Tuk Tuk Thai & Tempura Prawns

Today we have a guest post from MFB member Craig of Lyons Made, a dad of two that enjoys cooking and having fun with with it. Here he shares his experience of a Lincolnshire producer of Thai dips and sauces along with a great recipe. Over to Craig …..

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 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.

Tempura Prawn with Tukata’s Mild Green Chilli & Coriander Salsa

15 raw king prawns, shelled and de-veined

Pure vegetable oil for frying

Tempura batter mix
1/2 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

Thanks to Craig for the post. If you are Midland Foodie and want to become a member and contribute guest posts, please get in touch. 

Ludlow Food Festival

The longest running food festival in the UK reaches it’s 17th year and is set to be bigger and better than ever. The Ludlow Food festival takes place between Friday 9th to Sunday 11th September and with over 180 local food and drink producers, a Fine Dining Festival restaurant and a street party, there’s plenty for everyone.

The setting of the festival is the historic Ludlow castle and with cookery demonstrations in the Outer Bailey, a festival wine bar in the Inner Bailey and the Castle Gardens are home to the Panic Circus for children, it provides a great venue.

Courtesy of Ludlow Food Festival

Throughout the weekend there are lots of talks and demonstrations from top chefs including Alan Murchison and Will Holland of Great British Menu fame and from La Bécasse, and also top food blogger Rachel McCormack of Catalan Cooking and food writer for the Telegraph Xanthe Clay.

Courtesy of Ludlow Food Festival

There also a number of Slow Food Taste workshops each day with reduced rates for Slow Food members.

The festival has always focused on showcasing producers from the region – Ludlow and marshes – with it’s rich food heritage there is no need to look further afield, but this year there is also a Fringe festival with a handful of exceptional exhibitors from outside the area.

It sounds like it’s going to be great foodie weekend and some of the MFB members will be attending on Saturday. If you fancy coming along then you can get your tickets here. Hope to see you there!

MFB Members Blog Round Up – July 2011

Throughout the past month our members have been busy writing some delicious posts. Here’s a small selection of what they’ve been up to:

Anneliese of Rising to the Berry has been busy this month continuing on her journey through Mary Berry’s Baking Bible with delicious treats like American Chocolate Ripple Cheesecake and a rather plain looking but fabulous tasting Lemon Yoghurt Cake. I do quite fancy the look of the Filo Apple Strudels though and I’m not one for apple desserts. Yum!

Jo of Jo’s Kitchen has been out and about with bump including a weekend away in London where she indulged in a trip to Odettes, a wander round Borough market and a  cupcake workshop with Cupcakes by Chrissie.

Bread at Borough Market

Lois at Bring back the Bliss has been trying out more gluten free recipes including Souffle and Gnocchi. One of the recipes was not only gluten free but also dairy free and perfect for those with allergies. Check out these Breakfast Muffins.

For a look at what all our other members have been writing about click through to their blogs from the Members Page.  If you’re based in the Midlands and have a food blog, then email us to find out how to become a member.

Written by Louise of Comida y Vida on behalf of MFB

Cupcakes by Chrissie Competition Winner

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about a children’s cupcake decorating workshop that I went to with Cupcakes by Chrissie. I had a fantastic time. Over the last two weeks, I have been running a competition to win a workshop with Chrissie and learn how to decorate fabulous cupcakes yourself.

In total, there were 16 entrants to the competition: Cupcakes by Chrissie Competition Entrants who gave the correct answer to the following question:

What is the number of the Wilton piping nozzle used to make the grass on my cupcakes?

A) 244

B) 211

C) 233

The answer is C – 233. Well done to everyone who got the answer correct. The winner was selected by Random.org and I am pleased to announce that it is Natalie Cullip. Well done to Natalie. I will be in touch soon with what you need to do next. Thanks to everyone for taking part

By Jo of Jo’s Kitchen