Thai food – here’s how to cook it at home

The third season of The White Lotus, Mike White’s luxury-holiday-turned-murder-mystery juggernaut, has landed in Thailand, and viewers are doing what they always do after an episode: booking fictional spa retreats in their heads, googling the filming locations (this season’s reportedly shot around Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok), and wondering if that suspiciously charming concierge is about to kill someone.

But back in the real world, something else is happening. Sales of pad Thai are soaring, fishcakes are flying off shelves, and Waitrose has the data to prove it – demand for its chicken pad thai ready meal for one is up 44 per cent, and Thai salmon fishcakes have surged by 188 per cent. Why? Because the only thing more transportive than HBO-grade cinematography is a really good curry paste.

Searches for Thai recipes have jumped 69 per cent week-on-week, and interest in pad Thai itself is up 120 per cent. It seems we’re all trying to recreate the magic of White Lotus from our own kitchens – minus the body count.

So, whether you're in the mood for chargrilled curry chicken skewers with zingy lime, a red curry that’s quicker than calling Deliveroo, or a stir-fried ginger beef that’ll have you hooked faster than the theme tune, here are three Thai-inspired recipes from Waitrose to bring a little five-star flavour to your next weeknight dinner.

Speedy hake and king prawn red curry

Serve up this delicious Thai-style fish curry in less than 15 minutes; quicker and tastier than a take out. You can cook your own rice in 10-12 minutes, or use a couple of pouches of ready-cooked.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced

1 red chilli, thinly sliced

½ x 25g pack fresh coriander, stalks finely chopped, plus leaves, to serve

4 tbsp Thai red curry paste

400g coconut milk

120g extra fine green beans, halved

200g pack hake fillets, cut into large chunks

165g pack raw king prawns

Rice, to serve

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan or large, lidded frying pan. Add the spring onions (reserve some green parts to garnish), the chilli and coriander, then fry for 2 minutes.

2. Stir in the curry paste and coconut milk, then bring to a simmer. Add the green beans, fish, prawns and a little salt, then return to a simmer. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the fish is cooked through, opaque and flakes easily with a fork and the prawns are pink, opaque and cooked through.

3. Scatter over the coriander leaves and reserved green spring onions, then serve with the rice and lime wedges.

Cook’s tip: For added crunch, serve with some crushed salted peanuts for sprinkling over. Deseed the chilli before slicing, if you prefer things less spicy.

 The Independent