Cook with Kirly-Sue

Welcome to ‘Cook with Kirly-Sue’. I hope you will become a regular participant with me in discussing food and drink.

‘Cook with Kirly-Sue’ is a celebration of the foods I like to eat. Simple enough, right? But this is only a start, because I hope you’ll share your favourites with me and all the other Keep The Faith readers! I will always share tasty, easy-to-make recipes and cooking tips with you.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via my social media handles, @KirlySuesKitchen or for more information visit kirlysueskitchen.co.uk

There is a brilliantly complex taste in Thai food and it's easy to make at home. The 10 essential ingredients for Thai cooking are: Thai fish sauce (but you can get a vegan version of this), curry paste, white vinegar, coconut milk, rice, chillies, black pepper and limes.

Towering skyscrapers, sacred temples and vibrant nightlife all describe Bangkok, which is Thailand’s capital city. This amazing city has a lot to offer vegan travellers, with its countless options — from local Thai dishes to Indian and your classic American hamburgers — made vegan. There are fine dining restaurants where you can indulge in the most beautiful upmarket setting, and tiny familyrun places, food courts and street food. You can’t go wrong with vegan food in this city.

Raw Vegan Pad Thai

Ingredients

• 1 small courgette (zucchini), spiralised or grated

• 2 carrots, spiralised or grated

• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and very thinly sliced

• 1 cup (80g) finely shredded white cabbage

• 1 cup (80g) bean sprouts, trimmed

• 1 cup (150g) edamame

• 1 cup Thai basil leaves

Dressing

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 1/4 cup (70g) peanut butter

• 2 tbs lime juice

• 21/2 tbs pure maple syrup

• 1/2 tbs sesame oil

• 1 tsp grated ginger

Method

• For the dressing, place all the ingredients in a blender with 2 tablespoons of water and blend until combined, adding a little more water to thin the mixture, if necessary, then set aside.

• Peel each zucchini into thin strips. If you have a spiralizer or a large grater, you can also use those for a similar effect.

• Place the courgette, carrot, red bell pepper, cabbage, bean sprouts and edamame in a large bowl.

• Add the dressing and toss to combine. Divide among serving plates, top with the basil.

• Taste, and adjust seasonings to taste.

• Top with crushed nuts and serve.