[Mirabelle]

Here are some super Thai meals we've enjoyed - hope you like them, ~Abibliophobe~

"Shrimps" in England are those tiny little brown things usually fished from Morecame Bay, but are best really for potted shrimp, a traditional British recipe that I'll look for later; it's excellent. Otherwise, shrimps in Europe are large, but Thailand's are pretty enormous though not quite as eye wateringly expensive as lobster.

Recipe 1 was written by food writer and cook Nigel Slater. And recipe 2 came from Nick Nairn, TV chef and food writer for BBC Good Food. Both Thai recipes are authentic.

Green prawn curry with fresh dill - Recipe version 1

Fresh dill, sometimes referred to as Laotian coriander, is widely used in Laos for fish or other seafood dishes. The dill fronds are added at the last minute as a garnish. Eat this with steamed sticky rice.

Serves 4

3 tbs vegetable oil
5 tbs Thai curry paste
1 tbs shrimp paste
1 tbs palm or granulated sugar
500ml thick coconut milk
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
4-6 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
fish sauce to taste
2 large waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm pieces
675g raw tiger prawns, peeled and de-veined
1 bunch of dill

Heat the oil in a pot over a moderately high heat and stir-fry the curry paste for about 2 minutes or until just golden and fragrant. Add the shrimp paste (breaking it up) and palm sugar, and stir-fry for 1 minute or until fragrant. Reduce the heat and add the coconut milk, stock, kaffir lime leaves and fish sauce to taste. Add the potatoes, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the prawns and stir well, then cover again and cook for about 5 minutes or until they turn pink. Serve hot, garnished with dill fronds.


Green curry of prawns with aubergines and basil - Recipe version 2

Prep time less than 30 mins
Cook time 10 to 30 mins
Serves 1

Caution: Recipe uses Scotch bonnet chillies -very hot!

For the prawn stock
8 tiger prawn, shells and heads only
100ml/3½fl oz boiling water
15g/½oz root ginger

For the aubergines and prawns
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 baby aubergines, cut into wedges
1 scotch bonnet chilli, sliced
30g/1oz root ginger, cut into batons
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tiger prawns
2 spring onions, chopped

For the curry paste
large handful fresh coriander
2 tbsp double cream
1 lime, zest only
large handful fresh mint
1 scotch bonnet chilli, chopped

To garnish
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
fresh coriander leaves

For the prawn stock, place the prawn shells and heads, boiling water and ginger into a saucepan and boil for ten minutes.

Strain the mixture into a clean bowl. Discard the shells and ginger.

For the aubergines and prawns, heat the oil in a wok until smoking hot. Add the aubergines and cook for two minutes. Add the chilli, ginger and garlic to the wok and cook for one minute.

Add the prawns and spring onions to the wok and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the prawns are coloured on all sides and are cooked through.

For the curry paste, place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and blend to a paste.

Add the paste and the prawn stock to the aubergines and prawns in the wok and cook for three minutes.

To serve, stir in the basil and pour into a serving bowl. Garnish with the Greek yoghurt and the fresh coriander leaves.