I’ve just been working at The Allergy and Free From Show. I cooked some free-from Thai food. It’s fascinating – in this world of cutting dairy, wheat and gluten there are a lot of cuisines around the world that are naturally free from some of these things. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Thai food, for example, is predominantly gluten and dairy free.

I’ve added some of my recipes at the end of this post, including Thai fish cakes, pad Thai and pork skewers with cashew nut satay and a coriander dipping sauce – enjoy!

I’m also running a Thai cookery class at the Braxted Park Cookery School later in the year – see here.

For development chefs, there is a lot of work going on making gluten free products by looking at the Middle East and Far East . In Thai and Vietnamese cuisine they use rice flour, rice noodles, coconut milk and really flavoursome natural products like lemongrass, galangal, ginger, chilli, lime, pomelo and coriander. You let the vegetable and herb products do the singing.

Some of the desserts are really good because they are dairy free although high in sugar. See my recipe below for fried coconut rice balls with mango and chilli sauce.

For Londoners there is a big steer into this cleaner, healthier food- they are stepping away from the junk food side of things and the heavy Bangladeshi and Indian curries. Thai and Vietnamese food is coming to fore because it’s naturally healthy and free from some of the richer and heavier ingredients. And there is a big move towards broth, stocks and flavoursome liquids. There is a massive surge on at the moment.

Thai fish cakes with homemade sweet chilli sauce and green papaya, pomelo salad

Ingredients for fish cakes

200g salmon skin off and 200g white fish (pollock, plaice,haddock)

100g chopped cooked prawns

1 clove garlic chopped

10g chopped ginger

10g coriander leaves

1 red chilli small chopped

1 lime juice and zest

1 egg white

2 spring onions shredded

10g fish sauce and 10g soy sauce

Method

• place the garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander, fish and soy sauce in a blender and blitz to a fine paste
• mince or blitz the fish together then combine all the ingredients in a bowl and kneed to a firm dough. (may need a small amount of cornflower)
• mould into 50g pucks and then allow to rest. Heat a fryer or oil to 170c then fry the cakes until nice golden brown colour. Remove and drain and keep warm

Ingredients for the sauce

100ml white wine

100ml rice wine vinegar

100g honey

1tsp tomato puree

6g red chilli flakes or chopped red chilli

Method

• In a small sauce pan combine all the ingredients and then bring to a simmer and reduce by half stirring constantly.
• Allow to cool and for best results leave for 24 hours as the chilli heat will increase

Ingredients for the salad

1 pomello or pink grapefruit

1 green mango (thai) or normal mango (under ripe)

10g coriander leaves

½ cucumber

Method

• Remove the skin off the pomelo and then open each segment and flake the fleshy part of the segments into a bowl
• Peel and then cut the mango into thin matchsticks
• Chop the coriander roughly
• Using a peeler strip the cumber into ribbons
• Combine all ingredients with a small amount of the sauce and serve

 Pork skewers with cashew nut satay and a coriander dipping sauce

Ingredients for the skewers

400g of pork tender loin

10 bamboo skewers

60ml Sesame oil

60ml vegetable oil

Pinch of ground cumin, turmeric, ground coriander

½ red chilli chopped

1tsp fish sauce

1tsp soy sauce

Method

• Cut the tender loin into 10 nice even strips or pieces. Then place onto the skewers
• In a bowl whisk the oils with the spices and sauces then allow to settle. Now coat the skewers and leave to marinade for 30 minutes minimum

Ingredients for cashew satay sauce

150g roasted cashew nuts

150g coconut milk

1 red chill chopped

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic

Pinch of ground cumin, turmeric, ground coriander

1tbsp sesame oil

1tbsp vegetable oil

1tbsp chopped coriander

Method

• In a food processor combine all the ingredients and then blend to a coarse paste
• Remove and place into a bowl

To serve

• Heat a griddle pan and then remove the pork skewers from the marinade and colour on all sides until cooked

Warm the sauce and serve drizzled over the skewers or on the side

Tom Yam Broth

Ingredients

1.5 litres of water

Fish stock cube or chicken cube

2 lemon grass sticks ridges cut into them

40g galangal peeled and chopped rough

6 kaffir lime leaves

3 red chilies split (seeds in or out depending on heat)

4 cloves of garlic

500g prawns raw

300g Shitake mushrooms sliced

200g plum tomatoes rough chopped (seeds removed if you wish)

