THAI CHICKEN NOODLES

Necessity has been the mother of invention this week. 

Our long-planned house build is now imminent, and in the ongoing balancing act between what we want to live in and what we want to eat, imagination has won.  The wine tunnel is staying, as are the secret Narnia room and post-box laundry chute, but to allow for them all the food budget has to stay tight.

Fortunately, we’ve now got a cupboard full of basic ingredients that we mix and match, and having just made Spicy King Prawns  we also had leftover bits of ginger, lemongrass and lime.   This is the result - a quick and easy dish that didn’t cost the earth and still tastes delicious.  Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

handful of chopped coriander

Generous slug of olive oil

400ml can of light coconut milk

400ml chicken stock

2-3 chicken breasts (depending on size), chopped

30ml fish sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon of sugar

Juice of two limes, or bottled lime juice to taste

Handful of fresh baby spinach

Noodles

Pitta bread to serve

METHOD

1. Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions. 

2. Lightly fry the garlic, chillies, ginger, turmeric, coriander and onions in a heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat, stirring all the time.

2. When the onion has softened, add the coconut milk, lemongrass and stock.  Bring to the boil.

3.  Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and chicken.  Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through.  This should only take a few minutes.

4.  Remove the lemongrass and add the spinach, lime juice and prepared noodles.

5.  Serve with pitta bread and beer.