Thai Cuisine

Chinese Chive Flowers with Shrimp

2009-07-05T05:29:00.000-07:00

My mother used to make this dish with sliced liver instead of shrimp. But it is tough for me to find friends or family members who are willing to eat liver. So, shrimp it is. Chinese chive flowers with shrimp is an easy dish to make and reheats well in microwave.

4 Servings

1	teaspoon	sugar
1	lb	shrimp
1	clove	garlic, chopped
1 1/2	tablespoons	fish sauce

Chop garlic. Cut the Chinese chive flowers into 1 1/2 inch long. Peel and devain shrimp. For a presentation, you can use whole shrimp (with head) and peel.

Heat a wok or a pan on high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and chopped garlic and stir. Add shrimp when the garlic starts to brown. Stir to get the shrimp somewhat cooked. The shrimp shoud start to get pinky but not all pink or cooked. Add the chive flowers and stir to cook them. Add fish sauce and sugar. The flowers shouldn't take long to cook. You want the flowers to just cook, but not overcook and still retain their crunchiness. When the color turns bright green, it indicates that they are cooked. Turn off the heat and pour on a plate immediately.

Serve with hot with rice.

Laab

2009-06-07T01:36:00.000-07:00

Laab, also known as Larb and Laap, is a northeastern food. It usually eaten as a part of a set (laab, papaya salad and sticky rice.) The set is accompanied by string beans, sliver of cabbage, water spinach and Thai basil. It can be served as an appetizer. It can also be served as a main course along with other non-northeastern food.

There are variations of laab, duck laab, chicken laab. Some people like my brother love to include a few pieces of liver in laab.
1-2 Servings

1	tablespoon	toasted rice
1/4		shallot, thinly sliced
1-2		limes
1/2	lbs	ground pork
1/4	tablespoon	ground dried chili pepper
3	tablespoons	fish sauce
5	sprigs	cilantro, sliced

Squeeze juice from 1/3 of the lime on to the ground pork. Mix well and let it marinade for just a couple of minutes until you are ready to cook it.

For this dish, people normally use a small pot; I use my cast iron pans because they can be heated up really hot, they retain heat well and heat evenly.

Heat up a pan on high until it is very hot. Add two tablespoons of water and then immediately add your marinated pork and stir. The pork will stick to the pan at first, but then the juice will come out and the meat will loosen from the bottom. Keep stirring until the pork is well done. Traditionally, the pork is undercooked, but I do not recommend undercooking pork for health reasons.

Put the pork in a bowl a large mixing bowl that will hold all the ingredients. Add fish sauce, green onion, shallot, cilantro, the rest of the lime juice, ground chili pepper and almost all of toasted rice into the bowl. Save some toasted rice to sprinkle on top for garnish. Mix well and taste. It should be a little bit hot. You should be able to taste tartness from the lime juice and the fish sauce. If you need to add more fish sauce or lime juice, don't be afraid. Getting the flavor balance right is a trial and error process.

Put the mixed ingredients in a serving bowl, garnish with spearmint and sprinkle the rest of toasted rice on top. Serve with vegetables like cabbage, green beans, lettuce and Thai basil.

Pad see ew

2009-05-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

Pad see ew is a standard lunch fare among Thais and is very popular here in the US. My sister's favorite too. It is not difficult to make and tastes great.

As kids, we loved pad see ew. It is a comfort food; nice and warm. Normally people make it spicier at the table (not in the wok) by adding red pepper sauce.

2 Servings

1	tablespoon	sugar
1/2	cup	pork, thinly sliced
2	tablespoons	light soy sauce
2	cloves	garlic, chopped
1	lb	fresh flat rice noodles
1		egg
1	tablespoon	dark soy sauce
1	lb	Chinese brocco

If your fresh flat rice noodles are not pre-cut, cut them into strips of 3/4 inch wide. Cut Chinese broccoli into 2 inch long pieces. Halve the stems lengthwise because thick stems take longer to cook. You are going to want to cook them at the same time.

Heat a wok to high heat and then add 2 tablespoons of oil. Drop in the chopped garlic and stir. Add the sliced pork. Stir to cook the pork. When the pork is somewhat cooked or turned from pink to light brown, add rice noodles. Stir to break up the noodles. Add light and dark soy sauce and sugar.
Stir to mix the seasonings into the noodles and pork. Open a spot in the middle of the pan, and drop the egg in. Scramble the egg until it is almost all cooked (not watery any more). Fold in the noodles and mix them all. Add the Chinese broccoli, stems first. I usually add half of the Chinese broccoli and stir until it wilts and then add the rest. But if you have room in your wok, you can cook all the Chinese broccoli at once. As soon as the Chinese broccoli is cooked, turn off the heat.

Put on a serving plate and sprinkle white pepper on top. Serve with the usual noodles condiments; sugar, fish sauce, vinegar and dried ground pepper. I usually like mine with ground chili peppers and vinegar.

Pad see ew that you find in Thailand is little sweeter than mine because many street vendors add more sugar than I prefer.

Baked Shrimp in Clear Noodles - Goong Ob Woonsen

2009-04-19T02:16:00.000-07:00

I remember goong ob woonsen from wedding banquets. Many Thai wedding banquets serve Chinese and Chinese influenced dishes like this one. It usually comes in a clay pot. It is always one of my favourites.

2 Servings

1	Teaspoon	Sugar
1 1/2	tablespoons	soy sauce
6		shrimp
		sesame oil
30		peppercorns
1		onion
1	tablespoon	ginger
1	clove	garlic
1	bundle	clear noodles
5-7	sprigs	cilantro

Tips and substitutions

Cilantro roots are actually used in this recipe, but cilantro is rarely sold with roots in the US. If you have some cilantro roots, do use a couple in place of cilantro sprigs. I use 6 large shrimp for this recipe. I don't devein the shrimp or peel the shell off. Whole shrimp with heads and shell give a wonderful presentation.

Soak clear noodles in hot water for 5-10 minutes. Snip the noodles into smaller and more manageable lengths so they are easier to serve.

Ground garlic, ginger, cilantro, pepper in a mortar or food processor. I like using my mortar because the peppercorns seem to escape the knife. Use a medium size onion. Peel and slice onion thin.

Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a wok over low heat. Add the ground ingredients and stir fry for a minute. Add onion and stir until the onion is tender then turn off the heat. Drain and add the clear noodles to the pan. A little water in the noodles is ok since it will keep the noodles soft when baking. Baking tends to take the moisture out of the noodles and the dish loses its taste if it becomes dry when baking. Add soy sauce, sugar,and a few drop of sesame oil. Mix well.

Warm up the oven to 400 degrees. Pour the noodle mixture into an oven-proof dish or clay pot. Add shrimp on top and cover. Bake for 20 minutes or until the shrimp is done.

Serve hot with rice.

Fried Fish with Tamarind Sauce - Pla Rad Prig

2009-04-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

From the pictures, pla rad prig looks fancy and perhaps intimidating,Fried Fish with Tamarind Sauce but it is one of the easiest, tastiest dishes you'll find. There are two steps: frying the fish and making the sauce. When the sauce is done, pour it over the fish. Voila, you have a beautiful presentation.

Servings

1	tablespoon	tamarind
2 1/2	tablespoons	sugar
1		shallot
2	cloves	garlic
2	tablespoons	fish sauce
1		fish
2-4		chili peppers
3	sprigs	cilantro	Optional

n Thailand, we use pla gow for this dish, but I have never seen it here. Any meaty white fish can be used for this recipe. When I picked the fish for the pictures, the grouper looked so good. The fish was about one pound and it is good for 2 people. My market cleans and guts the fish for customers, so I don't have to.

The Fish:
Score the fish at an angle all the way to the bones on both sides to help it cook faster and crispier. Add oil to a wok or pan, about half a cup or at least to the side of the fish. Fry the fish on low heat if you like it very crispy, which I do. It should take about 10 minutes on the first side. Don't try to loosen the fish from the pan until it is done, otherwise, the fish breaks up and you end up with not so pretty fish. When the first side is cooked, flip the fish to fry the other side. It should take about 5 minutes on this side. Remove and set it on a plate. You can increase the crispiness of the fish by putting it in the oven on 350 until the sauce is ready.

The Sauce:
While waiting for the fish to cook, peel garlic and shallot. Remove seeds and stem from the chili peppers. In Thailand, we use yellow and red peppers that are not available here. So I go for the color and use habanero (orange ones) and santa fe (yellow ones). Even with the seeds and white fluff removed, the heat can be on the top threshold of what I can handle. I recommend using one or two hot peppers. If you're not a big fan of very hot food, I would recommend red and yellow bell peppers.

Chop garlic, shallot and pepper or just put them in a food processor (coarsely chopped). Add a teaspoon of oil to a wok or pan over medium heat. Add the chopped mixture and stir to release the fragrance. If you are using hot peppers, make sure you have proper ventilation because the fumes can irritate your eyes, nose and throat. Add tamarind, fish sauce, sugar and a few tablespoons of water. Mix well and let boil. If the sauce gets too thick, add water. It should be the consistency of maple syrup when cooled. Taste and see if you need more sugar, tamarind, fish sauce or just water. The sauce should be sweet, spicy and sour. When done, pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with cilantro leaves if you like.

Sever hot with rice.

Mango on Sticky Rice(Kow Neuw Mamuang)

2009-03-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Mango on sticky rice is a traditional summer dessert because mangoes are in season during the summer months of April and May. When I think of mango on sticky rice, I think of the days when school is out--the carefree summer.

mango peeled
Make the coconut milk and sticky rice below.

Peel and slice ripe mango. Place sticky rice on a small plate and top with mango. Spoon the coconut milk on top of the mango and sticy rice

Coconut Milk Sticky Rice - Kow Neuw Moon

Sticky Rice is a core ingredient of thai desserts and northeastern thai food. Here's how you make it easily.