1 red onion sliced

30g sugar

50g fish sauce

Salt to taste

150ml lime juice

½ bunch of coriander

Method

• On a roasting tray place the chillies and roast in an oven at 180c for 10 -12 minutes so that they roast and colour slightly. Then remove from the oven and then either chop or grind to a paste
•  In a large saucepan heat the water with the stock cube, once simmering quickly blanch the prawns in the water to cook them but also keep some of the flavour in the water. Remove and allow to cool. Now add the onion, lemon grass, galangal, chilli, garlic, lime leaves and mushroom and allow to simmer gently for about 10 minutes
• Now add the tomatoes, sugar, fish sauce, salt and again simmer for about 10 minutes
• Add the prawns and allow to warm through then add the lime juice, coriander and then serve immediately

Thai green chicken curry with fragrant jasmine rice

Ingredients

For the curry paste

4 lemongrass stalks

3 red chillies and 3 green chillies seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

40g piece of galangal or ginger, peeled and chopped

1 red onion, peeled and chopped

Small bunch chopped fresh coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 lime zested

3 tbsp Thai fish sauce

½ tsp ground black peppercorns

For the curry

1kg chicken breasts or thighs, bones removed

60ml vegetable oil

250g chestnut mushrooms cut into quarters

2 red onion peeled and sliced

2 ea red pepper chopped large pieces

800ml coconut milk

500ml chicken stock

8 lime leaves and 1 lime juiced

2 tbsp Thai fish sauce

3 ea Bok choi chopped

basil, coriander (leaves and stalks,) roughly chopped

Method

For the curry paste

• slice the lemongrass and put it in a food processor with all the remaining curry paste ingredients and whiz to a thick paste you may need to Push the mixture down from time to time to make sure it blends Transfer to a bowl, cover and place in a fridge.

For the curry

• Warm the oil in a saucepan and when hot and sizzling, add the chicken pieces and let them colour slightly on all sides. Small amounts at a time so not to boil
• Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to the side
• Add the onions, pepper, mushrooms to the pan and fry until lightly coloured, adding more oil if needed. add the curry paste to taste and allow to cook out slightly for a few minutes
• Pour in the coconut milk and stock, then add the lime leaves, , the fish sauce and half of the chopped herbs. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Return the chicken to the pan with the bok choi and simmer for five minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the last of the herbs and squeeze in some lime juice

Pad Thai with peanuts and prawn

To make sauce

Ingredients

20g tamarind paste

20g soy sauce

20g palm sugar

10g fish sauce

2g chilli flakes

100ml chicken or vegetable stock

Method

• Combine all ingredients together and then in a frying pan bring to the boil and reduce to a sticky sauce

For the pad thai 

Ingredients

½ leek cut into thin strips

1 red onion peeled and sliced (root removed)

2 spring onion angle cut sliced

150g bean sprouts

5g ginger minced

1 clove garlic chopped

½ red chilli sliced

Pinch of dried chilli flakes

120g cooked king prawns

10g chives batons

150g rice noodles cooked

1 whole egg whisked

20g vegetable oil

¼ bunch coriander chopped

¼ bunch mint chopped

30g chopped salted peanuts

½ a lime

10g fried crispy shallots

Pad thai sauce

Method

• Heat a wok or frying pan with a small amount of oil then add the ginger, garlic and chilli flakes. Stir fry for about 30 seconds.
• Now add the vegetables and then stir fry for 1 minute. Now add the chiil slices, prawns and the egg and stir fry until egg has cooked. add the noodles and pad thai sauce and combine together
• Last minute add the herbs, lime
• Serve and sprinkle over the crispy shallots and peanuts

Fried coconut rice balls with mango and chilli sauce 

Ingredients:

400g Sushi grade rice

700g Coconut milk

90g Caster sugar

40g Desiccated coconut

100ml whipping cream

To coat:

70g Desiccated coconut and 30g rice flour, mixed

Preparation of rice:

• Wash rice under cold water for 10 minutes. Drain.
• Combine all ingredients in a pan. Stirring constantly, bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Remove and place into shallow trays and cover. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
• Refrigerate to set.

Preparation of doughnuts:

• Mould rice into 20g balls. Dip in either egg white or if egg free then water.
• Roll in desiccated coconut and rice flour mix.
• Deep fry at 160c for about 5 minutes, remove, drain and roll in caster sugar.

Mango dipping sauce

Ingredients:

1 large mango, halved

Half a small bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 lime, juice only

Method

• Blend half the mango and the other ingredients to form a coulis.
• Neatly and fine dice the remaining mango and stir through.