Tom Yum Goong (Hot & Sour Prawn Soup)

Another Thai classic and another one that features on Thai restaurant menus everywhere. I can highly recommend this one if you have a cold, are feeling under the weather or have been over indulging as it’s full of vitamins and will clear your head! It’s also extremely low fat but has plenty of protein so ideal if you want a healthy Thai option.


For two bowls use:

• 2.5 cups of chicken broth


• a big splash of fish sauce


• 2 sticks of lemongrass, bashed (all supermarkets sell it fresh)


• a few slices of galangal (some supermarkets sell it but use ginger if you can’t get it)


• juice of 1 big lime


• 5 or 6 six kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn (lime zest works well too)


• a small handful of coriander, roughly chopped


• a big pinch of sugar


• a handful of oyster mushrooms (or regular) shredded


• half a packet of large prawns


• 6 red Thai chillies


• 2 cloves garlic


• a small dribble of vegetable oil

Place 4 of the chillies and the garlic in a pestle and mortar, bash until it becomes a smooth red paste and add a little dribble of vegetable oil. Leave to one side. In a pan, add the stock, sugar, lemongrass stalks, galangal and the other two chillies, split down the middle. Let the broth simmer for about 10 minutes while you pour a splash of fish sauce and squeeze half a lime into each serving bowl. After ten minutes simmering time, add the mushrooms, prawns and kaffir lime leaves and let these cook for 5 minutes. Finally, get rid of the lemongrass stalks before adding the chilli garlic paste into the soup and stir, you’ll see some red oil on the top. Spoon the soup into the bowls and add the coriander to the top. Give the soup a mix before eating.

Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai (Sweet green chicken curry)

It’s a toss up between this and Pad Thai as to the most widely eaten dish found in Thai restaurants worldwide. It’s just as popular in Thailand, particularly with tourists and it’s a recognisable and very tasty dish. Strangely though, despite it being the Thai dish I’ve been cooking the longest, it’s also the one that has taken me the longest to get right. Like any Thai recipe, there’s a lot of personal preferences involved but I like my green curry with a thin sauce, not too sweet, pretty hot and with an equal balance of salty and sour.


For three portions, use:

• a small amount of vegetable oil, for frying


• two medium chicken breast, finely sliced


• a handful of bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks


• a handful of green beans, trimmed and cut into two


• your choice of extra veggies- I’ve used carrots cut into rounds, some pea aubergines and some water chestnuts that were leftover


• a big handful of Thai basil, or use tarragon


• 200ml of coconut milk (it freezes well if you end up buying a 400ml can)


• 50g of Thai green curry paste (If you can get it, use Mae Ploy brand which is excellent)


• 100ml- 200ml of water


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla) all supermarkets have it


• a big pinch of sugar


• 3 or 4 red chillies,cut into slivers


• 4 or 5 kaffir lime leaves (bigger Sainsburys sell them fresh and most other supermarkets sell them dried) rolled up in a cigar, and finely shredded 


• a wedge of lime

Heat the oil in a wok and when it’s hot, add in the green curry paste, stir fry for just 30 seconds, otherwise it’ll burn before adding in the coconut milk. Stir and after a few minutes you start to see the oil separating from the sauce- this is a good thing! Add in half of the water, the fish sauce and sugar and the chicken. Stir and cook for 5 minutes or so until fully cooked before adding in the veggies. Cook these for five minutes more before having a taste; if you think it needs it, add more water, sugar and/or fish sauce. Once the curry is cooked, turn off the heat and stir through the kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil for a few seconds. Turn the curry out into a serving dish, top with the chilli slivers and squeeze over the wedge of lime.

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Gai Yang & Nam Jim Jaew (Grilled chicken with dipping sauce)

Grilled meats are a Northern Thai speciality. Often, you’ll come across gai yang served alongside my favourite Som Tam (papaya salad) and Khao Niew (sticky rice). The dipping sauce is one of several Nam Jim sauces that are made in Thailand and at some point I’ll do a post just about sauces and condiments. Anyway, Nam Jim Jaew is the type of sauce that’s specific to grilled meats, there are several other varieties.