2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup sticky rice
2 pinches salt
1 cup coconut milk

The Traditional Method Using a Steamer:
Soak the sticky rice in enough water to cover the rice for at least an hour and even overnight. Take your steamer, put water in the bottom and cover the steam section with cheese cloth or muslin cloth. Pour the sticky rice on the cheesecloth, cover with the lid and put it on the stove on medium to high heat. The sticky rice should take about a 20 minutes of steaming to cook and will become translucent when done.

The Microwave Method:
I learned this method from my friend who has mastered microwave cooking to such a high level of proficiency that she has earned the title 'the microwave queen'.

Soak the sticky rice for 10 minutes in warm water in a bowl. Soaking the rice is very important. I have tried this method without soaking the rice first and it was disastrous. The rice was undercooked and inedible. The water level should be just above the rice, which comes out to be 1 cup of rice and a little over 1 cup of water (about 10% more). I recommend using a non-plastic container because you may melt the plastic in the microwave. Cover the bowl with a dish and cook in microwave for at full power 3 minutes. Stir the rice around to move the rice from the top to the bottom. You will notice that some of the rice is translucent or cooked and some still has white center or the uncooked portion.

Heat it up again for another 3 minutes. Check and see if it is done. When cooked, all the rice should be translucent. If it needs more cooking, I recommend heating up and checking every 3 minutes or so. How long it takes to cook really depends on your microwave.

Putting it together:
Heat the coconut milk in a pot over medium heat. Stir constantly and let the coconut milk simmer. Hard boiled coconut milk will curdle. Add sugar and salt. Remove from heat. Pour 3/4 of the hot coconut milk over the hot sticky rice. Let it sit for 5 minutes. The sticky rice will absorb all the coconut milk. The rice should be a little mushy. Spoon the rest of the coconut milk on top of the rice at serving time.

The Wonderful World of Thai Sweets

2009-03-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

EATING IS ALWAYS an adventure in Thailand, but one part of the adventure that foreign visitors to the Land of Smiles may not venture very far into is the myriad variety of Thai sweets, called in Thai khanom. The main reason for this, perhaps, is the lack of recognition factor for all of those attractive little sweets in cups that look so appetizing on their bed of green banana leaf and all the rest. Thai cookbook writers have lamented about the eagerness with which the Thai people have abandoned aspects of their traditional customs and gone helter-skelter to take on the trappings of Western culture, but note with pride that the sometimes humble and sometimes elaborate Thai traditional sweets and desserts remain high on the preference list of indigenous Thais to the present day.

It would be a misconception to say that these multitudinous products of this aspect of Thai cuisine are only desserts. The usual dessert after a Thai meal is a plate of attractively arranged mixed, cut fruit. It has been said that eating is the Thais national sport, and Thais are likely to nibble at one of the finger-sized sweets as a between-meal shack or take a bowl of one of the mixed sweets prepared with chopped ice as a refreshing treat on a hot tropical day. Some Thai sweets are also especially prepared for festivals such as the lunar new year, or as special treats to be offered to monks on special occasions. Thai desserts are usually simple and most of the ingredients can be found in any Thai marketplace. Basic ingredients for starting from scratch often include plain rice flour, sticky rice flour, or legume flour of various sorts. Sweeteners include cane sugar, palm sugar, coconut sugar, and the ubiquitous coconut cream. There is a whole class of khanom made from egg yolks, such as foi thong which are golden threads of egg yolk cooked hard in a sugar syrup flavored with essence of jasmine. Delicious, but not for those watching their waistlines or cholesterol levels. Sometimes aspects of khanom cooking can be exotic, such as used of the lowly pandanus leaf, which can be plaited into mats and other household items but finds its way into Thai khanom as a pleasing flavoring agent in anything from the small agar jelly snacks to ice cream. Read more....

Cuisine of the Royal Household Thailand's Original Recipes

2009-03-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Cuisine of the Royal Household
Thailand's Original Recipes

nam phrik pla thu

In the past, the Royal Household served as the primary source for home economics, cooking, needlework, and Thai manners.

The royal ladies in the palaces rigorously trained their ladies-in-waiting; therefore, many upper-class families took their daughters there so that they would learn to cook and to do other household chores, and thus be prepared for marriage and family life. The royal palace's home economics expertise has since proliferated.

After the country's change in 1932 from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, during the reign of King Rama VII, the old and new generations of the Royal Household maids moved out of the palaces. Some modified and applied what they learned to earn money to support themselves or their families.

Some foreign dishes on the royal menu have been modified to please the Thai palate. Sometimes the cooks are inventive and modify dishes from the other regions, too. These days, the food that is made for the Royal Household is not much different from the common folks' dishes; in fact, some of the dishes are even prepared for sale to the general public in various outlets.

khao suai

Thai Dishes of the Central Region

Regular rice is the staple food in this region. There are varieties of dishes that the people here eat with their rice, and a meal often includes some form of spicy dip for vegetables, a hot and sour vegetable soup, a type of curry, and a plate of fried vegetables, or a soup and a spicy fried meat dish. They also have seasonal dishes, such as cold rice soup, or sticky rice topped with ripe mangoes in the hot season. Read More...

sauces & pastes

2009-03-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

Fish Sauce ( Nam Pla )

Fish sauce is an anchovy or featherback fish seasoning sauce used extensively in Thai cooking. Not suprisingly it has a very strong fish scent and a high salt content. It is used to add salt, but also adds a delicate fish smell to dishes. There are two main types of sauce, in the photo above you can see old fish sauce left and the regular fish sauce on the right. The old fish sauce is only used in cooking whereas the clear distilled product is also used to make dipping sauces.

Old Fish Sauce
To Thai people this sauce 'homms' (smells good), however to westerners this has a very strong stench until it is cooked. Don't let that put you off, it is necessary for many Thai dishes and the strong scent does not remain after cooking. The jar contains slices of featherback fish, lots of salt and rice powder to thicken, you have to prepare the old fish sauce at least 1 month before using it.

Preparation
2 ltr Water
500 gms Salt
1 Jar Pickled Spotted Featherback Fish (454gms)
1 Tablespoon Toasted Sticky Rice (optional)
An air-tight container to store it in.

1. Boil the water, add the salt and dissolve it completely.
2. Leave to cool back to room temperature.
3. Empty the contents of the jar into the salty water.
4. Add the toasted sticky rice to give it a slight nutty taste. (This is optional, my mother does this so I do this, but many Thais do not).
5. Mix, put in the air-tight jar in a dark cupboard and leave for a month.
6. After 1 month the salty brine will taste fishy, this brine is the old fish sauce you will use in cooking. To use it spoon just the liquid directly out from the storage jar. You can keep the jar for years provided it does not get mouldy, once the brine is used up, you should make a new batch.

Regular Fish Sauce

This is a clean filtered sauce made from anchovies. The bottle shown is Thai Squid brand fish sauce, but the sauce does not contain any squid. This sauce requires no special preparation, it can be used straight from the bottle and can even be used uncooked to make chilli dipping sauces and as a seasoning for salads.

Sweet Chicken Sauce (Sweet Chilli Sauce)

This is often misleadingly referred to as 'chicken sauce', and usually has a picture of a chicken on the bottle, however it is a sweet chilli sauce usually served with chicken, or other fried meats. It is used straight from the bottle as a side sauce, you can also add a little boiling water and make a chilli glaze for meats too. If you like chilli you can use this as a dipping sauce for crisps (chips) too!

Oyster Sauce ( Nam Man Hoy )

Oyster sauce is a cooking sauce made from oysters and soya beans. It has a thick texture, shiny appearance and a slight fish taste. It is used to flavour fried vegetables in stir-fry dishes, it gives a soft, slightly sweet, slightly salt, taste to the stir-fry. It is also a good source of magnesium, once opened it can be kept in a cool cupboard, it does not need to be chilled.

Tamarind Water (Nam Makham)

Tamarind is a sour fruit that is used in Thai recipes to add a sour note to balance a sweet flavour. The easiest way to buy tamarind is in packets as a pulp, in that form it looks similar to pulped dates. The tamarind pulp itself isn't usually used, rather tamarind water is used.

Preparation for Tamarind Water
Take a piece of tamarind pulp, approximately 100gms. Soak the pulp in water for 10-20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind pulp with your hand to squeeze out the sour juices. Use the water and keep the pulp in the fridge to reuse. You can reuse the pulp several times until it loses it sourness.

Pickled Garlic (Water) ( Ka Thiem Dog )

A common ingredient in Thai cuisine, we use both the pickled garlic together with the pickling water. The pickling water is used to add a strong garlic sour note to noodles and soups. On this site when the recipe calls for 'pickled garlic water', I mean this pickling juice.

Salty Soya Bean Sauce ( Tua Jiew )

It may not look pleasant but this sauce is a common ingredient in Thai cooking. In the picture is a Chinese brand of this sauce. It's main uses are for seasoning fried vegetables and it is also used for the base of salty soya pouring sauce.

Homemade Spicy Suki Sauce (Nam Jim Suki)

As requested by a reader, this is how I make Suki sauce when I can't get hold of MK Sauce. The essential ingredient you need is brown soya sauce, the recipe is for medium hot Suki sauce, you can add more or less chillies to adjust that.

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Seeds
5 Garlic Cloves
12 Big Red Chillies
1 Tablespoon Brown Salty Soya Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Pickled Garlic Water
1 Head of Pickled Garlic
2 Tablespoons Sweet Chilli Sauce
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
1 Teaspoon Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Water

Preparation
1. Place all the ingredients except for the toasted sesame seeds into a blender and blend to a smooth sauce.
2. Mix in the sesame seeds, keeping a few as a garnish for the top.

