Prawn Stir Fry with Lemon Grass

Ingredients
1/2 Cucumber (cut into thin strips)
2 Teaspoons Cornflour
2 tablespoons Water
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce (dark)
1/2 Teaspoon Fish Sauce
6 Spring Onions (halved lengthways and cut into 5cm chunks)
1 Stalk Lemon Grass (sliced thinly)
1 Clove Garlic (chopped)
1 Red Chilli (thinly chopped)
125g Oyster Mushrooms (any will do but oyster give a good look and texture)
1inch Fresh Ginger (grated)
350g Frozen Prawns (defrosted)
2 Tablespoons Sherry

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Wok
1 Spatula
1 Small Mixing Bowl

The Good Bit

1. Mix the cornflour, water, soy and fish sauce until you have a nice paste then set aside., meanwhile with a splash of oil in your wok, add in the spring onion, cucumber, lemon grass, chilli, mushroom and ginger and fry for 2 minutes.
2. Then add in the prawns and stir fry until the prawns are warmed through (1-2 minutes) now pour in the sauce mixture along with the sherry and cook until you have a thick sauce, serve immediately with rice.
   

Serves 4

Pork in Coconut Milk

Ingredients
750g Pork
2 Onions (quartered)
4 Red chillies
25g Mixed nuts
1 Teaspoon Thai Fish Sauce (or 1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste)
250ml Water
200ml Coconut Milk
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Lemon (juiced)
A Splash of Oil
Fresh Coconut Slices to garnish
Fresh Coriander (chopped to garnish)

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Zester
1 Blender/Food Processor
1 Frying Pan
1 Spatula
1 Ladle

The Good Bit

1. Put the onion, nuts, chillies, fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of water into the blender and blend until you have a paste, once this is scoop into the frying pan with a splash of oil and heat for 4 minutes over a low heat, then add the pork and cook until evenly coloured and coated with the paste.
2. Pour in the water and add a pinch of salt, cover and cook for for 30 minutes. At this stage add in 200ml (1/2 a 400ml can) of coconut milk, leave the lid off now and simmer for a further 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Finally drop in the sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, give it a good stir then ladle into bowls, to be fancy you can garnish with strips of fresh coconut, a sprinkle of chopped coriander leaves and for a touch of red, a couple of thin strips of red chilli,
   

Serves 4

Coriander and Lime Chicken

Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts
6 Cloves Garlic (thinly chopped)
4 Tablespoons Fresh Coriander
2 Teaspoons Black peppercorns
2 Teaspoons Sugar
2 Limes (juiced)
2 Tablespoons Thai Fish Sauce (most supermarkets sell this)
1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
A Splash of oil

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Griddle Pan

The Good Bit

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and then chuck in the chicken, marinate for 1-2 hours (do not leave over night, 2 hours is plenty)
2. Dry griddle the chicken breasts for 7-8 minutes on each side until they are well coloured and have that burnt strip. Serve hot or cold, this goes lovely with pasta or a baguette.
   

Serves 4

Beef And Bok Choy

Ingredients
1 Bok Choy or 250g Salad Leaves (torn into pieces)
500g Steak (Pieces/Cubes Whatever is cheap)
150g Mangetout or Similar
150g Baby Sweetcorn (most supermarkets do these in a pack with mangetout, BONUS)
6 Spring/Salad Onions (chopped into cm long pieces)
2 Red Peppers (cut into thin strips)
2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sugar
A Splash of Oil
Noodles or Rice to Serve

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Wok
A Steamer (optional)
1 Spatula

The Good Bit

1. Steam your bok choy (or heat in a wok with a little water) until they start to wilt, remove and keep warm if you can.
2. Add a splash of oil to your wok (clean and dry it if you have just done your leaves in it), fry the beef until it just begins to brown on all sides, then add the mangetout, sweetcorn, spring onions, pepper, oyster and fish sauces and the sugar.
3. Stir fry (fry over a high heat but keep the food moving with your spatula) for 3 minutes or until the peppers just begins to go soft, serve this onto a bed of the bok choy or salad leaves with noodles or rice.
   

Serves 4

Thai Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts (if you are doing these on a barbecue why not go for 8 chicken wings or a few legs)
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Ginger
4 Shallots (finely chopped)
A Handful of Coriander Leaves (chopped)
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1/4 of a Can of Coconut Milk
2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce (optional, but authentic)
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
6 Garlic Cloves (if you are allowed)
2 Stalks of Lemon Grass (chopped, if you cant get this, a dash of lemon juice will do, fresh of bottled will do)

Equipment
1 Sharp Knife
A Chopping Board
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Oven Proof Dish
1 Chefs Brush

The Good Bit

1. Preheat your oven to 200c 400f or gas mark 6, mix together all the ingredients in the bowl (including the chicken) and leave for at least 4hours so if you can do this before you go out to work or the day before your BBQ that'd be better) (obviously don't preheat the oven until you are ready!!!)
   
2. Cook in the oven for 20-30mins or until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown (similar time on the BBQ, skewer it to make sure the juices are clear and not red) turn over occasionally and brush with the marinade.
3. Serve with the rest of your BBQ or a dish of rice, add on slices of lime for looks if you want to impress.

Serves 4