Dominique Woolf is the founder of Woolf’s Kitchen, winner of The Great Cookbook Challenge TV show with Jamie Oliver on Channel 4, and author of cookbooks ‘The Asian Pantry’ and ‘Dominique’s Kitchen’. Inspired by her Thai auntie’s legendary Tamarind sauce, she created an award-winning range of kitchen cupboard essentials including her Tamarind Ketchup, as well as six other chilli oils and pastes. Below, she shares her top tips for cooking Thai meals at home with your family, and three delicious recipes to try.
Four top tips for cooking family-friendly Thai food from Dominique Woolf
1. Stock up on pantry essentials
Keep quick-fix staples on hand: soy sauce, miso, chilli crunch, curry pastes and tamarind are your shortcut to big, punchy flavours without spending ages at the stove. Add in time-savers like ready-to-wok noodles, microwave rice pouches and tinned sweetcorn or beans — perfect for throwing together meals in minutes.
2. Fill your freezer with shortcuts
Shop-bought frozen cubes of garlic and ginger are a lifesaver. No peeling, no chopping — just toss them into the pan. You can also freeze fresh chillies, garlic, ginger and herbs, or even leftover sauces.
3. Build a base
Stir-fries, noodles or rice bowls are midweek heroes. Add a quick-cook protein (prawns, tofu, chicken), your go-to veg, and a punchy sauce. Dinner in 20 minutes, max.
4. Cook once, eat twice
Double up when you can. Leftover chicken, salmon or tofu can go into wraps, noodles or salads the next day — tasty and zero waste.
Aromatic Coconut Salmon Curry
In this dish, the oiliness of salmon is balanced perfectly against the aromatic curry sauce, which uses Chinese 5-spice as well as curry powder. This is a saucy curry, so make sure you have rice and/or flatbreads to mop up all the deliciousness.
Serves 4 | Prep 15 mins | Cook 25 mins
Ingredients
1 tbsp neutral oil | 1 onion, finely chopped | sea salt flakes | 2 cloves of garlic, finely
chopped | 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (approx. 6cm) | ½ tsp Chinese 5-spice | 1 tbsp curry powder (whichever heat preferred) | 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional) | 1 medium tomato, chopped | 1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk | 150ml water | 2 tbsp light soy sauce | 2 tsp sugar | 4 x skinless salmon fillets (approx. 500g), cut into 3cm pieces | 250g asparagus, cut into 3–4cm pieces
To serve
rice and/or flatbreads | fresh coriander leaves
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for a further 2–3 minutes, until softened. Add the Chinese 5-spice, curry powder and chilli flakes, and fry for a further minute, adding another drizzle of oil if necessary. Tip in the tomato along with the coconut milk, water, soy and sugar. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring to the boil. Bubble for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly, then taste the sauce and add any extra soy, salt or sugar as needed. Add the salmon and coat it in the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes, stirring and turning over the salmon pieces occasionally. Add the asparagus and also coat in the sauce, being careful not to break up the salmon. Simmer for a further 2–3 minutes or so, until the salmon and asparagus are both cooked. Serve with rice and/or flatbreads and sprinkled with coriander leaves.
Portobello Noodle Traybake
My noodle traybakes are always a hit. With minimal hands-on time, this dish makes an ideal midweek meal that’s full of flavour and texture. Pre-cooked noodles are coated in a sweet and spicy sauce and roasted until they become both sticky and crispy. Mangetout, peppers and cashews provide crunch, while the portobello mushrooms add a meaty richness. A light but satisfying meal.
Serves 2 | Prep 10 mins | Cook 15-20 mins
For the sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce 3 tbsp sriracha | 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
For the traybake
2 portions of medium ready- to-wok or fresh noodles, wheat or egg | ½ a red pepper, thinly sliced 1 tbsp sesame oil | 100g mangetout 50g cashew nuts | 4 portobello mushrooms 2–3 tsp crispy chilli oil, a mix of bits and oil (see tip) | sea salt flakes
To serve
fresh coriander leaves and/ or sliced spring onions | wedges of lime
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Combine the ingredients for the sauce, reserving 2 tablespoons for the final dish. Place the noodles in a large oven tray and add the red pepper. Drizzle over the sesame oil and sauce, and combine well. Spread out into a thin layer and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the noodles from the oven and toss through the mangetout and cashews. Place the mushrooms on top. Drizzle chilli oil over each one, and add a small pinch of salt. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked through and tender. Scatter over the coriander leaves and/or spring onions, and serve with wedges of lime and with the reserved sauce on the side.
Tip: If your chilli oil has more bits than oil you may need to drizzle over a little extra oil to moisten the mushrooms. If you don’t have chilli oil, see page 194, for making your own, or combine 1 tablespoon of oil with 2 small crushed garlic cloves, ¼–½ tsp of chilli flakes and a couple of pinches of salt.
Zingy Garlic & Ginger Chickpea Tacos
These are chickpeas, but not as you know them! Pan-fried with spices until gorgeously crispy, then dressed with a zappy lime, chilli and soy dressing, their earthy notes work perfectly with all that zing. Delicious on their own as a salad, better piled into tacos with a creamy slaw.
Serves 4 | Prep 15 mins | Cook 15 mins
For the chickpeas
neutral oil, to fry | 6cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very fine matchsticks | 2 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped | 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained, and dried well | sea salt flakes | 1 tsp curry powder (whichever heat preferred) | ½ a red onion, finely chopped | 2 tbsp shop-bought crispy onions 2–3 tbsp salted peanuts, chopped a handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped a handful of fresh mint leaves, shredded
For the cabbage
200g white cabbage, finely shredded | 4 tbsp mayo | 2 tsp lime juice (approx. ½ a lime) 1 tsp sriracha
For the dressing
4 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx. 2½–3 limes) | 1½ tbsp light soy sauce 1½ tbsp soft brown sugar | 1 bird’s-eye or mild red chilli, finely chopped (deseed for a milder heat)
To serve
8 small tortillas
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, fry the ginger for 1–2 minutes, until crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon on to kitchen paper. Add the garlic and a bit more oil if needed, and fry for another 1–2 minutes, until just golden, stirring often. Take the pan off the heat and remove the garlic with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil. Ensure no bits are left to prevent burning. Place on kitchen paper. Add another 1–2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and when hot add the chickpeas with a pinch of salt. Fry for 8–10 minutes, tossing occasionally. While the chickpeas are cooking, combine the ingredients for the cabbage in a bowl and set aside. Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Once the chickpeas are golden and crispy, sprinkle over the curry powder and combine well. Cook for another 30–60 seconds, then remove from the heat and tip into a large mixing bowl. Just before serving, add the chopped red onion, crispy fried onions, salted peanuts and reserved garlic and ginger to the chickpeas. Mix in the coriander and mint, followed by most of the dressing. To serve, warm the tortillas and top each one with a little of the cabbage and spoonfuls of the chickpeas, and serve with the remaining dressing on the side. Eat immediately.
Find out more about Woolf’s Kitchen at: thewoolfskicthen.com