Payang Chilli Paste ( Nam Prick Pa Yang )

Nam Prick Pa Yang is a a chilli paste made from smoked fish, fish sauce, garlic, onions and of course, chilli. This is one of my favorite types of chilli paste, it lasts a year without special preservation and is easily available in Asian grocers.
We eat many vegetable dishes raw, dipped in this paste to add flavour, and also use it to add flavour to many rice dishes. Because it can be used as a flavoring for raw dishes, it's perfect when you're in a hurry and want to eat something quickly without cooking it.

Red Curry Paste ( Prik Gang Dang )

Red curry paste is a paste made mainly from chilli, cumin, galangal root and onion. In Thailand we buy it, we don't make it, just like you buy mustard rather than make it from mustard seeds. The best paste is finely ground in a Thai mortar and takes several hours to prepare, so I would strongly recommend you find an Asian grocer who stocks it, or ask your local supermarket if they can get hold of it.
I confess I've never made this paste myself, the following is my mothers recipe, she loves using Monosodium Glutamate, but its use is optional.

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons Dried Flaked Chillies
30gms Chopped Onions
1 Tablspoon Chopped Galangal Root
4 Cloves Garlic
2 Tablespoons Chopped Lemon Grass
1 Coriander Root, Chopped
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Peppercorns
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds (or ground Coriander Seeds)
1 Teaspoon Kapi Shrimp Paste (optional)
A pinch of Monosodium Glutamate (optional)

Preparation
1. Place everything into a Thai mortar.
2. Pulp until all the ingredients form a fine paste.
3. If the mixture is too dry add a teaspoon of oil to loosen it.

Soya Bean Paste ( Taow Jieuw )

You can recognise this sauce from the brown colour and the visible soya beans in it, it is made by allowing soya beans to decay or ferment. There are many brands, in tall and short bottles, this one is Healthy Boy brand. Once opened keep it in the fridge and it will last many many months. It is used to make fried vegetable dishes and for some sauces.

Red Bean Curd ( Turw Hu Yea )

Another soya sauce, this one is red bean curd and is used to make red soup and other dishes. It is sold in jars, once opened keep the jar in the fridge and it will last a month or two.

Chinese Soup Stock ( Pak Hang Jeen )

These herbs are sold grouped together in packets, to make Chinese style soup stock. You can see the packet shown in the bottom right.

Maggi Sauce

This is made in Germany, and is a very popular seasoning sauce in Thailand. It adds a stronger, more savoury flavour than soy sauce and you will see it mentioned throughout this site. It's also very easy to buy in the west in any supermarket.

Thai Sweet Plum Sauce( Nam Jim Bui )

Plum sauce is also used in Chinese cuisine, the Thai version of it is very similar, but without the artificial colouring that is sometimes added. It is used as a dipping sauce for many fried dishes such as spring rolls, and as an alternative to 'Sweet Chicken-Chilli Sauce'. It keeps for months in a dark cupboard without special preservation.

Jasmin Flower Flavouring ( Glin Mali )

For many sweet dishes we use a floral fragrance to give the dessert a flowery smell. Shown is a typical flavouring used to make this floral fragrance, this one is a bottle of artificial jasmin flavour.

Yellow Bean Sauce ( Tow Jiew Kao )

This is a salty bean sauce made with yellow soya beans. You can see it used to add a salty contrast taste in todays recipe. Once you open the bottle, keep it in the fridge.

Toddy Palm Paste ( Loog Tan Sauce )

This fermented paste made from palm fruit, is bright orange and used to flavour cakes. When you open the jar it has a revolting acid smell, but don't let that put you off, the smell goes during cooking.
To aclimatize yourself, I'd open a jar of old fish sauce, take a deep breath and after that you'll welcome the smell of toddy palm paste!

Old Fish Paste ( Pa La Sub )

You will need this to make the next sausage. It is a spicy old fish paste used in to add the kick into the sausage. We also use it as a side sauce. For the best result, leave it overnight to meld the flavors and oxidize a little.

Ingredients
50 gms Old Fish Sauce and Flesh (Boiled)
2 Tablespoons Faked Chillies
3 Red Onions
5 Garlic Cloves
3 Coriander Roots
4 Kaffir Leaves
10 gms Galangal
10 gms Lemon Grass
1 Teaspoon Sugar
3 Tablespoons Lime Juice or Tamarind Juice

Preparation
1. Blend all the ingredients together.
2. Leave in the fridge for a day.

Dim Sum Sauce

This is healthy boy brand dim sum sauce, a sharp vinegar like sauce perfect for dim sum. If you can't get hold of it, light soy sauce mixed with vinegar in equal proportions will suffice.

Tamarind Jam ( Ma Kam Gurn )

Tamarind, especially unripe tamarind makes an excellent preserve. It has a very sour flavour, if you reduce the sugar you get a very tart marmalade-like preserve, but here I've included enough sugar to bring it to sweetness. Add the pinch of salt, it improves the flavour enormously.

Ingredients
180 gms Sour Tamarind (Remove the seeds & skin)
100 gms Sugar
5-6 Tablespoons Water
A Pinch of Salt

Preparation
1. Mix all the ingredients together and blend it until smooth.
2. Place a plate in the freezer, this will be used to test the jam.
3. Put it in a saucepan, and bring to the boil, stirring and boiling to reduce the liquid.
4. We want a thick jam, to check if it's thick enough, spoon a little onto the cold plate straight from the freezer. Let it cool (or put it back in the freezer for a few minutes). Push it with your finger to make sure it's the right consistency.
5. Spoon it into a jar and leave to cool.

Nam Prik

Nam Prik is the name given to chilli pastes that we eat with rice and other dishes. There are many brands and many flavours, in this entry I'm going to take you through some of the more common ones.

Firstly the above one is Nam Prik Mang-da. Mang-da is a large winged insect about 8 cms long that lives in rice fields and is eaten in the East of Thailand. At night it flies around bright lights, making it easy to catch. The authentic paste contains that insect ground up, and more common supermarket brands have an artificial flavour instead.
Like many things mang-da started out as food for poor farmers, but became a more expensive almost luxury food. The 5 Mang-da I photographed in the ingredients section, were more expensive than a full rack of pork ribs.

This one is grilled fish flavoured nam prik. It has a fishing slightly smokey flavour to it with a very dry texture. This one is a personal favorite.

This one is grilled shrimp nam prik, this one is more soft and smooth than the grilled fish one. (It's in a little plastic bag inside the pot.)

This one is hell shrimp, called because it is very very spicy and the spicy hits you immediately and all in one go.

Nam prik red eye, the heat from the spice comes later, giving you red eyes. It doesn't taste so spicy at first.

Thai Rice & Pulses

2009-03-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

Sticky Rice (Kau Neow)

Sticky or glutinous rice is widely eaten in the north of Thailand. It gets its English name from its glutinous (sticky) property rather than the presence of gluten. You can see from the picture its a bright white rice easily distinguishable from the more translucent fragrant rice.

Preparation
The best way to cook sticky rice is to steam it in a Thai style steamer.
1. Soak the sticky rice for 4 hours or overnight to soften and make it easier to steam.
2. Drain off the excess water.
3. Put the wet rice into the steamer.
4. Steam for 5 minutes
5. Flip the rice ball over in the steamer.
6. Steam for 5 minutes longer.
The rice will lose some of its whiteness and become more translucent.

Uses
Used for informal snack food, it does not require a spoon or chopsticks to eat, the rice can be grabbed from the pot in chunks and dipped into the flavoring sauce directly.
It is perfect for picnics, served with cooked meat and chilli sauce for dipping.

Notes
Once cooked the rice can be kept and eaten cold or hot. It is normally removed from the steamer and stored in a 'ga-tip' (a round box made of reeds) making it easy to carry to the fields or on a picnic. It lasts for 3 days once cooked, and can be re-steamed to warm it up again if you wish to eat it warm.

Toasted Sticky Rice (Kow Kua)

This is pounded toasted sticky rice, used to add a toasted nut-like taste to dishes like Kapow Guy. It can be prepared ahead of time and if kept dry will keep for months. Use sticky (glutinous) rice, regular fragrant or long grain is not suitable. The photograph above is the browned sticky rice grains, surrounded by untoasted sticky rice for comparison. The photograph below is the finished crushed rice.

Preparation
Take a dry clean frying pan.
Put 2-3 tablespoons of sticky rice grains in it.
Dry fry, turning all the time until brown and toasted.
Place in a Thai mortar and pound to a course powder.
Store in an airtight container until needed.

Thai Fragrant Rice (Kow Jow or Kow Sui)

Thai fragrant rice is the main part of the Thai diet. Nearly every meal is served with rice, and it is very important to use only the best quality rice. Fragrant rice has a near perfume fragrance, and is also known as Jasmine Rice, but that is a brand-name rather than a rice type.

Guide For Cooking
The easiest way to cook Thai rice is in a rice cooker. They are not expensive and it is much easier. However you can cook it in a boiling pan.
1. For every 2 cups of rice, use 3 cups of water.
2. Good quality rice does not typically need to be rinsed, you can place the rice and water straight into the pan.
3. Place over a low heat and bring the water to a boil, then turn it down to a low simmer and cover. Do not stir.
4. Once the water has all been absorbed into the rice, turn the heat right down and warm for a further 3-5 minutes.
5. If you have a rice cooker it is trivial, put the rice and water into the rice cooker, flick the switch. Once the rice is cooked, leave warming for a further 3-5 minutes and you're done.

Yellow Beans (Met Tu Luang)

Yellow soya beans (often simply called 'Yellow Beans') are commonly used to make desserts and snacks. In Thailand we buy them in packets, but they can also be made from green soya beans by removing the green skin, as in the photograph above.

Preparation from Green Soya
1. Soak the green soya beans in warm water overnight to soften them.
2. Put your fingertips into the bowl of soaking soya beans and rub them between your fingers roughly. This will loosen the skin.
3. The skin is lighter than the beans and float more easily. If you stir them up in the water, the beans drop quickly to the bottom of the bowl and the green skins drop more slowly. You can use this to easily separate the skins from the beans.
4. Place the bowl of water & beans in the sink.
5. Run water into the bowl so that it overflows over the edges, it will stir up the beans and the skins will float and be carried over the edges of the bowl, but the beans will drop back into the bowl.
6. Adjust the flow of the tap to so that skins, go over the edge, but beans do not.
7. Now repeat step 2-7 until all the skins have been removed.

