The Arsenal Files 8/The Arsenal Files Collection #8 (Arsenal Computer) (1996).ISO/health/muoithai.zip/RECIPES.TXT

Text File | 1996-10-03 | 252KB | 7,324 lines

Pet Palo - Steamed Duck with Chinese Influence


This recipe is to steam a 4 pound duck. As described here it is best
cooked in one of the combination electric steamer/pans popular in
Thailand: these have a largish pan that can be used as a frying
pan/skillet or as a sauce-pan, and on this a steamer large enough for
the duck sits. The whole is plugged into the mains electricity and is
elegant enough to place on the table. I leave it to the ingenuity of the
reader to work out how to do this in other equiment.

Maggi Sauce (a thick black sauce made by the Swiss company Maggi) is now
a traditional ingredient in many Thai dishes.

Base Sauce.
-----------

Mix equal parts of Maggi seasoning suace, mushroom soy sauce, Oyster
sauce, and dark sweet soy sauce, varying the quantities slightly
according to taste, to make up three cups of base sauce.

Sauce. (additional ingredients)
------

6 cups        water
8-12 cloves    garlic, crushed or minced
quarter cup    chopped cilantro/coriander (including the roots if poss)
1-2 teaspoon    freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon    fish sauce (this is the "salty" flavor - to taste
3 cups        base sauce (above)
half cup    palm sugar.

method.
-------

Place the water in the base of the steamer and bring to a boil. Add the
other ingredients, and stir until it is boiling then reduce heat to
simmering point. Put the duck in the top container and steam for 35-40
minutes. At which point the duck should be nearly cooked. Turn off the
heat, and allow the duck to cool until you can handle it (professional
chefs with asbestos hands probably don't need to let it cool at all),
remove the legs and wings, then fillet the duck. Place all the meat, the
wings and the legs in the sauce, and keep the bones to make soup stock.

Place the base pan on the table with the lid in place, and about 15
minutes before you want to eat switch it back on. This will complete the
cooking and allow the meat to absorb the flavor of the sauce. Provide a
pair of chopsticks so the diners can serve themselves. You will also
need a small ladle to serve the sauce.

Serve with chillis marinated in dark sweet soy and fresh ground ginger
as condiments, and either steamed jasmine rice or sticky rice.

Footnote: this is how we serve it to an adult table -- when children are
present we serve the meat to each diner and decant the sauce into a
sauceboat: it prevents fights over the legs!


Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Pla Kapong Kimao

Deep fried fish with garlic sauce


In Thai "kimao" means drunk. However unlike the Chinese "drunken"
dishes, which are marinated in alcohol, Thai "kimao" dishes are eaten by
drunks - i.e. they are traditional bar food. Sometimes, like this one,
they are believed to "put a lining on your stomach" to allow you to
drink more.

Whatever the origin this is an interesting treatment for a whole fish.
You can use any sort of fish. You want one weighing about a pound. Thais
leave the head on.

The chillis used in this are a large chilli called prik chi fa in Thai.
Jalapenos are probably the nearest equivalent if you can't get the Thai
chillis.

The fish is cleaned, the sides slashed and the fish is either dredged in
flour or coated with a light batter, and then deep fried in fairly hot
oil for about five minutes each side. The fish is then removed to a
large plate or serving platter.

sauce ingredients
-----

8 cloves garlic chopped finely
quarter cup coarsely chopped green prik chi fa
quarter cup coarsely chopped red prik chi fa
quarter cup thinly cliced green onions (scallions/spring onions)
quarter cup chopped coriander [cilantro] including the roots if poss
third cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons palm sugar
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 "kaffir" lime leaves, torm (or about a teaspoon of lime zest)
quarter cup chopped sweet basil leaves.

you also need about 3 tablespoons of cooking oil.

sauce method
-----

in a medium skillet on medium heat, heat the oil, then add the blended
ingredients, stir continuously for about 3 minutes. add the lime leaves
and the basil, and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the fish to serve.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Pad ped pla dhuk

Spicy catfish


Ever wondered what to do with a catfish? This traditional Thai recipe is
useful if you have a fisherperson in the family.

Note the oil for cooking should be *HOT*. In view of this it is probably
a good idea if the slightly nervous stirfry chef cooks this in a skillet
with a lid!

Lesser Ginger (called krachai in Thai) is a thin tuberous cousin of
normal ginger, which will do if you can't get krachai. normal ginger
should be grated rather than sliced.

