Paleo-friendly Pad Thai recipe

This Paleo-friendly Pad Thai recipe is the closest you can get to the flavours of a Pad Thai on the caveman diet, but it’s a pretty good approximation. It includes fish sauce, which is made from fermenting tiny fish, such as anchovies, in brine and then preserving the liquid, so it should contain only two Paleo-friendly ingredients – fish and salt. However, check the labels and avoid any products with unnecessary extras – such as hydrolysed wheat protein and fructose! Red Boat Fish Sauce is a good brand to look for.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Olive oil spray, for cooking

3 courgettes, sliced into matchsticks

A large handful of coriander leaves

2 spring onions

100g bean sprouts

12 tiger prawns, peeled and deveined 

25g cashews, to garnish

For the marinade

1tsp fish sauce

Juice of half a lemon

1tsp chilli powder

1tsp maple syrup

Method

First make the marinade: In a large bowl, mix together the fish sauce, lemon juice, chili powder and maple syrup and set aside.

Heat a large non-stick wok over a high heat, spray with olive oil and sauté the courgettes for two minutes.

Remove the courgettes from the pan and add to the bowl. Stir to mix, then add the coriander, spring onions and beansprouts.

Meanwhile, sauté the prawns in the wok for two minutes on each side until cooked through.

Heap the vegetables on a serving plate and scatter the prawns on top. Garnish with the cashews and serve.

Recipe courtesy of: Paleo Monday to Friday by Daniel Green, £14.99, Kyle Books.

Photography by Peter Cassidy