Green Rice Flakes ( Kao Mow )

These rice flakes are used to bulk up desserts, they have a pleasant almost floral smell. You can see a typical dish involving green rice flakes in todays other recipe.
Store in a cool dark, airtight container and they will easily last 6 months or more.

Black Glutinous (Sticky) Rice ( Kao Nieow Dum )

This black form of glutinous rice is used in sweet dishes, particularly black rice pudding. It has a slightly more nutty flavour and stronger texture than regular glutinous rice, but the main aspect of it is the black colour.
To prepare this rice, you need to soak it for at least 3 hours to soften the grains before cooking. When you soak the rice, it becomes more deep purple than black, it will also discolour the water and any food it is cooked with.
When you need a black contrast to a white sauce (as in Thai rice puddings) this form of glutinous rice is perfect. However you can achieve a very similar flavour with regular sticky rice.

Green Tapioca Beads (Saku Bi Tua)

Green tapioca beads are starch beads made from cassava roots mixed with the flavour and colour from bi tua leaves and sold in packets. In the photograph the beads are 1-2 mm in size each. Tapioca comes in many types and sizes, for example these white tapioca pearls are larger, but unflavoured. The main use for this green tapioca is to make translucent green desserts.

Tamarind Kernels (Met Macam Kuer)

Tamarind is a sour fruit, used to add a bitter/sour flavour to Thai curries. The pulp is used to make Tamarind water (also known as Tamarind juice). Some people also eat the flesh of raw tamarind, but it's an acquired taste, and personally I don't like it. My favorite part is the seed kernels. Each fruit contains 4 or 5 of these, but they need some preparation before they can be eaten.
The flavour is similar to a sour nut, but are far harder and crunchier.

Ingredients
Seeds from Tamarind Fruit

Preparation
1. Toast them in a frying pan until the blacken on the outside. You can see this in the photograph below.
2. Soak them in water overnight.
3. Take off the outer layer, and eat the inside kernels. In the photograph above, the kernels are on the right side.

Edible Berries ( Mark )

Older people in Thailand chew this berry when it's ripe and yellow (these are slightly under-ripe). It's a little addictive, and has the unfortunate effect of making the teeth rather black as can be seen from the photograph below. When you see old people chewing what looks like chewing tobacco, this is the berry that they're chewing.

Chicken Stirfried with Chilli

2009-03-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

This is a simple Thai dish that you can cook with either pork or chicken. In Thai, this one is called "gai pad prik sod". In the ingredients below, you can see chicken, spring onion, red and green spur chilli, onion and crushed garlic in the centre. The larger chillies seen here are not as hot and spicy as their smaller cousins, so don't be scared to use a lot.

As with most Thai dishes, the cooking process is very quick so you need to prepare all of the ingredients beforehand. Cut the chillies diagonally and then chop up the onions. Put some oil in your wok and then add the crushed garlic. Some people put the garlic into hot oil. But, I prefer to start it from cold so that it doesn't burn. As soon as it is brown and fragrant, add the chicken that has already been cut up into bite-sized pieces. Keep stirring all the time. When it is nearly done, add the chilli and onions. You can season with either fish sauce or soy sauce and some sugar. In Thailand they don't fry their onions for long, so turn off the heat before they become too limp.

Red Curry with Roasted Duck

2009-03-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

I think my favourite red curry is this one which comes with roasted duck. In Thai it is called "gaeng phet pet yang". In Thai restaurants it can be quite expensive to order. So, it is useful to know how to cook. The ingredients will vary a bit from book to book. I like to add pineapple and I hear some people add rambutan. In the picture below, you can see: sweet basil, roasted duck, palm sugar, kaffir lime leaves, plum tomatoes, pea eggplants and red curry paste in the middle. The ingredients of the paste include: red chilli, galangal, lemon grass, red shallots, garlic, kaffir skin, cilantro seeds and shrimp paste.

Heat the oil in a wok and add the red curry paste. Gradually add coconut milk to form a runny paste. Continue this process until it is fragrant and a red oil surfaces. Next comes the roasted pork. In preference, de-bone the duck first. In many Thai restaurants there always seem to be more bone than meat. Cook for another minute or so. You can add more coconut milk if it dries out too much. Add the plum tomatoes, torn kaffir lime leaves and the pea eggplants. Turn off the heat and prepare the seasoning. For this you add a mixture of fish sauce and palm sugar. Our red curry paste bought ready made at the market was a bit too salty. They probably added too much shrimp paste. So, we didn't put in so much fish sauce. If it is too salty, try adding more sugar, coconut and/or stock. Finish with a handful of sweet basil which you should carefully stir in. However, not all recipes call for basil. We decorated the dish with thinly sliced red spur chilli and a sprig of sweet basil.

Stir Fried Vegetable with Chicken

2009-03-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

One of the dishes that I often cook is stir-fried vegetables. You can adapt this in so many different ways depending on what vegetables you have in stock. If I have bought a curry from the roadside, then I usually supplement the stir-fry with some extra meat. Either pork or chicken. In the ingredients below you can see cabbage, chicken, carrots and garlic in the center.

As usual, heat up some oil in the wok and then add the crushed garlic. Try to use Thai garlic as it is believed to be healthier for you. Once it is fragrant and golden brown, add the chicken slices. Give it a good stir and fry for a few minutes. If it starts to dry out, add a little stock or water. Next comes the vegetables. Season with oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Don't overcook, leaving it still a little crispy.

Stir Fried Pork with Sponge Gourd

2009-03-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Our Thai dish today is called "buap pat moo" or Stir-fried pork and angled sponge gourd. It is also commonly cooked with prawns or chicken. The sponge gourd can grow up to three feet in length. However, you need to choose one that is young and still soft to the touch. As it grows mature it will become bitter. You can eat it raw like a cucumber or stir-fry it like a zucchini. In the ingredients below, you can see the unpeeled sponge gourd at the top, the pork, garlic and the peeled sponge gourd. In the center is an egg.

Prepare the gourd by peeling it and then cutting diagonally into bite-sized pieces. Add the chopped garlic to the wok and fry until golden brown. Add the pork and stir fry a short while. Next comes the gourd. Add a little stock if it starts to dry out. Though not too much as there is a certain amount of moisture in the gourd. Give it a good stir for a few minutes. Season with oyster sauce and soy sauce. The last ingredient is an egg which you break into the wok. Stir this in well and it should cook itself. As with anything, do not overcook.

Stir Fried Prawns and Snow Peas

2009-03-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

When it comes to Thai food, presentation always counts for a lot. I like experimenting with new recipes and even if I think the results might taste good, a Thai person would first comment on how it looks. Just take a look at this stir fried dish. It looks delicious even before you try it. A nice arrangement of complimentary colours. This one is stir fried prawns and snow peas. In the ingredients below, you can see crushed garlic and prawns on the left and snow peas and straw mushrooms on the right.

It is easy to cook for beginners. As stir frying is very quick, you need to prepare everything in advance. Wash, shell and devein the shrimps. Also prepare the snow peas by pulling the string from the pod. In a wok, fry the crushed garlic until brown and fragrant. Next comes the prawns. Don't overcook so follow these quickly with the mushrooms and finally the snow peas. Add some water or stock if it drys out. Season with oyster sauce, fish sauce and a teaspoon of sugar. Very quick and easy to cook with good results. Also a nice change from the hot and spicy meals.

Stir Fried Kale and Carrots

2009-03-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

This is another one of those simple stir fried dishes. This one is based around kale which is a green leafy vegetable. It is believed to have anti-cancer properties so a good idea to have it in your diet. In the ingredients photo below, you can see carrots, garlic, kale stalks, kale leaves and chicken in the middle. You can use mushrooms instead of carrots. You can also make this a vegetarian dish. The kale is separated like this because the stalks will need to be cooked for slightly longer. You might like to use baby kale if the stalks of this one is too tough.

Heat some oil in a wok and add the chopped garlic. Cook until golden brown. Next add the chicken that has already been cut into bite size pieces. A few minutes later add the kale stalks first and the carrots. Follow this with the leaves. Season with soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Add stock if it starts to dry out. Don't fry for too long if you like crispy vegetables like me.

Chicken Stir Fried with Ginger

2009-03-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

The dish we have for you today is chicken fried with ginger. You can also do it with pork. In the ingredients below, you can see spring onion, onion, straw mushroom, chicken, ear mushroom and ginger in the middle. The seasoning we used was oyster sauce, fish sauce and fermented soy bean sauce.

Prepare everything in advance as stir-frying is very quick. Cut the chicken and mushrooms to bite size. Fry the crushed garlic until it is golden brown. Add the chicken. Next comes the ginger followed closely by the two types of mushrooms. Season with sugar, oyster sauce and fermented soy bean sauce. If it doesn't taste saltier enough then you can add some fish sauce. Finish with the spring onion and the onion. Don't overcook as it is best to have it a little crunchy

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Cooking Tools

2009-02-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

For starters, normal pots and pans will do. But as you learn more and cook more adventurously, you'll appreciate a few key additions to your tool set. The right tool for the right job, right? Please note that these are not all Thai cooking utensils and tools, but the ones that I have found work the best for me when I cook Thai food away from Thailand.

Wok and Spatula

One of the most important tools is the wok and a spatula. Finding the right wok here in the U.S. can be a challenging job. I have gone through so many woks.
Stainless Steel Wok - Teflon woks have never lived up to their promises for me. I have had ones with bumpy bottoms, smooth bottoms, even ones with a life time warranty. Sooner or later they all stick at one spot or another. I've even had Teflon coating peel, and I ended up eating it unknowingly. Yuk! Since then, I found my true love in Thailand, a light weight stainless steel wok. This wok is the best by far. I like a light weight wok because it is easy to move around on the burner and heats quickly. This wok is very easy to clean and has two good handles. Food rarely sticks, but if it does, I am not afraid to scrub it. For the handles, one is long and one short - just right for fancy maneuvers on the stove and in the sink.

