Yui Miles’s calls on her Bangkok chilhood for these zing recipes

Steamed cod with ginger and soy (Pla neung see ew) 

Steaming is a common cooking method in Thai cuisine, and one that retains the moisture within the food. This is a delicious version of a steamed fish recipe handed down to me from my dad.

Serves 2

Cooking time 25 minutes

• 2 cod fillets
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely sliced into matchsticks
• ½ small onion, finely sliced
• 1-2 red chillies, finely sliced
• coriander leaves, to garnish

For the dipping sauce

• 1 tbsp miso paste
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp grated garlic
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp soy sauce

1 Mix together all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

2 Cut out a piece of baking parchment big enough to wrap both fish fillets generously. Place the fillets in the centre of the parchment then top with the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, onion and chilli.

3 Loosely wrap the parchment over the fish into a parcel, securing it with kitchen string.

4 Using a vegetable steamer (a bamboo one is ideal, steam the parcel for 10-12 minutes over a medium heat.

5 Carefully open the parcel and transfer the fish to plates. Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve alongside seasonal vegetables and the dipping sauce.

EASY SWAP

• Substitute the cod with any white fish such as hake, pollock or haddock.

Prawn toast (Khanom pang na kuung)

A delicious snack from my childhood. Don’t throw away any stale bread! Make this dish instead.

Makes 20-24 pieces

Cooking time 25 minutes

• 200g raw peeled prawns
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ground white pepper
• 5-6 slices of stale bread, each cut into 4 triangles
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds (use a mixture of black and white)
• 100ml vegetable oil

To serve

• Thai sweet chilli sauce or sweet plum sauce

1 Chop the prawns until coarsely minced, then put in a bowl with the spring onions, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, egg yolk, garlic and pepper. Mix well.

2 Spread the mixture thinly and evenly over each triangle of bread, then sprinkle sesame seeds on top of each.

3 Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat and shallow-fry the triangles sesame side-down to start with, for 3 minutes, then turn them over and fry for 2-3 minutes more, until cooked and golden. Serve with sweet chilli or plum sauce.

EASY SWAP

• Use minced pork or chicken instead of prawns.

Drunken noodles (Pad kee mao)

This hot and spicy stir-fried rice noodle dish is a popular Thai street food. ‘Kee mao’ translates as ‘drunken’ and several theories exist around the name. Most people say that it refers to the spiciness, making diners drink heavily to combat the heat. Some believe it’s because it is an excellent hangover cure. Others reckon it’s because the dish is so hot that the diner has to be drunk to stand it!

Serves 2

Cooking time 25 minutes

• 115g dried flat rice noodles (or you can use vermicelli rice or egg noodles)
• 4-5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3-4 large dried chillies
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3-4 fresh red chillies
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 150g boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• handful of green beans, chopped into lengths of about 3cm
• 4-5 baby corns, sliced in half lengthwise
• 2-3 vines of fresh baby green peppercorns (see easy swaps)
• 2 handfuls of Thai basil

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar

1 Soak the noodles in cold water for about 10 minutes to soften them up. Rinse, transfer to a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and mix well. Set aside.

2 Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set it aside.

3 Drizzle the remaining 3-4 tablespoons of oil into a frying pan over a medium heat, add the dried chillies and quickly fry for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and set the chillies aside (leaving the oil behind in the pan).

4 Add the garlic to the pan and quickly stir, then add the fresh red chillies and onion. Stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

5 Add the chicken and mix well for a couple of minutes, then add the green beans and baby corn and mix well.

6 Add the drained noodles and the sauce and toss to mix, then add 2-3 tablespoons of water, if needed, to loosen the sauce.

7 Add the peppercorns and Thai basil, then toss and remove from the heat.

8 Top with the reserved fried chillies and serve.

EASY SWAPS

• If you can’t find fresh young peppercorns use the version in brine or simply leave them out.
• You can use Italian basil in place of the Thai basil.

