{"id":4609,"date":"2013-03-28T12:19:27","date_gmt":"2013-03-28T12:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=4609"},"modified":"2013-05-27T05:31:11","modified_gmt":"2013-05-27T05:31:11","slug":"comfort-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/comfort-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Comfort Food – Pad Thai"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the days that the more exclusive food shops in Munich, and even the Viktualienmarkt can’t cut the mustard, when looking for certain ingredients I head to Rosenheimer Platz, and a little Shop<\/a> that I love, and which more often that not has comes up with the goods.<\/p>\n

Not only is it nice to be amongst both food and people with which I have a shared connection of not being from around these parts (I often head here if I am feeling homesick strangely enough), it’s a treasure trove for ingredients from all over the globe. And if you are looking, stocks a variety of English goods including brown sugar, PG Tips, Heinz beans, Colemans Mustard and Horlicks of all things…<\/p>\n

When I walk in to the cool room at the back of the shop, I am always transported back to past travels thanks to the heady aroma of fresh herbs and a definite hint of durian for added authenticity…<\/p>\n

On this particular visit, my basket was quickly stuffed with Thai basil, pak choi, hot chillies, limes of both the fruit and the leaf variety and a rather squat green papaya. \u00a0 It is a slightly dangerous place in that I can never just buy what I have actually come in for, and predictably curry pastes, gochujang, \u00a0miso and some dried seaweed quickly get chucked as well. \u00a0 \u00a0 Fragile rice noodles, and three tins of coconut milk at a fraction of the supermarket price make the grade too, and finally some English tea bags top off the lot for good measure.<\/p>\n

A lot of it got made into Pad Thai later that evening, reminding me this time not of trips to the East, but of a much missed South London local and its great Thai kitchen… (I find the kick from the chillies helps beat the cold too!)…<\/p>\n

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Pad Thai (Serves 4):<\/p>\n

2tbs fish sauce;
\n6tbs palm sugar;
\n4tbs tamarind concentrate;
\n5tbs peanut or vegetable oil;
\n8 red shallots finely chopped;
\n4 eggs;
\n250g dried rice noodles blanched in boiling water;
\n2tbs dried prawns, rinsed and dried;
\n2tbs chopped roasted peanuts;
\n2 handfuls of trimmed beanshoots;
\n1 spring onion sliced;
\nyour choice of extra beanshoots, fresh chillies, limes, large prawns, cooked sliced chicken etc., lime wedges to serve.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mix the tamarind concentrate with palm sugar and fish sauce until sugar dissolves, set aside.<\/p>\n

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat.
\nFry the shallots until they begin to colour,
\nadd eggs and cook through until they begin to resemble scrambled egg,
\nturn up the heat and add the cooked noodles, then the tamarind mixture, and simmer for a few minutes.
\nStir in dried prawns, and peanuts and stir until most of the sauce is absorbed,
\nAdd beanshoots and spring onions and stir for a few minutes.
\nTransfer to serving dishes, and top with the optional ingredients.<\/p>\n

Recipe adapted from a Pad Thai recipe in the very excellent Lonely Planet Street Food…<\/p>\n

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