, then leave to marinate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the noodles into a heatproof bowl and pour over plenty of boiling water. Leave to soak for 2 minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Drain well then tip the noodles into a bowl of iced water and set aside.

Fill a small saucepan with boiling water and set over a high heat. Add a little salt to the water and once simmering, add the veg and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until just beginning to soften. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a second bowl of iced water. Once cool, drain well and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to an empty saucepan and set over a high heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of curry paste and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the coconut milk along with 250ml water and bring up to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then taste the soup and season with the sugar, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and lime juice.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to a small frying pan and set over a medium heat. Add the salmon, skin side down, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Carefully turn the fish over and cook for 2 minutes before removing from the heat.

Drain the rice noodles and add to the soup to warm through. Divide between 2 bowls then top with the vegetables and salmon. Garnish with the chilli, limes wedges and coriander.

Mix the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Place the steak in a dish or mixing bowl and add the cornflour and salt. Coat well, making sure every piece is separated.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Once very hot, add the steak, separating the pieces as you go. Fry for 3-5 minutes, or until golden and crisp all over, leaving it untouched for the first 1-2 minutes to help it colour. Remove from the pan. You may need to do this in batches.

Scrape out any burnt bits and reduce the heat to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, then tip in the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute or so, then add the broccoli. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until the broccoli is almost cooked.

Pour in the sauce and bubble briefly, then put back the beef along with any juices. Coat well in the sauce. Taste and add any extra seasoning as necessary.

Serve immediately with rice, and scatter with spring onion and chilli, if using.

For the salad, arrange the carrot, parsnip, cabbage, mango, turkey and fresh herbs on a large platter.

To make the dressing, combine the clementine and lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, chilli and garlic in a small bowl and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving and lightly toss, then scatter over the salad onions and peanuts. This is best eaten right away.

Using a pestle and mortar, begin by pounding the toughest ingredients into a paste first, so the lemongrass and ginger, using a little coarse salt as an abrasive. Next, pound the chillies, shallots, garlic cloves and the turmeric. Return all the pounded ingredients to the mortar and pound together until everything comes together as one vibrant green paste. This paste will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks; it will then begin to discolour but will still be usable for another week at the very least.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large, non-stick pan over a medium heat until hot, then add the paste – it should sizzle as it enters the pan. Fry the paste for 10 minutes, stirring and scraping constantly to ensure that it does not stick, until it begins to darken slightly, and the ingredients give off a lovely aroma. When the flavours begin to come together, add the pumpkin and fry for a further few minutes until it starts to brown a little on the surface.

Deglaze the pan with the soy sauce and then let it out with 100ml of water and the coconut cream. Bring to a simmer and then taste. It should be sweet and salty with a gentle spice, so adjust as necessary. Pour this mix into a lipped, nonstick baking tray or shallow roasting tin and place on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft and the curry has thickened.

Serve the curry in bowls with steamed jasmine rice, scattered with coriander or Thai basil leaves, if you like.