For 4 (snack) or 2 (main course) You’ll need:

• 2 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and each cut into 4 strips


• 2 stalks lemongrass, top, bottom and outer layers peeled off and the rest very finely chopped (all the big supermarkets sell it fresh)


• 6 cloves of garlic


• a small handful of coriander stalks, or roots, chopped


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla- an easy supermarket find)


• a small splash of dark soy


• a big pinch of sugar


• a sprinkle of white (or black) pepper

In a pestle and mortar, bash up the lemongrass, garlic, coriander, pepper and sugar. Do it bit by bit if you need to. Add the rough paste to a bowl with the chicken. Pour on the soy and fish sauce and mix well. Leave it to marinade for as long as you can, ideally a few hours.


While marinading, make the Nam Jim Jaew sauce. You’ll need:

• 1 level teaspoon of white rice


• 4 red birds eye chillies


• 2 cloves garlic


• a few stalks and leaves of coriander, very finely chopped


• a pinch of sugar


• juice of 1 lime


• a good splash of fish sauce


• a very small splash of dark soy sauce

Start by dry frying the small amount of rice in a really hot wok or frying pan. When it’s toasted and light brown get it quickly into a pestle and mortar or it’ll burn. Grind it up into a fine powder and pour it aside for now. In the now empty pestle and mortar, bash up the chillies and garlic into a rough paste. Tip this into a small bowl along with the chopped coriander and sugar. Pour on the soy and fish sauces and finally stir through the powdered rice (known as Khao Khua) which will thicken the sauce slightly- if it’s over thick, add extra lime juice and fish sauce.


Back to the chicken- lay on a grill tray/ baking sheet and grill at 200 degrees/ 400f/ gas 6 and grill for about 5 minutes either side until really hot all the way through. Serve piled high alongside the dipping sauce.

Tod Mun Pla (Fried Fishcakes)

Every Thai restaurant in the UK sells these and everywhere you go they are pretty much identical. I’ve come to the conclusion that *most* restaurants will buy them in ready made and while they are generally very tasty and have that quintessential rubberyness, can’t help but feel a freshly made tod mun pla would be so much better. On that note, I admit I have cheated and used my favourite Thai red curry paste brand, Mae Ploy but by all means make your own red curry paste from scratch.


For around 20 fishcakes use:

• 3 fillets of white fish (I used pouting; coley and pollock are good too) skinned and cut into chunks


• around 8 green beans, sliced very fine


• a heaped tablespoon of red curry paste (Mae Ploy being my choice but all supermarkets sell red curry paste now)


• a good splash of fish sauce (nam pla) easy to get in supermarkets


• 5 or 6 kaffir lime leaves ( forget dried ones, bigger Sainsburys sell fresh. Frozen are fine too. Roll them up into a cigar and shred very fine. 


• a big pinch of sugar


• 1 egg


• vegetable oil for frying

For the cucumber pickle you’ll need:

• a thumb sized chunk of cucumber, cut into a fine dice


• a big splash of white wine vinegar


• 2 Thai shallots or the whites of 2 spring onions, finely diced


• 2 or 3 birds eye chillies, finely chopped


• a small pinch of sugar

Start off by making the pickle, mix all the ingredients listed above in a small bowl and leave to ‘pickle’ while you make the fishcakes.


Put all the ingredients other than the fish into a bowl. For the fish, place a few chunks at a time into a pestle and mortar and then bash away for several minutes until the fish becomes a paste. Keep going until all the fish has become a paste and add to the bowl with all the other ingredients. Mix everything together well. Fill the bottom of a frying pan with the oil and heat. When it’s hot, scoop out a spoonful (aim for a golf ball sized amount) of the fishcake mixture, flatten into a small cake and gently place in the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan, do as many batches as need be. After a few minutes, check on the fishcake colour, if it’s looking a deep golden brown, turn it over, if not give it a little more time. They should take around 4-5 minutes total. Flip them a few times if need be.

Drain onto kitchen paper before serving with the pickled cucumber.

