My Little Pleasures Part 2: Noodles

I have always been a takeout fan. Especially noodles. Noodles and Me = Best Friends. In Victoria there is no shortage of amazing noodle houses, Asian food trucks and mixed cuisine take out joints. In recent months though, I’m sure you all can sympathize with me, times have been tight and I have resorted more and more to the home cuisine and less and less to the funky little white takeout boxes with the metal wire handles. And so: my fallback Phad Thai recipe.

I have been making this for a couple of years now. It was adapted from a recipe from some book in some town in Ireland when I was there. Its quick, its easy and it satisfies my noodle needs.  To pull a good phad Thai off, it is key to make sure all your ingredients are ready to go before you even start. Nam pla is a fish sauce available at most grocery stores and is vital for the depth of flavor in this recipe. I’ve decided to use prawns in this particular version but feel free to use pork or chicken (just cook it fully before using).

Prawn Phad Thai

2 tbsp oil
2 large onions, finely diced
1 tsp chili flakes
200g uncooked prawns
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nam pla
2-3 tbsp soya sauce (to taste)
250g Thai rice noodles
1-2 eggs, beaten
225g bean sprouts
4 spring onions, sliced 1” long
3-4 tbsp peanuts, crushed

All My ingredients ready to go!

Method:

• Put noodles in a casserole dish or large bowl and cover with bowling water. Leave for about 10 minutes or until soft and cooked.
• Drain and plunge into cold water to stop them from continuing to cook.
• Heat oil in a large pan, stir frying onions till golden.
• Add chili flakes and cook for a further minute.
• Add in the prawns (or chicken), sugar, lemon juice, Nam Pla and the Soya sauce.
• Drain the noodles from their cold water and add to the pan, stirring quickly. The noodles will begin to break down if left on the heat too long.
• Add the eggs to the pan, stir until no longer loose and the eggs are cooked.
• Add the bean sprouts and green onions, cooking for a final minute, stirring constantly.
• Sprinkle with peanuts before serving.