You need about a pound of catfish, cut through the body into "steaks"
about half to one inch thick.

ingredients
-----------

half cup    thai eggplant (small round green eggplants)
6-10 cloves    garlic, crushed, chopped or mashed
2 stalks    lemon grass (about 2-3" long), bruised
quarter cup    very thinly sliced lesser ginger
half cup    sweet basil, chopped
quarter cup    fish sauce
1 tablespoon    palm sugar

you can if you wish add a few sliced chilis.

method
------

Combine the suace ingredients.

In a wok (see caveat above) get enough oil to shallow fry the fish
smoking hot. Add the fish and stir until thoroughly coated with oil,
then add the prepared sauce (caution, it can splash - you may want to
wear eye-protection, or make judicious use of a splatter guard). Stir
fry for about 2-3 minutes, ensuring the fish doesn't stick to the pan
and the pieces are all thoroughly sauced.

Remove to a serving dish and serve with steamed jasmine rice. The usual
Thai table condiments apply (i.e. red chillis in vinegar, green chillis
in fish sauce, powdered red chilli and sugar)

Final caution: this cooks quite quickly - don't over cook it or the fish
will become rather hard! It is cooked when you can pry the flesh from
the central bone stem of the steak using the tip of a table knife
without undue effort.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Pad Thai - stir fried noodles

Pad Thai is often called the signature dish of Thai cuisine. There are
several regional variations, indeed it has been said that Thailand has a
different curry for every day of the year, but a different pad thai for
every cook in Thailand! This is my wife's variation.

This variation uses a small amount of khao koor (powdered fried rice),
which occurs as an ingredient in several other Thai recipes. You can
make a small amount and keep it almost indefinately in a well stoppered
jar.

Khao Koor: get a medium sized wok fairly hot, and add a couple of
tablespoons of uncooked rice, and keep in movement until the rice starts
to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Grind to a
fairly coarse powder in a spice mill (a pepper mill works quite well),
or a mortar and pestle. (I find that a coffee grinder doesn't really do
the job as it tends to grind too fine - the powder should retain some
"texture").

You also need a cup of dry roasted, unsalted peanuts. We roast them in
their shells on a charcoal brazier, but you can do it just as well in an
oven, or even in a skillet... However they should be freshly roasted to
bring out the full flavour for this dish.

Ingredients

8 ounces    rice vermicelli (either the sen mee or the sen lek
        style of Thai noodles or indeed any rice noodles
        will do). These should be soaked for a short while
        (perhaps 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the
        brand of noodles) until soft.

5-6        cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
2 tablespoon    chopped shallots
quarter cup    dried shrimp (these should be rolled, or roughly
        punded in a mortar and pestle to break them up)
quarter cup    fish sauce
quarter cup    palm sugar
2-3 tablespoon    tamarind juice
2-3 tablespoon    chopped, pickled raddish (mooli)
1        medium egg, beaten
quarter cup    chopped chives
half cup    roasted peanuts, very coarsely broken up.
one cup        bean sprouts

protein ingredient - this can be half a cup of fried tofu that has been
marinated in dark sweet soy, or an equivalent amount of coarsely chopped
pork or chicken.

method

Heat a little cooking oil in a wok and add the garlic and shallots, and
briefly stir fry until they just shows signs of changing colour. Add the
remaining ingredients except the egg and the bean sprouts, and stir fry
until the protein ingredient is nearly cooked. Continuing to stir with
one hand, slowly "drizzle" in the beaten egg to form a fine ribbon fo
cooked egg (if you con't feel confident with this make an egg crepe
separately, and then roll it up and slice it into quarter inch wide
pieces, which you add to the mix at this point). Finely add the bean
sprouts and cook for no more than another 30 seconds. Remove from the
pan to a serving platter.

Garnish

Mix a tablespoon of lime juice with a tablespoon of tamarind juice and a
tablespoon of fish sauce, and use this to marinade half a cup of
uncooked bean sprouts, half a cup of chopped chives, and half a cup of
very coarsely ground roasted peanuts. Sprinkle this mixture on the
cooked pad thai. Cut several limes into segments and also slice up some
cucumber into rounds then halve the rounds. Put the lime segments and
cuke segments around the serving platter.