Laab Moo (Minced Pork Salad)

Minced pork salad may not immediately sound like the most tempting dish but bear with me. Laab is a typical Northern Thai dish and it originally came from (and is still very popular) in neighbouring Laos. It is regularly served up with my favourite Som Tam (papaya salad) . My version is a somewhat soft option; in Thailand, this dish is often served with coagulated chicken blood on the side. It is just as common, if not even more likely that you’ll find this made with chicken (gai) instead.

For two people use:

• about half a packet of pork mince (300g) or 2 small chicken breasts/ 4-6 chicken thighs (minced with heavy blade)


• a big handful of bamboo shoots or water chestnuts, sliced thin


• a small onion, cut in thin slices


• 2 stalks lemongrass, very finely chopped (most supermarkets sell it)


• a chunky piece of galangal, very finely chopped (some supermarkets sell it)


• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped


• 3 or 4 birds eye chillies chopped


• a heaped dessert spoon of rice


• a big splash of nam pla (Thai fish sauce) easy to buy in supermarkets


• a splash of chicken stock


• a handful of mint leaves


• juice of 1 lime


• vegetable oil for frying


• cucumber slices, lime wedge, chillies for decoration

Start off by dry frying the spoonful of rice in a wok or frying pan. Toast it until it starts to go light brown and smells nutty then take it off the heat quickly before it burns and in a pestle and mortar, grind it into a fine powder- set it aside,

Heat oil in a wok, when it’s hot add the onion and cook gently until they take on some colour, add in the garlic, chillies, onion and galangal and stir fry for a minute or so. Now add in the meat and cook it well until there’s no sign of rawness left. Break the meat up as you go. Throw in the bamboo shoots or water chestnuts and cook for a few more minutes. Liquids go in next, the fish sauce, lime juice and chicken stock. Reduce this down for a minute or two before adding in the powdered rice which helps to thicken everything. Finally, turn the heat off and immediately before serving, put in the mint leaves. Thai basil is also very good instead.

Serve with rice, cucumber and if you like the heat, extra chillies on top

Pad Khao Gai (Chicken Fried Rice)

This was such a satisfying meal, it was quick to cook and looked really good too. This is the kind of dish you can find all over Thailand as it’s possibly the most common Thai street food dish. It’s also a popular thing to have at breakfast and if you’re not as into chillies as I am, it’s also a good one as you choose whether to add chillies or not. As you can see I also went for a bit of traditional Thai presentation with serrated edge cucumber and a vertically sliced lime! This is also a really easy one to make that doesn’t require any substitutions as there are no obscure ingredients.

For two big portions use:

• two small chicken breast, cut into small pieces


• two-three cups of pre cooked and cool (ideally yesterdays) white rice


• half a carrot, cut into thin rounds


• 4 spring onions, finely sliced


• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped


• 2 eggs


• a good splash of soy sauce


• a small splash of fish sauce (nam pla) easy to find in regular supermarkets


• a big pinch of sugar


• a big pinch of ground white or black pepper


• a few slices of cucumber (for decoration)


• 1 lime, sliced vertically (for decoration)


• a crispy fried egg (optional)


• vegetable oil for frying

For the nam prik pla (chillies in fish sauce) mix:

• three or four red chillies, finely chopped


• one small clove garlic, very finely chopped


• a large splash of fish sauce

If making a crispy fried egg for the top and/or  nam prik pla, do these bits first. Keep your egg warm in the oven while you cook the main dish. Heat a splash of oil in a wok or frying pan, when it’s hot, add the garlic and stir fry for just a few seconds before throwing the chicken in. Cook the chicken most of the way through before pushing it away to one side of the pan. Crack your two eggs into the empty side and break the yolks. Let it sit for a few seconds then stir, let it stick, then stir and break up. Do this a few minutes until the egg is cooked through and in in scrambly chunks. Stir everything back together, add in your carrots and spring onions. Add in the white rice and gently stir everything together. Now add in the fish and soy sauces, sugar and ground pepper. Cook for a few minutes more until everything is well coated in sauce and cooked through. To plate up, pack a small bowl with the fried rice and tip it out onto a plate. Add on the cucumber and lime wedge, followed by your crispy fried egg and a spoonful of the name prik pla (if using). Squeeze on the lime, give the rice a good mix through and devour with gusto!!