For spatulas, I prefer a stainless steel spatula made for woks. They can be tough to find outside of a Chinatown, but are great because they make it easy to turn over the food. These spatulas have a long thin handle, a flat, rounded flipper with a small lip around the back and a rounded edge on the front that matches the rounded walls of the wok. Make sure that you don't get a spatula with a hole in the bottom of the handle where the metal from the handle wraps around -- otherwise, food and cooking residue gets stuck in the handle and can not be cleaned out. I also used to use, and be very happy with, wooden spatulas and still have several handy. I stick them in the dishwasher with no problem.

Rice Cooker

If you eat rice frequently, you'll love the ease and perfect success rate of a rice cooker. Like a bread maker, you pour in the rice, pour in the water, close the top and plug it in. 20 minutes later it's done. There are many models, and when you pick one out, look for:
- a non-stick pot,
- a solid feeling lid and handle that locks down when closed (otherwise the lid will rise up with the bubbles of the boiling rice)
- a lid that you can easily take apart to clean
- a painted outside that you would not mind keeping on your counter

Going to the Market

2009-02-18T08:38:00.000-08:00

Every Monday and Thursday, small time merchants gather at an empty lot across the street from Bangkok Metropolitan Water Authority to sell anything from soup to nuts, literally. The western style supermarket are booming in Bangkok while the outskirt communities like this one enjoys an open air market. Fresh vegetables are less than 20% the price of big supermarkets. The price and the variety of fresh and cooked food draw people to this market. For me, it is an adventure being there.

Ingredients for popular Thai dishes in the US like red curry and pad Thai noodles are less prominent at this market. Instead, ingredients like fish, fresh vegetables and sauce for real day-to-day Thai meals, like nam prig, are abundant. Locals come here for their fish whether it be live, fried, grilled, dried or pickled.

You would be surprised at the different types of fresh vegetables that are available. While in the US, most leafy vegetable are either some lettuce or kale variant, here it seems like here you can almost eat any green leaves. They just don't taste like vegetables. Some are tart. Some are nutty. Some have wonderful scents. There must have been about 30 different varieties there. Some of these leaves can even be tough to find in the supermarket in Bangkok but are more common in the provinces. They come in bundles of about a pound and you can buy 4 bundles for 10 baht (US$0.25). You don't have to be rich to eat luxuriously here.

I saw this guy with a bamboo container full of live chickens, a pail of boiling water, some cleaned chickens and a bowl of blood. It didn't take much to guess that the guy was offering chickens freshly killed on demand. In Thailand, it is still a fact of life when you buy a chicken that someone has to kill it. In the US, your chicken comes in a clean white foam tray and you get no sense of the predation.

Younger customers were not neglected here. A guy with a table full of red, green and white caramel was busy making candy that was more artistic than I have ever seen. Using only a little gas stove, a small paddle, a knife and scissors, I watched him make fishing monkeys, dancing elephants, a parakeet and even wonder woman, each in about 30 seconds. How much for you to own one of these works of art? 5 baht (Jan 2000 - US$0.12).

Life gets a little more exotic as well. Silk worms, grasshoppers, water bugs and other bugs that I could not identify are deep fried and ready to be munched like potato chips. Water bugs are not new to me because its wonderful scent adds that extra zing to many nam prigs. The deep fried water bugs are crispy on the outside and nutty on the inside. (Umm um! "Behold, the power of fleas") Other fried bugs will have to wait for my next trip.

On my way out of the market, past the locals haggling with the knife salesman and the 99 baht shirts (US$2.50), I took a few last pictures of the kids who had been trailing me the whole time and grabbed a Thai tea for the trip home

The Truth About Peanut Sauce

2009-02-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

At various supermarkets, in the ethnic food section, you can find American made or even Thai made peanut sauce. It is everywhere and seems to get more popular by the day. People pour it on salad, eat it with rice or noodles and cook meat in it.

I find this kind of funny because my friends and family in Thailand don't know what 'peanut sauce' is. We don't have the 'peanut sauce' in Thai cuisine as the Thais in Thailand know it. We put ground peanuts, as just another ingredient, in a variety of dishes. The three dishes that are well known to Americans that havea sauce with peanuts are satay sauce, cubed tofu sauce and tod mun sauce. When you find both these dishes in Thailand, the peanuts are coarsely ground so that they're like thick grains of sand, and not mud or peanut butter.

In Thai cuisine, you have 3 choices for peanut sauce:

- Satay is a marinated meat grilled on skewers, served with curry like sauce and cucumber salad. The satay peanut dipping sauce is most likely what people think of when they think of Thai Peanut Sauce. It is made from red curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, tamarind, sugar and ground peanuts.

- Fried Tofu Cubes has a more granular peanut dipping sauce that people love whenever we serve it at parties. This is most likely the greatest party dish we know - fast and easy and tasty.

- Tod mun is a spicy fish cake, served with cucumber sauce. The sauce consists of sliced cucumbers, vinegar, ground fresh chilies, sugar and is topped with ground peanuts for texture. Cucumber is the main ingredient of the sauce, not the peanuts.

It must be that peanut sauce is American Fusion cuisine and part of its popularity comes from the sauce manufacturers who try to bring foreign tastes to your local supermarket. Linking it with Thai cuisine must have seemed like a good marketing idea. As long as Thai food doesn't get 'LaChoy'ed', that's ok

Snacking on Deep Fried Bugs in Thailand

2009-02-18T08:35:00.001-08:00

I was watching a lady from northeastern part of Thailand standing by the fence at the crowded Chatujak weekend market offering different fried creatures: water bugs, worms, grasshoppers and birds from a push cart.

I understand why many people shriek when it comes to eating bugs, even though I have no problem with water bugs. In Thai cuisine, water bugs are commonly part of certain chili sauces, and are not looked upon as a pest or bug. Besides, they are ground up and unrecognizable; just part of a dish I have eaten them all my life.

The worms and grasshoppers are different! I have seen people eat them on TV, but my mother never cooked them for us. Here was a chance to see if they taste like chicken. I realized that if I could eat water bugs, other insects are not too far from it. How arbitrary is it to discriminate against other types of insects!

As I was reasoning, a guy came by and bought some bugs. She sprayed a thin brown sauce on top and handed the bag to him. I thought, 'hey, people are really buying and eating this stuff.' So I approached her cart and asked her what she had. She explained:

Water bugs, I already knew that one. It was deep fried and sprayed with some sauce. It was probably crunchy and creamy with a distinct scent of water bug. I didn't mind this one and thought that I would certainly get some.

Next was called rod fai duan or express train. Hmm…doesn't sound bad. The express train is a worm that eats bamboo. OK. The worm sounded clean, only ate bamboo. OK, I'd try this.

This fat oval bug with visible sections looked too much like a bad bug, something out of a horror movie. What is it? She said that it was cocoon of a silkworm after they unraveled the silk. All right. Silk worms eat mulberry leaves. That's not too gross, just a silk worm. I can handle that.

The grasshopper looked like a brown grasshopper with all parts intact.

While I was explaining to my husband and deciding what we would get to experiment and broaden our knowledge of bugs, a guy came by and snatched all the water bugs that she had. Geez, my safety bugs were gone. What to do? So I quickly told the lady I wanted a little bit of every thing. She said 10 baht (~US$0.25) a ladle. OK, a ladle full of everything except the birds. Years ago, my brother ended up in a doctor's office after the birds because the bones were stuck in his throat. I decided that just bugs would be enough to fill my day.

She was so generous with her scoop that I had to tell her that we're new to the bugs and please go easy on us. She sprayed our bugs with the sauce. I asked her what is the sauce. She smiled and simply replied, 'secret sauce'.

Now it was time. My husband and I were arguing who should go first. We decided we should both munch at the same time. I chose the bamboo worm first because it was the least threatening. To my surprise, it tasted great. It was nutty and crunchy. There were no icky taste or unpleasant smell or feeling in your mouth. I had been afraid that it would be creamy (like I'd always imagined bugs in the past), but it was dry. Well, if the bamboo worm wasn't so bad, let's try another worm, the silk worm. It was crunchy and nuttier than the 'express train'. We saved the best for last, the grasshopper. I closed my eyes and dropped one in my mouth. If I didn't know what it was, it would have to say it was the fried tiny little fish that you get in Korean restaurants. It tasted like fish, not chicken

How to Order a Bowl of Noodles

2009-02-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

Do you know how to order a bowl of beef noodles in Thailand? If you do, your lunch will be customized to your personal liking.

First start with the types of noodles, there are thin round rice noodles the size of angel hair pasta called sen mee. The next size is thin flat rice noodles or sen lek. This type of noodles is used in Pad Thai. The largest is fresh rice noodles, about half the width of lasagna (an inch). This fresh rice noodles are called sen yai, literally translated "big strand."

The next step is getting the meat that you like. Standard fare includes pork and beef. However, you can find chicken, duck and fish. We will concentrate on beef noodles here. For beef, your choice includes blanched (sod) and braised (piuay). If it is blanched, the pieces are thinly sliced. You may also want nam tok which is beef blood. If you desire for nice, soft, easy to chew big chunks of meat, go for piuay. However, this is not an easy way out. You can have tendon or just beef. Tendon is en in Thai. If you would like tendon, tell your wait staff at this point. Any type of meatball is called loog chin or known to noodle shops as chin. To add more complication, you can have tendon mixed in the meatballs or just pure meat, but standard beef balls are without tendon. So chances are that you will get just beef.

