I love this ? it's a sour curry with prawns and an acacia leaf omelette, and a real Central Thailand dish from the ancient capitol of Sukothai. It is sour, pungent and spicy, and shot through with the area?s big ingredient: tamarind.

Prep time: 20 minutes (incl. cooking the omelette)

Cooking time: 10 minutes

4 cups water

2 tbsp tamarind paste

200g (7oz) prawns, shelled

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)

2 tbsp sliced bamboo shoot

4 small tomatoes

? cup chopped pak boong (Siamese watercress) or Chinese cabbage

2-3 tbsp chopped white radish?(optional)

pak choi or chard

for the omelette*

3 eggs

a handful cha om (acacia leaf), chopped **

a splash of nam pla (fish sauce)

white pepper

for the curry paste

6 long dried chillies, toasted, deseeded and drained

a pinch of salt

1 tbsp chopped galangal

4 tbsp chopped shallots

2 tsp shrimp paste

1. First make the paste: pound together the ingredients in a pestle and mortar until it?s smooth. Set aside.

2. Beat the eggs together with a splash of nam pla and some ground white pepper and add the cha om. Fry in an inch of VERY hot oil. Once cooked and golden, remove from the oil with a slatted spoon and drain. Chop into squares and set aside.

3. Bring water or stock to the boil. Add a few shrimp, chopped finely, and simmer until cooked. Remove the prawns and work them gently into the paste with a pestle and mortar until combined.

4. Return the stock to the boil, add the tamarind paste, sugar and nam pla. Add the paste. Return to the boil. Add the vegetables ? you?ll need to figure out which will take the longest to cook and add them first (usually, it?s the hardest), depending on the vegetables you have available.

5. When all the vegetables are in, add the rest of the prawns. Simmer for a couple of minutes until cooked.

6. Serve in bowls topped with the squares of omelette.

* Thai omelettes are drier than ours, so cook the egg thoroughly in hot oil.

** If you cannot find cha om (acacia leaf), don?t worry, you can use chives or spring onions instead.