Chicken & turkey· GF · DF · NUTS

Chicken Pad Thai Base

Name: Chicken Pad Thai Base
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 600g chicken thigh fillets, thin strips; 200g carrots, matchsticks; 1 (160g) red pepper, thin strips; 150g shallots or onion, sliced; 4 cloves (20g) garlic; 60g (4 tbsp) tamarind paste; 60ml fish sauce; 50g light brown sugar; 3g chilli flakes; 60g roasted peanuts, chopped; 4 (60g) spring onions, sliced; 10g cornflour; 20ml rapeseed oil; 200ml water

Chicken, carrot and pepper in a sweet, sour and salty tamarind sauce with peanuts. Reheat, toss through rice noodles, done.

makes 18 blocks, about 42p each

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BatchJoy

batchjoy.com/recipes/chicken-pad-thai-base/

Illustration of a bowl of Chicken Pad Thai Base

Time: 30 min20 min prep · 10 min cook
Makes: 18 blocks
Cost per blockPer block: 42p
Calories per blockCalories: 106 kcal
Spice: 2 of 5

You’ll need

Batch size

blocks

600gchicken thigh fillets, thin strips
200gcarrots, matchsticks
1 (160g)red pepper, thin strips
150gshallots or onion, sliced
4 cloves (20g)garlic
60g (4 tbsp)tamarind paste
60mlfish sauce
50glight brown sugar
3gchilli flakes
60groasted peanuts, chopped
4 (60g)spring onions, sliced
10gcornflour
20mlrapeseed oil
200mlwater

Allergens: Fish, Peanuts. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

Serve it

Toss with rice noodles, beansprouts, lime and extra peanuts · Fold a scrambled egg through as you toss · Over jasmine rice if you're out of noodles

Method

Step 1: Mix the tamarind, fish sauce, sugar, chilli flakes, cornflour and water in a jug until the sugar dissolves. This is the pad thai sauce.
Step 2: Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat and stir-fry the chicken until golden and cooked through. (6 min)
Step 3: Add the shallots, carrots and pepper and stir-fry for 3 minutes, then the garlic for 1 minute.
Step 4: Pour in the sauce and bubble for 2 minutes until glossy and thick enough to coat the chicken.
Step 5: Off the heat, stir in the peanuts and spring onions. Cool quickly and freeze in 70g blocks.

Hotter: add 2 sliced bird's eye chillies with the shallots, or chilli flakes at the table.

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per block	106	8.1g	8.8g	4.5g	1.2g	1.28g
Per 3 blocks	318	24.3g	26.4g	13.5g	3.6g	3.84g

Cook’s notes

To serve 1: soak 75g dried flat rice noodles, reheat 3 blocks in a wok with 2 tbsp water, then toss the noodles through for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the beansprouts and egg fresh; neither freezes well.
Taste the sauce before freezing: it should be equally sweet, sour and salty.

Serve it

Toss with rice noodles, beansprouts, lime and extra peanuts · Fold a scrambled egg through as you toss · Over jasmine rice if you're out of noodles.

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
Reheat: Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
A portion: 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 318 kcal and 24.3g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.

Chicken Pad Thai Base questions

Can I use prawns instead of chicken?

Raw king prawns work well. Stir-fry them for 2 to 3 minutes until just pink rather than the full 6 minutes, then carry on with the veg. Prawns are crustaceans, so label the blocks.

Why mix the sauce before I start cooking?

The stir-fry moves quickly over a high heat, so having the sauce ready lets you pour it in straight after the garlic before anything catches. Mixing the cornflour into the cold liquid first also stops it forming lumps.

Which noodles work best?

Flat rice noodles about 5mm wide are the classic choice and hold the sauce well. Thin rice vermicelli also works; soak it for less time so it doesn't turn soft when you toss it through.