Pad Thai (Fusion Taste Team: Challenge 1)

As I mentioned in a previous post where you were treated to a peek in my kitchen, I am part of the World Foods Fusion Taste Team where I will be cooking the recipes that they give me each week.  This week I received my wonderful hamper of sauces and other goodies to prepare me for the challenges ahead!  Generally I don't use ready-made sauces in my cooking but if there's a shortcut, and it's a good one, I am willing to give them a try. 

Challenge number one was Pad Thai. I love Pad Thai but I've never made it before so I was very interested in how this would turn out.  Pad Thai is one of the most popular Thai dishes out there and has a sweet tamarind and chilli base. Although this meal uses a ready-prepared sauce as a base it also contains a great deal of fresh ingredients which makes all the difference to a meal I think.  This was a really quick meal to knock up and definitely one I'll make again as both Mr M and myself enjoyed it thoroughly.   

The only thing I will say is that I used rice noodles and perhaps it's just me, but I'm just not keen on the texture of these. Perhaps I cook them wrong? I can't see how I would, but they just lack something.  Anyhow, it was still delicious but I may try a different noodle next time!  

This is the recipe as I made it (I changed it slightly from the one given to me by World Foods) and instead of using uncooked prawns, I used cooked ones. This is to serve two people.

Pad Thai

Ingredients

1 large egg

1 jar World Foods Pad Thai Noodle Sauce

300g straight-to-wok rice noodles

20g chives, chopped

100g beansprouts

190g cooked and peeled prawns

2 tbsp chopped, unsalted roasted peanuts

dried chilli flakes (optional)

Method

Beat the egg and season with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat 1tbsp of oil in a deep, wide, non-stick frying pan or wok, over a medium heat.  Add the egg to make a thin layer and cook for a few minutes.  Tip out and allow to cool before shredding.

Pour the Pad Thai sauce into the wok and bring to the boil.   Add in the rice noodles, beansprouts and prawns and stir-fry until you have a dry consistency.  Stir through the chopped chives.

Transfer to plates and garnish with the shredded omelette, the chopped peanuts and some chilli flakes if desired. Serve with a couple of lime wedges on the side.

See, very easy.

The Pad Thai sauce from World Foods has no artificial preservatives, GM ingredients, MSG or gluten and is suitable for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs. World Foods products are available at Tesco stores.

I am now looking forward to Challenge 2 next week, which I will of course blog about.  In the meantime, do please check out the World Foods Fusion of Flavours Facebook page to check out the other members of the team and their cooking exploits! Whilst you're there, we'd love it if you could "like" the page and look out for giveaways where you may also get the chance to try out one of these sauces for yourself.

love & kisses

Mrs M x