You can also sprinkle a quarter of a sliced up banana flower and some
Indian Pennywort leaves over the top as edible decoration.

pad thai is served as above, but Thais add copious amounts of the four
basic condiments (chilis in fish sauce, ground dried red chili, sugar
and crushed peanuts) at the table, to suit their individual
predilictions.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Bpeek kai mao daeng - Drunken chicken wings



Finger food for adults only ???

In Thai mao means drunk (kimao means to be drunk), and daeng means red.
bpeek kai are chicken wings.

This is a useful recipe for something to do with chicken wings. My wife
cuts the wings off all the chickens she uses and keeps them in a large
bowl in the freezer, when the bowl is full we make this up, and serve it
as "tapas" in the restaurant in the evenings. It is good finger food,
but perhaps only for adults.



Ingredients

one and half pounds of chicken wings.

marinade

1 tablespoon    fish sauce
quarter cup    thinly sliced lemon grass
10-15 cloves    garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon    freshly milled black pepper
1 tablespoon    chopped red birdseye chilis (prik ki nu)
quarter cup    chopped coriander/cilantro (including roots if poss)
quarter cup     tomato ketchup
quarter cup    whisky (preferably bourbon or rice whiskey)

method

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

They should then be barbequed or grilled over fairly high heat until
cooked through.

This is then served with a dipping sauce that consists of 4 parts
mayonnaise, 4 parts tomato ketchup to one part hot chili sauce (Tabasco
is suitable, or anything hotter than that.)

(as for the leading question, most if not all the alcohol is burned off
in the barbequeing process, so it is quite safe for children, but if you
*are* making it for the kiddies you might want to reduce or leave out
the chilis!)



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Nua yang nam tok (waterfall beef)

If you've got a broiler/grill you can cook this one anytime, otherwise
wait for the barbeque season.

In Thai nua is beef, yang means broiled (over a charcoal burner), and
nam tok is a waterfall. The name comes from the sound the juices
dripping from the beef onto the open charcoal brazier make.


Ingredients:

You need a 1 pound steak, cut fairly thick.

marinade

1 tablespoon    fish sauce
1 tablespoon    tamarind juice
1 tablespoon    lime juice
1 tablespoon    chopped red birdseye chilis (prik ki nu)

Mix the marinade, coat the steak with it and marinade it for at least 3
hours.

The steak is then barbequed, broiled or grilled until on the rare side
of medium rare, cut into half inch thick strips and the strips cut into
bite sized pieces. The meat can be kept cool until just before you want
to eat.

remaining ingredients

third cup    fish sauce
third cup    lime juice
2-3 tablespoons    chopped shallots
2-3 tablespoons    chopped coriander/cilantro (including the roots if poss)
2-3 tablespoons    chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons    khao noor (see the pad thai recipe for this)
1 tablespoon    freshly roasted/fried sesame seeds
1-3 teaspoons    freshly ground dried red chilis.

method

In a wok, bring a little oil to medium high heat, and add the strips of
beef, immediately followed by all the remaining ingredients, stir fry
until heated through (about a minute).

Serve with Thai sticky rice. (Alternatively I rather like it as part of
a meal with pad thai and a soup such as tom yum ghoong (hot and sour
shrimp soup)).



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Gaeng Massaman Kai




Following a number of requests I received by e-mail I'm posting this as
(possibly) the first of a series of my wife's Thai recipes. This recipe
is for Gaeng Massaman Kai. The "massaman" indicates that the recipe is
of a "musselman" or islamic origin, and it probably owes something to
early Portuguese influences, and is similar in concept to the "sour and
hot" Goan style vindaloo dishes. By Thai standards this is usually a
fairly mild curry, so I find it is a good starting point.

Two points should be made

(i) the quantities are a guide only: if you like a spice use more, if
you don't, use less. If your favorite spice is missing, try adding
some...

(ii) the dish is cooked "when it is cooked". The meat should be cooked
until tender and the potatoes should be cooked thoroughly, but otherwise
taste it and stop cooking when you are happy. As the British chef Keith
Floyd remarked in a series about South East Asian cuisine, Thai charcoal
burners don't have thermostats. I would add that most Thai cooks have
neither a wrist watch nor a clock in their kitchen (which is often the
back yard of the house, or even the sidewalk in front of their door).

First you must prepare a massaman curry paste. This can be prepared in
advance and stored in the fridge in a preserving jar for several weeks
or even months.

