I have just been sent a box load of products from Thai food specialists Tuk Tuk Foods for me to review and create recipes from, so today I got to work on trying them out, and wow, yes wow, such intense flavours and mouth-tinglingly great combinations of ingredients.
Tuk Tuk Foods is the brainchild of Bangkok born Tukata Bird, 11th of twelve children, Tukata was trained by The Thai Royal Household as her Aunt was a chef there. Tukata was taught the fine art of pounding, chopping, grinding and combining the highest quality Thai herbs and spices. Tuk Tuk's dips and sauces have won many Gold, Silver and Bronze awards from the Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards. Tukata is based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England where she can often be seen on her food stall giving demonstrations.
The Salsa recipe is one of Tukatas own, and it is simplicity itself, once tried I am sure this will become a household favourite. I have used a tried and tested Tempura batter recipe thats simple and pretty much faultless. It uses Tuk Tuks Mild Green Chilli and Coriander dipping sauce, which would also be great over fish, crispy beef or pork.
All Tuk Tuks products are suitable for Vegans and Vegetarians, contain no preservatives, artificial colourings or flavourings and are gluten free and wheat free. And even better they are all produced in the UK using fresh ingredients. To order some of Tuk Tuk Foods products please visit their website www.tuktukfoods.co.uk which also has some awesome free Thai recipes to download too.
Ingredients
15 raw king prawns, shelled and de-veined
Pure vegetable oil for frying
Tempura batter mix1/2 egg beaten
50g plain four plus extra for dusting
Pinch of salt
Pinch of white pepper
Pinch of Bicarbonate of soda
125ml of ice cold lager, I used a Thai beer for more authenticity.
Salsa Ingredients
2 teaspoon of diced cucumber
1 teaspoon diced carrot
1 teaspoon sliced shallots
1 teaspoon coriander leaves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon lime zest
3 Tablespoons of Tuk Tuk Foods Green chilli & coriander dipping sauce
Method
1. Combine all the salsa ingredients together in a bowl, stir well and place in fridge until ready to use.
2. Pre-heat a deep fat fryer to 170C, or carefully use a heavy bottomed large pan.
3. Make the batter mix, making sure that the lager is ICE cold, I placed the bottle in the freezer for 30 minutes prior. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and gently whisk, do not over whisk, its fine to have lumps of flour, this adds to the texture of the batter.
4. Dust the prawns in some seasoned flour, then dip into the bater mix, making sure the whole prawn is coated, then gently fry 4-5 of the prawns at a time in the heated oil, for around 4-5 minutes or until golden and cooked through. ( I always cut one in half, to check they are cooked all the way through). Then drain on some kitchen paper.
5. Plate the prawns with a small bowl of the salsa for dipping. Enjoy!
Serves two as a starter
