Home-made Pad Thai

Again with the Thai food...I'm obsessed! However, it's a cuisine that works really well with the Swank Diet and I've enjoyed giving new things a go.
This recipe for Pad Thai is really easy to do, and would be a great thing to knock up if Si's getting a takeaway. It's served with home-made steamed Vegetable Gyoza dumplings (recipe to follow).

PAD THAI 

(recipe adapted from the BBC Good Food website) - serves 2


1 tbsp dried shrimps (optional)
100g dried rice stick noodles3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, smashed
200g small fresh prawns, peeled
100g bean sprouts, rinsed
2 spring onion greens, chopped into 3cm/1in lengths
3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla) - I used oyster sauce as an alternative1 tbsp tomato ketchup2 tbsp lime juice½ tsp dried chilli flakes or cayenne
1 tbsp brown sugar2 tbsp roasted peanuts, lightly crushed 
2 tbsp coriander sprigs
1 lime, quartered

1. Grind the dried shrimps to a fluffy powder in an electric coffee grinder (you can clean out the grinder by whizzing raw rice in it).
2. Cover the noodles with boiling water and leave for 15 minutes or until al dente. Rinse in cold water and drain well, then use 1 tsp of oil to coat your hands and run them through the noodles to help prevent sticking.
3. To make the omelette, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a wok and swirl to coat the surface. Pour in the beaten eggs and swirl to make a very thin omelette. Run a knife around the edge, turn out, slice into strips and set aside.
4. To cook the noodles, add remaining oil to the wok and heat. Add the garlic and the prawns and toss over high heat. Set the prawns aside.
5. In turn, add the noodles, omelette strips, bean sprouts, spring onions, shrimp powder, fish sauce, ketchup, lime juice, chilli and sugar, tossing constantly over high heat.
6. To serve, scatter with crushed peanuts, coriander leaves and quartered limes.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

One thing I will say, make sure you follow the order it says in the recipe.