Pad Kee Mao (Drunk's Noodles)

Pad Kee Mao (Drunk’s Noodles)

Pad Kee Mao is the Thai version of going to an takeaway and ordering a kebab at the end of the night. It’s a fiercely hot, slightly greasy and salty stir fry that will soak up the alcohol after a night out and it’s so bloody hot will perhaps go some way to sobering you up!

For a one person portion use:

• a small chicken breast, thinly sliced


• a one person portion of rice noodles (thin or wide)


• a few stalks of broccoli, cut in half


• about 6 baby sweetcorn, halved


• 4 cloves of garlic


• 4 birds eye chillies, sliced fine


• a small handful of Thai basil (use tarragon as a substitute)


• a good splash of soy sauce


• a small splash of dark soy sauce


• a small splash of Thai fish sauce (nam pla) all supermarkets sell it


• a small splash of oyster sauce (use bottled not stir fry sauce mix)


• a pinch of sugar


• vegetable/sunflower oil for frying

In advance, If you have dried noodles that require soaking get them ready and prepare them to the packet specification. Like lots of my previous recipes, start off by bashing up 3 of the 4 chillies and all the garlic in a mortar until you have a rough paste. Finely chop the other and leave on the side until later. Heat oil in a wok and when hot, add the chilli and garlic paste. After a few seconds, add in the chicken, and stir fry for a minute. Next add in the vegetables and keep stir frying for another minute until the chicken is mostly cooked through. Next, add all four liquids and the sugar and cook down for another few minutes. Finally add in your noodles and toss them well to coat them in the sauce. Turn the heat off and throw in the basil leaves, stir through then dish up. Top the finished dish with the remaining chopped chilli.

Khanom Jeeb (Thai Style Steamed Dumplings)

Khanom Jeeb are the Thai interpretation of Chinese Sui Mai (steamed pork dumplings). There are usually some minor differences between the Chinese and Thai versions such as the use of white pepper and coriander root. For my version, I’ve decided to use the Chinese ingredients but add Thai herbs and flavours to the mixture and dipping sauce…

Depending on the size you make them, my recipe should do about 40-60 dumplings, halve the ingredients for less/ double up for more…

• A pack of yellow dumpling skins (sorry this is one you will need to go to an Asian grocers for)


• Half a packet of pork mince (roughly 300g)


• Half a tin of water chestnuts, cut into a fine dice


• A small handful of Chinese black fungus, soaked in boiling water until re hydrated then chopped into fine strips (optional and another specialist ingredient)


• 4 spring onions, finely chopped


• 2 red chillies, finely chopped


• 3 cloves garlic


• 1-2 stalks of lemongrass (ends trimmed, outer layers removed and the rest very finely diced (most supermarkets sell it fresh now)


• A thumb sized piece of galangal, very finely diced (some supermarkets sell this- morrisons does) or if is often sold in jars)


• A pinch of sugar


• a good splash of fish sauce (nam pla) all supermarkets sell it

Stir the ingredients (apart from the dumpling skins!) in a bowl until all the ingredients are well mixed.

Make a circle shape with your thumb and forefinger and lay a dumpling skin over the top. Take a heaped spoonful of the mixture and place it in the centre of the skin, letting it fall into the well you’ve made. Shape the skin around the filling and use a clean spoon to level off the top Repeat- many times! When you’ve used all your ingredients up. Place the finished dumplings in either a greaseproof paper lined bamboo steamer or concoct a similar version with a colander/sieve- just remember to line it otherwise you’ll leave most of the dumpling skin behind! Steam the dumplings, in batches if needed, for 10 minutes over rapidly boiling water.

While the steaming is going on, make a quick dipping sauce…

• finely chop a few red or green chillies


• put them in a small bowl with a good splash of soy sauce


• and a smaller splash of fish sauce


• with a pinch of sugar and stir well.

and serve!