Sharmin Pasha
Sharmin Pasha is a food writer currently based in Dubai, UAE, where she teaches privately-organised cooking lessons on different techniques of cooking. She also hosts an informative page featuring Assamese recipes on Facebook, which was created to showcase the culinary treasures of Assam to the world and to preserve ethnic recipes for generations to come.
Thai Fried Rice
Ingredients:
Chicken breast (boneless)............ 1
Soya sauce............................... 1 tsp
Vegetable oil......................... 3 tbsps
Green curry paste................ 2 tbsps
Kaffir lime leaves............................. 2
Coconut milk.......................... ¼ cup
Mixed vegetables.................... 1 cup
Green chilli (chopped).................. 1
White rice (cooked).............. 2 cups
Thai basil (chopped)............. ¼ cup
Method: Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken, the soya sauce and one tablespoon of oil in a bowl. Mix well and set aside for an hour.
Heat the remaining oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the green curry paste and cook, stirring, until the curry paste is aromatic. Add the coconut milk, the kaffir leaves and the marinated chicken.
Cook over medium heat until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is completely cooked through. Add the mixed vegetables and stir-fry until just tender.
Turn the heat up to high.
Add the rice, the chopped chillies and the basil leaves. Stir briefly to bring it together.
Serve immediately.
Pad Thai Noodles
Ingredients:
Rice noodles...................... 100 gms
Chicken breast (boneless)............ 1
Pepper powder........................ ½ tsp
Vegetable oil......................... 2 tbsps
Garlic (chopped)............... 4 cloves
Green chilli(es) (chopped)........ 1-2
Spring onions (chopped)............. 4
Green capsicum (sliced)............... 1
Carrot (shredded).......................... 1
Dark soya sauce................... 2 tbsps
Oyster sauce......................... 2 tbsps
Thai tamarind sauce.............. 1 tbsp
Fish sauce.............................. 1 tbsp
Palm sugar............................ to taste
Salt......................................... to taste
Coriander (chopped).......... 2 tbsps
Roasted peanuts (crushed) 2 tbsps
Lime............................ a few wedges
Method: Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but not too soft. Drain and set aside to cool.
Slice the chicken into thin strips. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the chopped garlic and the chillies. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Stir in the chicken and sauté over medium heat until completely cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Add the spring onions, the sliced capsicum and the shredded carrot pieces to the wok, then stir-fry until just tender. Turn the heat up to high and toss the cooked noodles into the mix. Add the fish sauce, sugar, the oyster sauce, the soya sauce, the tamarind sauce, the peanuts and the chopped coriander. Toss well to coat the noodles in the sauce.
Serve immediately with lime wedges to squeeze over.