You can add a delicacy in your beef noodles by adding other parts of the cow. You might want to add heart hua jai and/or liver thubto your noodles. You will only get a thin piece or two of the delicacy.

Bean sprouts are not always loved. So, you have a choice of bean sprouts ngog or no bean sprouts mai ngog. Bean sprouts are called toa ngog in Thai but waiters and waitresses shorten it to ngog. Mai negates whatever that is in front of it. So, mai ngog is no bean sprouts. Now, that you've decided you want bean sprouts, you can have them fresh mai luuag or blanched luuag. Without any indication, you will get yours blanched.

Last is to add broth or not to add broth. If you want your noodles soupy, say nam. If you want your noodles dry, say hang.

Now you can order your noodles with confidence. Oh, only beef noodles. I'll tell you more about other types of noodles later. For now just practice, ordering beef noodles first. My favourite is lek hang ngog chin sod

Snacking on the Streets of Bangkok

2009-02-18T08:28:00.001-08:00

Legume Man

As long as I could remember, crunchy peas and beans are sold by Indian immigrants. It seems like they have a monopoly/authority on the fried beans. You would see a guy walking around with what looked like a small table on his head. I'd stop him if I wanted. He would bring the table down. You could see that it was not a table but a sectioned tray with four legs. Then you would select what you would like. The usuals are mung beans, peanuts, fava beans, black-eyed peas and green peas. It had been a few years since I ran into these guys. I noticed the change, the plastic basket. I stopped the guy and asked for mung beans, my favourite. He asked if I wanted 10 baht or 20 baht. I asked for 10 baht(~25 cents) underestimating the power of the comfort food. He put the mung beans into a small plastic bag and put sliced green onion, chili pepper and salt on top and handed it to me. It was as good as ever. I wished I had asked for 40 baht.

Grilled Banana

There are so many varieties of banana in Thailand. Gluay nam wah can be transformed into so many snacks and desserts. One of my favourites is 'gluay ping' or grilled banana. You will find almost ripe bananas, peeled and grilled on low heat over ash covered charcoal grill. Then, they are pressed and dipped in coconut, palm sugar sauce. I usually get mine grilled un-pressed without sauce. Lately, I noticed white and purple balls sold along side the banana. I asked the lady what were those. 'Potato and taro ball', she said. I tried a few and didn't like them that much. My grilled bananas were so good that 5 of them were gone in no time. They were 5 for 10 baht(~ 25 cents)

Why Asian Food Saves You Money

2009-02-18T08:20:00.000-08:00

Even though the economy is fairly strong, you still may want to save money and both Asian markets and Thai food can help. For a number of reasons, Asian markets are one of the cheapest places to buy groceries, even many of those groceries you normally buy in western supermarkets. Then, when you get home, you will find an average Thai meal with rice is significantly less expensive than a meat-centric western meal.

Asian Markets Are Almost Always Cheaper

Most Asian markets (except Japanese and Korean) are far less expensive item for item than western supermarkets, primarily because of a lack of branding or promotion and great economies of scale.

Unsophisticated Retail Tactics
Almost no Asian market owners spend money or time on such consumer spending optimizers as fliers, advertising, competitive pricing strategies, market research, information systems, shelf-space positioning strategies, frequent shopper club memberships, or interior decorating.

Western supermarket chains do not do these nice activities because they like you! Supermarkets do these things to bring you in the store and because they generate more revenue than they cost to perform. That extra profit comes from your pocket.

Market's Economies of Scale
Economies of scale kick in in major cities with a large concentration of Asian people. There are frequently one or two major Asian markets that have more shoppers per square feet than any western supermarkets I've ever seen. Visit the fresh fish counter in a major Asian stores in a city like Boston or San Jose just to see the massive volume sold. I remember from some market research a couple years ago, in the US, the average Asian and Hispanic shopper buys more groceries and cooks from scratch more frequently than the average western shopper. Volume drives down prices.

Weak Asian Brands
Frequently, foods made in Asia are sold very inexpensively in their home country due to weak branding, low labor costs and extreme price competition. This bruising competition is carried abroad at every stage in the wholesale chain keeping prices low.

Almost No Product Advertising
Asian branded products are not advertised internationally. When you buy TV and print advertised products, like those from General Mills or Kraft, you pay about 7% in direct advertising expenses and frequently far more for "brand value". If companies don't spend on ads, you don't learn the differences between brands without trying them yourself, but you also don't have to pay for their ads.

Overall Savings
When you visit an Asian market, you will find that these factors drive the price of many of the vegetables, fruit, fish and meat you normally buy to 10-30% below standard western supermarket prices. When you buy Asian products, you will frequently save even more than you would on a comparably produced western item.

The Siam Weight Loss Diet

2009-02-18T08:06:00.000-08:00

When picking weight loss diets, there are so many choices: Low-carb, low-fat, Oprah's books, Fergie's bars, pre-packaged, mail order, charts, graphs, tables, one-on-one, groups, South Beach, North End, grapefruit, water, meat, starving, see food.

You could also take a step back, and look at a group of people who constantly eat but are predominantly slim. There are 2 things you see on any street in Thailand: they're filled with thin people and they're filled with vendors selling food. Food is everywhere. How can there be more food, but thinner people?

Most westerners don't eat Thai food every meal. But there are a number of easy lessons that come from how Thai people eat Thai food that directly apply to healthier western eating. It's exotic, fun, tastes great and can encompass a whole healthy lifestyle. We'll call this: The Siam Weight-Loss Diet.

- Snack. With street vendors in Thailand presenting readily available food, people at work grab snacks when they are hungry. According to Dr. Weil, regular snacking moderates the blood sugar and keeps you from having the peaks and valleys that causes binge eating. For example, you could keep a basket of fresh fruit or nuts handy to snack on before you starve.

- Fresh Ingredients and Preparation. Since in Thailand, good quality, fresh food is readily available for takeout or eating in the office, there is not much demand for processed foods. Leaves are more commonly a part of a meal. While making fresh food may be a time consuming, it greatly reduces the amount of unknown ingredients in your body and provides far more nutrients for the same amount of food. Frozen food has half the nutrients of fresh, canned has 10. That means you need 10x the pasta sauce to get the same benefits as fresh. Make an effort to make food when you can and you will learn to cook better food quickly. For example the canned staple spaghetti sauce, can be made in 10 minutes from raw ingredients.

- Fruits. Great fruits are everywhere in Thailand and are more widely in demand than in the US. With great fruit now available here year round, choosing fruit instead of chips or other snacks is an easy choice to copy.

- Rice. Because most of cooked rice is water, it fills you up without supplying many calories. While this may sound counterproductive, in a society where people have the tendency to eat too much, it's a successful way to get "full" without the calories. Other similar examples of filling foods include oatmeal and couscous.

- High intensity flavored dishes. Many Thai dishes pack so much flavor per square inch (or cm) that you have to eat them on rice. There's frequently so much salt, hot pepper or other flavorings that eating the dishes by the raw spoonful is unpleasant. The food needs the rice. Since rice is mostly water, all things being equal, there ends up being more flavor per calorie of Thai food. You get the same level of tastes as a western dish without the calories. See how you can mix high flavor foods with low calorie fillers. Generally these high flavor foods are savory. Thai examples are abundant. You could, for example, serve smaller portions of steak and rice, with kim chee, Indian cilantro relish, or a hot pepper sauce.

- No dairy. I love good cheese. However in Thai food, there is no milk, cheese or butter. All calories add up. Coconut milk is perhaps the Thai analogue to dairy, but coconut milk is not nearly as prevalent in Thai food as cheese, butter or cream are in western foods. Ask most western chefs: what's the secret ingredient that makes people love a dish? Butter. What makes western desserts good? Butter. Lesson: pick dishes without dairy. Don't butter every pancake. Try toast with just jam. You'll be surprised what you need and don't need.

- Well flavored dishes don't need fat. In western food, the olive oil, butter or other fat provides a smoothing and filling aspect of many dishes. For me, lasagna with non-fat cheese is inedible. Because the Thai food flavor system's complexity comes from mixing flavor intense ingredients, like fish sauce and lime and hot peppers, there's no need for a fat. If fat is a bottom flavor that pulls spices together, many Thai dishes are comprised of top flavors without need for a bottom. In general, look for dishes that don't depend on added fats and avoid the oilier dishes. If you try this at restaurants, you can always request stir-fried noodle dishes to be cooked with much less oil. Spread sandwiches with mustard or red pepper spread instead of mayo.

- Low in Sugar. Thai dishes are not highly sweetened. For main courses and soups, a little sugar is sometimes added to round out the flavors. Most desserts combine sugar and salt as prime ingredients but aren't just sugary confections. Many desserts are primarily fresh fruit. Many people drink water, fresh juice or soy milk instead of soda. Look for ways to cut out sugars.

- Shared dishes and smaller portions. In the US, most restaurants over-serve their patrons. Frequently, a single dish can serve 2 people. Thai's traditionally share from dishes in the center of the table. It is considered rude to place in your own dish much more than 2 or 3 bites of a dish at one time. Because people don't have heaping helpings, there is no pressure to clear the massive plate of food you took at the start of the meal when you were hungry. You are less likely to overeat. The serving plates also go back in the kitchen or fridge after the meal so if they are not finished, no worry, they can be finished next meal. With the exception of hamburgers, this is a fairly easy behavior to copy.

While following these principles is a great excuse for going out for Thai food, almost all of lessons can be directly applied to eating western food. The one universal point most nutritionists agree on is that dieting doesn't make long-term success, lifestyle choices makes long-term success. By picking a couple principles at a time and incorporating them into your life and then moving onto another when the ones you previously chose are locked into your habits, you'll be the most successful in staying the weight you want

Choosing a Rice Cooker or Steamer

2009-02-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

While you may initially look at buying a rice cooker as a scary confirmation of your addiction to Thai food, you will quickly find that using one increases your efficiency and repertoire so much that you will wonder how you ever lived without it.