Grandma’s sticky pork belly (Kai Palow Khun Yay)

This Chinese-style braise is a childhood favourite of mine that brings back happy memories every time I cook it.

Serves 4

Cooking time 60 minutes

• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1kg pork belly, cut into 2cm-3cm cubes
• 4 baby shallots, finely sliced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 10g ginger, grated, plus 25g, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp sweet soy sauce (see tip, right)
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• 2 star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tsp honey
• 3 long red chillies, sliced
• 1 litre stock or water
• 2 carrots, chopped in chunks
• bunch of Thai basil, leaves only

To serve

• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• steamed rice

1 Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the pork-belly cubes, shallots, garlic, grated ginger and half of the sliced ginger.

2 Fry until the pork belly is lightly caramelised then turn the heat down to medium. Add the soy sauces, sugar, star anise, cinnamon sticks, oyster sauce, honey and two-thirds of the chillies. Combine well.

3 Add the stock or water and bring to the boil. Add the carrots and reduce to a simmer for 50-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced.

4 Take off the heat, mix in the basil leaves, the remaining chilli slices and sliced ginger, then serve with the hard-boiled eggs and steamed rice.

TIP

• Sweet soy is a Chinese-influenced sauce that is sticky and almost black – similar to the Indonesian staple kecap manis. Look for a brand such as Lee Kum Kee and seek it out in major supermarkets or from ocado.com.

EASY SWAP

• Try using pork or beef ribs in place of the pork belly.

Stir-fried squash with egg (Pad fak tong)

Serves 2

Cooking time 20 minutes

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 280g butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled,deseeded and cut into2.5cm chunks
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 eggs
• a little finely sliced red chilli
• handful of Thai basil leaves
• salt and ground white pepper

To serve

• jasmine rice, cooked

1 Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat, add the garlic and  fry for 1-2 minutes until golden. Add the squash and stir-fry for 10 minutes until tender.

2 Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, then stir to coat the pumpkin.

3 Add the eggs and leave to half-cook before mixing them through the other ingredients.

4 Season with salt and pepper, add the chilli and Thai basil, give it all a quick toss, then serve with the jasmine rice.

Panang beef curry (Kaeng panang neu)

A rich, nutty Thai panang curry goes so well with beef. While many Thai curries are quite brothy, panang is more of a modest sauce that is rich, sweet, salty and nutty with a hint of spice from the cumin, coriander and nutmeg. 

Serves 2

Cooking time 30 minutes

• ½ x 400g can of coconut milk
• 1-2 tbsp panang curry paste (see easy swaps, right)
• 1 rump steak, finely sliced
• handful of green beans, halved
• 1-2 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1-2 makrut lime leaves, central woody stem removed, finely shredded (see easy swaps)
• handful of Thai basil leaves
• To garnish
• finely sliced red chilli
•  1-2 makrut lime leaves, central woody stem removed, finely shredded

To serve

• jasmine rice, steamed

1 Scoop 2-3 tablespoons of the thick part of the coconut milk into a saucepan and place over a high heat. When bubbling, add the curry paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

2 Add the steak slices and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the green beans and stir well.

3 Season with the sugar and fish sauce and add the lime leaves, then about 120ml of the coconut milk. Mix well and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

4 Taste and adjust the saltiness by adding more fish sauce if needed. Add the Thai basil leaves, give it all a quick stir then remove from the heat.

5 Serve with steamed jasmine rice, garnished with the red chillies and lime leaves.

EASY SWAPS

• You can find panang curry paste online and in major supermarkets. If you would prefer a more authentic version, browse Asian grocery stores. For a ‘cheat’ solution, you can simply mix Thai red curry paste with 1 tablespoon of ground roasted peanuts.
• I’ve used beef for this recipe, but do also try it with chicken, pork, prawns or tofu.
• You can always substitute the makrut lime leaves with a little lemon or lime zest.

Now buy the book 

Our recipes are taken from Thai Made Easy by Yui Miles, with photographs by Luke Albert, published by Quadrille, £22. To order a copy for £18.70 until 18 February go to or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.