Thai in an hour

Dinner for six tonight? Our quick menu will have you sorted in no time
Photographs David Munns

Reproduced from March 07 issue of Olive magazine. This month's issue on sale now. Subscribe now and save 40%

 Menu
Vodka, lime and soda cocktails
Thai starter selection with sweet chilli dipping sauce
Thai beef salad with rice noodles and cucumber and sesame salad
Fruit salad with coriander-lime syrup

Shopping list:

cherry tomatoes 200g
extra fine green beans a handful
spring onions 2
cucumber 1
red chilli 1, finely chopped
coriander leaves 20g
mint leaves 20g
pineapple 1 medium
papaya 1 small
mango 1 small
kiwi 1
pomegranate 1 (or buy 2 tubs of readymade fruit salad instead of the individual fruits)
sesame seeds 1 tbsp
coriander seeds ½ tsplimes 6
rump steak 3
rice noodles 250g
sesame oil 2 tbsp
fish sauce 2 tbsp
Blue Dragon sweet chilli dipping sauce
caster sugar 2 tbsp
sesame prawn toasts 8 (we bought our starters from Marks & Spencer but most supermarkets sell something similar)
veggie spring rolls 6
chicken kebabs 1 pack (about 15)
prawn wontons 1 pack (about 12)
vodka
soda
ice

Countdown to dinner at 8pm

7pm

Put any wine that needs chilling in the fridge.

Cook or soak the rice noodles following the pack instructions. Drain, rinse and cool.

Make the fruit salad: peel the mango, papaya and kiwi and cut into bite-sized pieces. Remove the pomegranate seeds and cut the pineapple into chunks. Mix everything except the pomegranate with the juice of 1 lime. Chill.