From jasmine to sticky, sushi to congee, basmati to Japanese short grain, different rice is cooked different ways. Mastering the cooking technique for each variety on the stovetop can be elusive, challenging and time consuming. Cooking rice on the stove takes patience and attention. Furthermore, unlike most other dishes, rice is the soldier, not the star; few people equate cooked rice with artistic culinary self-expression. It's a great activity to delegate to an electronic device. In countries like Thailand, rice cookers are as common an appliance as toaster ovens are in the US.

It's important to educate yourself so you purchase the correct rice cooker. Most all models will cook mainstream rice well enough. With more expensive models come life-improving features.

Types of Rice Cookers

There are 3 levels of sophistication across all rice cooker lines:
- Basic
- More refined design with a better housing and a non-stick pot
- Computer controlled

Basic Rice Cookers

The basic model rice cookers look very utilitarian and have a glass or metal lid that lifts off completely. The pot is likely uncoated or thinly coated aluminum and can be a challenge to wash. These rice cookers work fine for most meals, but a number of manufacturers limit the size of them to 2-5 cups. The basic models normally cost under $30 USD.

Mid-Tier Rice Cookers

The mid-tier model has similar electronics, but adds a number of improvements. Like with the low end model, cooking is simple: there's one button to push. The lid is normally hinged and has a water catcher so that the condensed steam doesn't get all over the counter. There's a carrying handle and a more attractive exterior if you want to put it directly on the table. The pot is normally coated with a more durable non-stick surface and is removable for easy cleaning. The cord is spring-loaded and retracts into the cooker for storage. These models cost in the $70-$100 USD range.

High end Rice Cookers

The major features of the top of the line rice cookers depend on a small computer that controls the cooking. There are three primary benefits:
- selective cooking for different kinds of rice to various levels of doneness, hardness or wetness
- faster cooking times
- scheduled cooking
The computer offers little songs that play at the start or end of cooking. There are also clocks and timers. These rice cookers generally look somewhat more attractive, with cleaner lines and more stylish colors, like cobalt blue or fire-engine red.

Does the rice taste better from these more expensive, computer controlled rice cookers? Are they worth the extra cost? The answer is that it depends on how you like your rice, how discriminating you are and what your life style is. If you want different kinds of rice perfectly cooked or want rice to be done when you get home from work, then this is the rice cooker for you. These models cost up to $250.

With the breadth of models, choosing a rice cooker can range from a splurge to a major investment. If you have any sense that you'll depend on the rice cooker regularly, you will appreciate the benefits of the middle or highest tier models. Your rice cooker should last for many years, with problems normally stemming from either scratching the non-stick pot or the eventual demise of the electronics. The only other care recommendation
we can give is don't let rice sit in the pot for more than a couple days when the weather is cool, or a day when it's warm. If mold invades a rice cooker, you'll need to carefully clean it to make sure it doesn't spoil future batches. Take care of the pot, enjoy the consistency of fool-proof results and you'll not need to ever worry about cooking rice again

Revealing A Temple with Food

2009-02-17T11:10:00.000-08:00

What: Great Real Thai food
How Much: $5 per dish, $3 per snack
Where: Thai Temple
When: Every Sunday
Who: Thai expatriates and families, Thai students, Americans with great love of authentic Thai food, neighbors

The Thai temple in San Bruno, California has been one the best finds for us. Many go to just hang out, but what keeps us coming back is the food. Most Thai Temples in the US have similar spreads.

A big part of what's fun is that you won't find the most popular Thai foods in the US, but you will find the most popular Thai food in Thailand. If you want to see what Thai people really eat when they cook for themselves or are in Thailand, this is the place to go.

Papaya Salad is the most popular dish in Thailand. Here you can order your papaya salad to your personal taste: hot or not, sour or sweet, with lots of shrimp or few. Papaya Salad goes exceedingly well with Sticky Rice and Grilled Chicken. While they don't serve grilled chicken, you can get a half chicken deep fried Thai style for $5. They also have Laab which has been hit or miss. The very first time we were there, the laab was heavenly good; lately it has been so-so. Other popular dishes in Thailand we've had there and enjoyed include Steamed Curried Fish - haw moak, meung, Mackerel with Chili Sauce - nam prik pla tuu and Mussel Sprout Pancakes - hoy tod. Many people (including us) buy extras to take home for the next couple days.

In, Thailand, most markets and some street stalls have ready made food in huge trays ready for you eat there or take home. Here at the temple, they have 6-8 trays of food that you can have with rice. They usually have a few trays of curries like pumpkin curry, curry with bitter leaves and flowers of a tree - gang keelek, five spice pork and eggs - pa-lo, sour curry - gang som, spicy fish stir fried or fish ball green curry.

Noodles come in boats: Next up two coolers sit on top of a Thai boat. What is the boat doing at the temple? Thailand used to have an elaborate canal system similar to the road system that we have today. People used to paddle everywhere. Noodles sellers used to come by your house in a boat. Now that the canals are gone, these boats refer to a type of noodles - thin rice noodles with beef and beef ball with dark dark broth. Here at the temple they have several types of noodles that you can order (you might want to read up on how to order noodles in Thailand). You can pick from two types of noodles, rice vermicelli and rice noodles and numerous meats including beef, beef balls and fish balls.

They even have types of noodles that are unheard of in western Thai restaurants, yen ta fo noodles - flat rice noodles with fish balls and reddish broth and guay jub. Guay jub is fresh flat rice noodles that has been dried and re-cooked with lots of water until mushy. The noodles are served with pig's blood and edible internal organs like liver and intestine. The broth is dark and has the aroma of five spice. The soup is served with tofu and a hard boiled egg that has been cooked in the five spice broth. While this dish may not sound great to westerners, but it is a comfort food for many Thais.

For snacks, nothing is as nostalgic for me as kanom krok and fried banana and taro. Seeing the cook pouring the kanom krok batter into what looks like a massive escargot or poached egg tray brings back the memories of my grandmother. She loved kanom krok and we'd have it every morning when I visited her house. I always let the cook know that I like mine really crispy on the outside. Kanom krok is slightly similar to pancakes, except that it is wetter than pancakes, has coconut milk and is only cooked on one side. Fried banana and fried taro tasted really great here even though my favorite ingredients are missing, grated coconut and sesame seeds.

Another recent addition to the long list of foods is roti. This roti is a type of fried dough originally from Indian but has different twist to it. The thin dough is fried in butter and topped with sweet condensed milk and sugar. It is crispy, sweet and salty at the same time.

While the dessert lady is kind of the last in line, I visit her first. Desserts vary from week to week - some are really good and go quickly. My favorite is the rainbow colored strips in coconut milk. She also makes other snacks like tapioca balls stuffed with minced pork, salted turnips and peanuts.

Every other Sunday, a minivan full of Thai spices, vegetables and goods from Thailand is at the temple's parking lot. We buy some holy basil, lemon grass, Thai chilies and galangal from the lady.

As we drive away, we can never get over what a great find that was

Panang Curry with Beef

2009-01-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

Panang Curry with Beef
Ingredients :

400 grams beef tenderloin, sliced
2 tablespoons panang curry paste
2 tablespoons vegetable cooking oil
150 gms coconut milk
2 tablespoons palm sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
10 basil leaves
1 red chilli, sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves

Instructions :

1. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the curry paste for one minute, then pour in the coconut milk and boil.
2. Add beef and season with palm sugar and fish sauce.
3. Once the beefs are cooked, then add basil, chilli and kaffir lime leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with steamed rice is also a good way to enjoy this recipe.

Omelette in clear soup (Kaeng Jeut Khai Jiao)

2009-01-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

Omelette in clear soup (Kaeng Jeut Khai Jiao)

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 eggs
1-2 lettuce plants
1 tsp dried salted vegetable
1 coriander plant
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2-3 tbsp fish sauce
5 cups soup stock or water
4 tbsp cooking oil

PREPARATION:

1. Bring the stock to a boil. If you wish to add pork, drop small lumps of the ground meat into the stock.

2. Beat the eggs and fry in a wok until firm. Now, move the egg off to one side, put in the garlic, and sauté until fragrant and golden. Next, return the eggs to the middle, break up with the spatula into pieces, transfer the contents of the wok to the pot, and when the stock returns to a boil, add the fish sauce.

3. Place lettuce leaves in a bowl, dip the soup into the bowl sprinkle with The pepper, coriander greens, and dried salted vegetable, and serve hot.

Chicken green curry (Kang keaw wan kai)

2009-01-26T08:05:00.000-08:00

Chicken green curry (Kang keaw wan kai)

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp green curry paste (according to taste)

1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

1-2 thick stalks lemongrass, fat ends bashed with a rolling pin (optional)750g/1½lb skinless, boneless chicken, cut into chunks (use breast and/or leg meat)

6-8 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces (if unavailable, use the grated zest of 1 lime)

400ml/14fl oz coconut milkgood shake of Thai fish sauce or light soy saucesmall handful of coriander, roughly chopped

½-1 lime, juice only

PREPARATION

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the green curry paste and sugar and cook over a fairly high heat for about a minute, stirring with the lemongrass, if using. Reduce the heat slightly and stir in the chicken pieces and lime leaves or zest until coated in the paste. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce or soy sauce and bring to a simmer, cooking for 25-30 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in the coriander and lime juice. Check for seasoning, adding more fish sauce or soy sauce if needed.

2. The curry is now best left to sit for a few minutes so the sauce becomes creamier. You will also taste the true flavours of the curry paste ingredients when it's slightly cooler. Serve with lots of fragrant Thai jasmine rice.

Barbecue Chicken (Gai Yang)

2009-01-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

Barbecue Chicken (Gai Yang)

Thai barbecued chicken is a bright red color and full of amazing flavor. This recipe by Puangpen Prescott is no exception...make sure to have plenty of the dipping sauce on hand for other dishes as well. It is even great on chicken wings.

