Pad Thai

A Thai favourite that's mild and sweet and can be made in minutes.  If you're having this as a main meal, add some julienned vegetables such as snow peas and carrot.

Tamarind sauce:
50g tamarind pulp
150ml boiling water
3 tbsp palm sugar
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 teaspoon chilli sauce
Noodles:
100g flat rice noodles (5mm thick)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 large egg
150g cooked peeled prawns
5 spring onions, finely sliced
50g bean sprouts
Handful of peanuts, lightly crushed
1 lime, to serve
Coriander, to serve

Soak noodles in boiling water for 15-20 minutes until soft.  Drain and toss in a little peanut oil to prevent sticking.

Pour boiling water over tamarind pulp and stir in palm sugar until dissolved, add fish sauce and chilli sauce and set aside.

In a wok or large frying pan, heat oil and add garlic until fragrant.  Add noodles to the pan and crack the egg into them, continually stirring as the egg cooks.  Strain tamarind sauce into the pan and keep stirring.  Add spring onions and prawns and cook until sauce has reduced to leave the noodles moist but not watery or sticky.

Serve immediately with bean sprouts, a wedge of lime, peanuts and coriander leaves on top.

Serves 2.