Prad Kra Pow..... and an uninvited dinner guest!

Well Miss A, after such glowing recommendations on Hawkers Cuisine, we set out in search of it on Thursday night (following the opening party at the Ellington Jazz Club -where we missed out on the free snacks!). It started really well, until in a moment of confusion, it seems we were hijacked by the uber enthusiastic staff at Billy Lees and were seated in their establishment, rather than Hawkers....!

So, given we were so hungry we figured that would be fine too. And it was until we had an uninvited dinner guest and were forced to abandon ship half way through our meal. And a fine meal it was - we ordered the BBQ Duck and the XO Pork Spare ribs, which were indeed XO good! We couldn't in fact quite work out what they were - it was like a lovely, unhealthy cross between KFC chicken, schnitzel and pork.... boneless for the most part, they were covered in a lovely, crumby, tasty batter and deep fried and served with a melange of fried chilli, spring onions, garlic and ginger liberally sprinked over the top! Yum. As was the duck. And the rice. Until, half way through our feast, we had a massive flying cockroach dive bomb the duck - it had a wee swim around in the sauce and then decided it would like to take a walk across our rice.... at which point the uber enthusiastic staff decided to totally disappear inside and we were left to fend for ourselves. When the cockroach made it clear that it didn't want to leave, we decided that we would have to, sadly leaving behind half a duck and the XO ribs.... shame.

On another note, I did make one of my favourite quick weeknight dinners, where the recipe comes courtesy of another Northbridge icon - Dusit Thai. They run cooking classes every 6 weeks or so where they teach you how to make some of their flagship recipes - and then the class all sit down to devour the creations. For $60 a class, it's a stelllar idea - see their website for details....

So, this is their Prad Kra Pow Nued or Stir Fried Beef with Chilli & Basil.... and trust me, it really does taste exactly like theirs, which to me, is the pinnacle of good cookery!

Beef with Chill and Basil (courtesy of Dusit Thai) - Serving for 4

2 Large Pieces of Beef Rump Steak
2 Red Chillies sliced finely
2 Green Chillies sliced finely (I usually omit these and it still tastes fab!)
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Large Brown Onion - peeled and sliced finely
1 Tbs Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
Fresh Basil Leaves

Slice the beef really finely - a tip is to partly freeze the meat which makes it really easy to slice in even, fine strips.

Use 3/4 of the chopped chillies and crush these together with the garlic cloves. Fry this paste in some oil, then add the beef and onions and toss together until mostly cooked. Add the sugar, sauces and mix together.

Add the chicken stock to taste - I like quite a 'saucy' sauce so I add it all - and stir through. Add the basil and the remaining chillies and serve with a big bowl of steamed rice.

Tasting Notes:

• This is super simple yet has a lovely zesty heat to it....
• You can add other vegetables - I've made this with asparagus, chopped and thrown in at the end, as well as red peppers. Vary it to your taste.
• Obviously adjust the heat to your taste by omitting or adding chilli
• Again, thanks to Dusit Thai for teaching and sharing this recipe. If you can get to a class, I highly recommend them!