Pad Sai Bua Goong (Lotus Stem & Prawn Stir Fry)

Lotus stems are another Thai ingredient I’d never come across before so when I came across them at RaanThai I was quick to grab them and see what they were like. They’re hollow so hold sauce really well but don’t need to be cooked long as they quickly soften. This was a really quick, light stir fry and is very tasty, better still, it only uses 5 ingredients

For two people use:

• 100g of lotus stems, trimmed and cut into inch long pieces. As a substitute for the lotus, I would go for a crunchy veg like pak choi/ choi sum available from most supermarkets.
• 200g (or thereabouts) of raw or precooked large prawns
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• a big splash of oyster sauce
• a big splash of fish sauce
• vegetable oil for frying

Heat a wok on high, when it’s almost smoking, add in a swirl of vegetable oil. Toss in the garlic and straight after the prawns. If using raw, cook until they have turned more or less pink throughout. If using pre-cooked prawns, heat through for a minute before adding in the lotus stems and cook for a further minute before adding in the two sauces. Toss to coat everything well and serve.