Barbecue Chicken (Gai Yang)
Ingredients:

3 whole young chicken, clean, rinse and patted dry
2 small oranges or limes
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons mixture of coriander root and black pepper and garlic pounded fine
6 tablespoons light soy
3/4 cup beer or wine

Rub chickens with halved oranges or limes and follow with salt. Marinate chickens in the mixture of coriander root, pepper, garlic, light soy and wine for 2-3 hrs. Grill on medium low heat charcoal fire till done. The skin of the chicken should be crisp and light brown.

Dipping sauce
4 large red chili peppers with seeds discarded
12 very fresh small chili pepper ( phrig khee hnu )
4 small cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

Pound the first 4 ingredients together just till shredded. Add the last 3 ingredients and mix well. Beware this is very hot. You can reduce the amount of phrig khee hnu to tone down the heat.

Drunken Chicken Wings (Peek Gai Lao Daeng)

2009-01-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

Drunken Chicken Wings (Peek Gai Lao Daeng)

Ingredients
1.5 pounds chicken wings

Marinade
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 cup thinly sliced lemongrass
10-15 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon freshly milled black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped Thai chile peppers
1/4 cup chopped coriander/cilantro (including roots if possible)
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup whisky (preferably bourbon or rice whiskey)

MethodMix the marinade, stir the wings until thoroughly coated and leave to marinate for 12-24 hours in the fridge.

Barbecue or grill the wings over fairly high heat until cooked through.

Serve with a dipping sauce that consists of 4 parts mayonnaise, 4 parts tomato ketchup to one part hot chili sauce.

Twilight

2008-11-28T05:08:00.000-08:00

Tom Yum Kung

2008-11-22T00:17:00.000-08:00

Main Ingredient
Shrimp	500 g.
Rice straw mushroom	600 g.
Chilli paste	150 g.
Soup stock	2,500 g.
Citric acid	10 g.
Salt	15 g.
Fish sauce	100 g.
Sugar	20 g.
Lime juice	15 g.
Hot chilli	10 g.

Chilli paste Ingredient
Dried Chilli	10 g.
Lemon grass	40 g.
Shallots	40 g.
Galangal	10 g.
Kaffir lime leaves	5 g.
Vegetable oil	100 g.

* 30 grams = 1oz. , 1kilogram = 2.24 lbs.

Cooking Method
Chilli paste cooking

Roast the chilli paste mixture and pound until ground then fry with oil and take aside.

Peel the shrimp except its tail
Peel the mushroom, divide by two
Heat the soup stock and mix with all seasonings until boiling, add shrimps and mushroom and boil until done
Add the chilli paste to favorite taste

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Som Tum

2008-11-22T00:10:00.000-08:00

Main Ingredient

Shredded papaya 400 g.
Som Tum sauce 120 g.
Long beans 80 g.
Tomato 120 g.
Hot chilli View ingredient detail 5 g.
Dried shrimp 25 g.
Garlic View ingredient detail 8 g.
Lemon juice View ingredient detail 20 g.

* 30 grams = 1oz. , 1kilogram = 2.24 lbs

Cooking Method

Pound chilli and garlic roughly
Add papaya, spring beans, tomato and dried shrimp and pound roughly
Mix Som Tam sauce and season to sour taste with lemon juice and serve with fresh vegetables; cabbage, swamp cabbage and spring beans

Strong point of Som Tum

Low fat and calories. Adequate fibers.

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Thai food introduction

2008-11-21T23:54:00.002-08:00

Thai food is internationally famous. Whether chilli-hot or comparatively blands, harmony is the guiding principle behind each dish. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai. The characteristics of Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all palates.
Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plants and herbs were major ingredients. Large chunks of meat were eschewed. Subsequent influences introduced the use of sizeable chunks to Thai cooking.

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Preparing Thai Food

2008-11-21T23:54:00.001-08:00

>> titbits

A simple kind of titbit is fun to make. You need shallots, ginger, lemon or lime, lemon grass, roasted peanuts and red phrik khi nu chillies. Peeled shallots and ginger should be cut into small fingertip sizes. Diced lime and slices of lemon grass should be cut to the same size. Roasted peanut should be left in halves. Chillies should be thinly sliced. Combinations of such ingredients should be wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves and laced with a sweet-salty sauce made from fish sauce, sugar, dried shrimps and lime juice.

>> dipsmiksing

crushed fresh chillies with fish sauce and a dash of lime juice makes a general accompanying sauce for any Thai dish। Adding some crushed garlic and a tiny amount of roasted or raw shrimp paste transforms it into an all-purpose dip (nam phrik). Some pulverised dried shrimp and julienned egg-plant with sugar makes this dip more complete. Serve it with steamed rice, an omelette and some vegetables.

>> Salad dressingssalaad

dressings have similar base ingredients। Add fish sauce, lime juice and sugar to enhance saltiness, sourness and sweetness. Crushed chillies, garlic and shallots add spiciness and herbal fragrance. Lemon grass and galanga can be added for additional flavour. Employ this mix with any boiled, grilled or fried meat. Lettuce leaves, sliced cucumber, cut spring onions and coriander leaves help top off a salad dressing.

>> Soup Stocks

Soups generally need good stock। Add to boiling water crushed peppercorns, salt, garlic, shallots, coriander roots, and the meats or cuts of one's choice. After prolonged boiling and simmering , you have the basic stock of common Thai soups. Additional galanga, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, crushed fresh chillies, fish sauce and lime juice create the basic stock for a Tom Yam.

>> Curries

To make a quick curry, fry curry or chilli paste in heated oil or thick coconut milk. Stir and fry until the paste is well cooked and add meats of one's choice. Season with fish sauce or sugar to taste. Add water or thin coconut milk to make curry go a longer way. Add sliced eggplant with a garnish of basil and kaffir lime leaves. Make your own curry paste by blending fresh (preferably dried) chillies, garlic, shallots, galanga, lemon grass, coriander roots, ground pepper, kaffir lime peels and shrimp paste.

>> Single Dish

MealsHeat the cooking oil, fry in a mixture of crushed chillies, minced garlic, ground pepper and chopped chicken meat. When nearly cooked, add vegetables such as cut beans or eggplants. Season with fish sauce and garnish with kefir lime leaves, basil or balsam leaves. Cooked rice or fresh noodles added to the frying would make this a substantial meal.

Pad Thai

2008-11-21T23:45:00.000-08:00

This Pad Thai recipe is how you actually find it in Bangkok and comes from testing hundreds of different variations from food carts all over the city. Pad Thai is the ultimate street food. While "street food" may sound bad, food cart cooks are in such a competitive situation, with such limited space, ingredients and tools they need to specialize in a dish or two just to stay in business. The best of these cooks have cooked the same dish day-after-day, year-after-year, constantly perfecting it.

Great Pad Thai is dry and light bodied, with a fresh, complex, balanced flavor. I've never actually seen the red, oily pad thai in Thailand that is common in many western Thai restaurants.

The ingredients listed below can be somewhat intimidating but many are optional. If you would like to make authentic Pad Thai, just like in Thailand, use all the ingredients.
Pad Thai is another perfect vegetarian dish, just omit shrimp and substitute soy sauce for fish sauce. Add more tofu if you like.

Tips and substitutions

By far, the trickiest part is the soaked noodles. Noodles should be somewhat flexible and solid, not completely expanded and soft. When in doubt, undersoak. You can always add more water in the pan, but you can't take it out.
Shrimp can be substituted or omitted.
In this recipe, pre-ground pepper, particularly pre-ground white pepper is better than fresh ground pepper. For kids, omit the gound dried chilli pepper.
Tamarind adds some flavor and acidity, but you can substitute white vinegar.
The type of extra firm tofu called for this recipe can be found at most oriental groceries in a plastic bag, not in water. Some might be brown from soy sauce, but some white ones are also available. Pick whatever you like.
If you decided to include banana flower, cut lengthwise into sections (like orange sections). Rub any open cut with lime or lemon juice to prevent it from turning dark.
The original Pad Thai recipe calls for crushed roasted peanuts. Many people in Thailand avoid eating peanuts because of its link to cancer.

Ingredient

1/2 lime
1 egg
4 teaspoons fish sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground dried chili pepper ground pepper
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon tamarind
1/2 package Thai rice noodles
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2-1/4 lb shrimp Optional
1/2 banana flower Optional
1/3 cup tofu - extra firm Optional
1-1/2 cup Chinese chives - green Optional
2 tablespoons peanuts Optional
1-1/3 cup bean sprouts Optional
1 tablespoon preserved turnip Optional

Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water while preparing the other ingredients, for 5-10 minutes. Julienne tofu and cut into 1 inch long matchsticks. When cut, the extra firm tofu should have a mozzarella cheese consistency. Cut up Chinese chives into 1 inch long pieces. Set aside a few fresh chives for a garnish. Rinse the bean sprouts and save half for serving fresh. Mince shallot and garlic together.

Use a wok. If you do not have a wok, any big pot will do. Heat it up on high heat and pour oil in the wok. Fry the peanuts until toasted and remove them from the wok. Add shallot, garlic and tofu and stir them until they start to brown. The noodles should be flexible but not expanded at this point. Drain the noodles and add to the wok. Stir quickly to keep things from sticking. Add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce, chili pepper and preserved turnip. Stir. The heat should remain high. If your wok is not hot enough, you will see a lot of juice in the wok at this point. Turn up the heat, if it is the case. Make room for the egg by pushing all noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the egg onto the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Fold the egg into the noodles. Add shrimp and stir. Add bean sprouts, chives. Stir a few more times. The noodles should be soft and very tangled.

Pour onto the serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve hot with the banana flower slice and a wedge of lime on the side and raw Chinese chives and raw bean sprouts on top.

As always, in Thailand, condiments such as sugar, chili pepper, vinegar and fish sauce are available at your table for your personal taste.
Some people add more pepper or sugar at this point.

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