BMF'S FOOD COLUMN!

SA-WA-DEE-KA !!!!

So I finally managed to get over my post holiday
depression (it took a while) and am back to deliver my weekly lectures! I have noticed that some students are lacking in the food knowledge department *cough Cela cough* and I blame myself as the teacher. This year I am stepping up my game!

So as most of you know, I took a long trip to my favourite country in the world, THAILAND! This was my 8th visit and by golly, the food gets better every time I go. There Is ONE basic rule you need to follow, to ensure your Thai food tastes authentic. There must be a perfect balance of hot, salty, sour, sweet and spicy. If you get all those elements right, then well done you!! The ultimate ingredient to use in Thai cooking is Thai basil, it is god dam sensational in fact I think Adam and Eve (Silvia would have made a beautiful Eve by the way) should have hidden their "private parts" with Thai basil leaves instead of fig leaves!

So the conundrum I faced when writing this lecture was picking ONE Thai dish to teach to you all. It took me 1 hr 46 mins 33 seconds to decide upon which beloved dish to choose ( Ok so 1hr of that time was spent re-watching Pepsi Vids and googling Marian) but I chose what I consider to be a household favourite and an absolute classic.

Oh and one more thing before I begin. I know in a previous lecture I said I was in love with pumpkins. Well let me just tell you something, pumpkins do not measure up to my all time favourite ingredient EVER. Can anyone guess what it is?? No? Anyone?? Ok I will tell you….it’s the COCONUT!!

Student ( the hot one in the front row) asks.. " Why, oh why BMF, do you like coconuts so much?"
My answer, "That is a very good question. I like coconuts because they are incredibly versatile. You can use EVERY part of a coconut. The hair from the husk can be used to make brushes or even used by birds to make nests. The shell makes wonderful furniture, bowls spoons etc. It can also be used to make coconut Bikini tops which would look bloody amazing on a certain red head. The flesh can be eaten as it is or pressed to make coconut milk or cream(the main constituents of Thai cooking) and the coconut water can be drunken."

Ok time for the recipe..

THAI GREEN CURRY WITH PRAWNS

Ingredients for curry

A large bunch of asparagus
1/2 a fresh red chilli
1tbsp groundnut oil
1tbsp sesame oil
400g king prawns, raw, peeled
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
A handful of mangetout
1 lime
Ingredients for paste.
2 stalks of lemongrass
4 spring onions
3 fresh green chillies
4 cloves of garlic
A thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger
A large bunch of fresh coriander
1tsp coriander seeds 8 fresh or dried lime leaves (optional)
3tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp fish sauce

METHOD TO MAKE YOUR GREEN CURRY PASTE

Trim the lemongrass stalks, peel back and discard the outer leaves, and crush the stalks by bashing them a few times with the heel of your hand ( which hurts if you have delicate hands like mine!) or a rolling pin( I highly recommend this option, it is a great stress reliever)

Trim the spring onions. Halve and de-seed the green chillies. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and ginger. Set aside a few sprigs of fresh coriander, and whizz the rest in a food processor( or if you have had too many coffees or redbulls, use a pestal and mortar) with the lemongrass stalks, spring onions, chillies, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds and lime leaves , until everything is finely chopped . While whizzing, pour in the soy sauce and fish sauce and blitz again until you have a smooth paste.

TO MAKE YOUR CURRY
Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and discard them.
 
Run the stalks through a runner bean slicer, or finely slice them lengthways with a knife. Finely chop the red chilli and put to one side.

Place a large pan or wok over a high heat. When it's really hot, add the groundnut and sesame oils, swirl them around, then carefully drop in the prawns. Add the asparagus and your green curry paste and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Pour in the coconut milk and add the mangetout. Give it all a good stir, bring to the boil and cook for a few minutes. Have a taste and add a bit more soy sauce if you think it needs it. To get the limes juices going, apply pressure to it and roll it around, then cut it in half. Squeeze the juice into the pan.