I thought I posted this recipe earlier, but a quick search revealed that it was missing from all my posts. This is one of my “go-to”recipes since it’s not that hard to make, however it does require a lot of prep in terms of cutting and chopping everything to be ready for the quick stir fry.

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup tamarind paste (store-bought or made yourself – can be substituted with ketchup in a pinch but not recommended)
• 2/3 cup fish sauce
• 2-3 thai chili’s (or other chili that you prefer)
• 4 garlic cloves
• firm tofu (optionally soaked in soy sauce for a few hours)
• 1 package pad thai noodles
• 2-3 green onions
• 1 cup loose bean sprouts
• 1 carrot
• 1 lime
• 2 eggs
• 1 chicken breast (or 12 shrimps or combination of chicken and shrimp)
• 2/3 peanuts
• coriander/chinese parsley for garnish

1. Soak the noodles in warm water for 30 minutes, do step 2 while waiting.
2. Prep all the ingredients by slicking the green onion into 3/4″ pieces, julienne the carrot and tofu, wash the bean sprouts, and slice the chicken breast into thin strips.
3. Make the sauce by combining the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind paste, stir well until sugar is dissolved.
4. Put the wok on the stove and turn to maximum setting, when the oil in the wok is smoking, quickly add the garlic and chilies, followed by the chicken. If using shrimp, add shrimp when chicken is almost completely cooked and then cook thoroughly.
5. Move the cooked chicken and shrimp to one side of the wok, exposing about half of the bottom of the wok, add a bit more oil. When the oil heats up, add the eggs and scramble lightly, then mix the entire meat mix with the eggs.
6. Wait for wok to heat up again then add the softened noodles. Add the sauce to the mix and toss until almost cooked. Add the carrot/green onions/bean sprouts, toss, then serve on a plate.
7. Garnish with coriander and crushed peanutes, and slices of lime.

Same recipe, using spaghetti instead of farfelle

Got this recipe from an old episode of Naked Chef.

• 10 pieces of pancetta or bacon
• olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely, chopped
• handful thyme
• 1/2 large savoy cabbage, halved, and, finely, sliced
• handful parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 lb. dried farfalle
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb. cheese, buffalo, mozzarella, diced into 1-inch pieces
• toasted pine nuts
  1. In a pan, fry off pancetta in a little olive oil until lightly golden.
  2. Add garlic and thyme and soften.
  3. Place in Savoy cabbage with the Parmesan then stir around and put the lid on the pan.
  4. Cook for a further 15 minutes, shaking every now and again, while you cook farfalle in salted boiling water until al dente.
  5. When the cabbage is nice and tender, season and loosen with some nice peppery extra virgin olive oil.
  6. Toss the drained farfalle into the cabbage and at the last minute mix in mozzarella and pine nuts.
  7. Serve immediately.

Here’s a great video on how to make California Rolls:

I saw this recipe on Roger’s TV show this week and gave it a shot myself, with a few exclusions because I was crunched for time. Served with some sauted spinach that had a dash of sesame oil.