(note 'T' = tablespoon, 't' = teaspoon)

Massaman Paste
--------------

10-20 dried red chillies
1 T ground corriander seed
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground cinnamon (from fresh bark)
1 t gound cloves
1 t ground star anise
1 t ground cardamom
1 t ground white pepper
4 T chopped shallots (i.e. the small red skinned onions)
4-6 T chopped garlic
2 2" pieces of lemon grass stalk, sliced into thin rounds
a cube about half an inch on a side of galangal root, roughly chopped
1 T "kaffir" line skin (ordinary lime skin will do if you can't get it)
1 T "kapi" (preserved shrimp paste - note this smells awful until after
you cook it, but it is quite essential to the flavor)

To this you add a little salt: preferably about 1-2 t of fish sauce.

The galangal is roasted before use. The ground spices should preferably
be fresh, in which case you should briefly toast them in a wok without
any oil to bring out the flavor before grinding them.

The ingredients are blended to a fine paste (traditionally in a heavy
granite mortar and pestle, but you can use a food processor just as
well, and with far less effort). Note if you can get fresh red chillies
you can usefully use them instead of the dried ones.

The curry
---------

about 1 pound of shicken (you can also use pork or beef), cut into the
usual "bite sized pieces"

3 cups of coconut milk.
2 T roasted peanuts (unsalted of course)
5 peeled, but whole, small onions.
5 small potatoes, peeled and partly boiled.
3 bay leaves,
5 roasted cardomom fruits (i.e. the whole pod)
a small piece of roasted cinnamon bark
3 T palm sugar (you can use a light brown sugar instead if you can't get
palm sugar)
3 T tamarind juice (this is the "sour" ingredient - you can use white
vinegar instead if you can't get tamarind juice. The juice is made by
soaking tamarind paste in a little water then squeezing it out, and
running it through a seize to extract the juice from the pulp).
3 T lime juice
1-3 T of the curry paste (above).
about 1-3 t crushed garlic. (optional)

Allow the coconut milk to separate and you will have about 1 cup of
thick "cream" and two cups of thin "milk". In a small saucepan bring the
milk to a simmer and add the chicken or pork. If you are using beef you
will need another two cups of milk. simmer the meat until it is
beginning to become tender (beef takes longer, hence the additional
milk).

Put the coconut cream in a wok and bring to a boil, add the massaman
paste and "stir fry" until the flavor is brought out and maximised. The
coconut oil will seperate out and can be skimmed off with a spoon or
ladle. (this removes much of the vegetable cholesterol or whatever it is
called, and makes the dish much less trouble for those watching their
weight or heart).

Add the remaining cream and curry paste to the meat.

Add teh peanuts. taste and adjust the flavor until it is (just) sweet
(by adding sugar), sour and salty (by adding tamarind juice, lime juice
and fish sauce).

Add the remaining ingredients and cook until cooked.

Note : the potatoes we use are a yellow fleshed sweet potatoe of the
type sometimes called a yam in the US. Western style potatoes can be
used, but absorb less of the sauce and flavour. The potatoes act as a
"moderator" to reduce the heat of the curry, and should not be left out.

You can either serve it on a bed of rice, or double the amount of
potatoe and serve it alone.

Accompany it with a dressed green salad and a bowl of pickled cucumbers.
The traditional Thai table also offers chillies in fish sauce (Phrik nam
pla) cillies in vinegar (phrik nam som or phrik dong), powdered chilli
(phrik phom - not to be confused with the powedered chilli mix sold as
chilli powder in the US - it only contains chillis), sugar, and often
MSG. You can if you wish add about a teaspoon of MSG to the above recipe
to bring out the flavors, but I personally don't think it is necesary.

And finally a word of warning to those who burn their tongues on the
chillies: chilli/curry cooked this way is oily - drinking water does not
alleviate the burn, it spreads it around your mouth and throat. You
should use a sweet effervescent beverage such as Coke, Pepsi or 7 UP to
wash the burn away as quickly as possible. If you do not suffer the
burn, I suggest you accompany the meal with a beer Singha is
traditional, but any strong flavored lager stype beer will do), or a
robust red wine.

Enjoy...



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Nam Jim Polamai - Fruit dip




First make the "dressing"

Ingredients:

2 T minced garlic
2 T kapi (shrimp paste)
2 T lime juice
2 T [palm] sugar
2 T fish sauce

Lightly fry the shrimp paste to bring out the aromas, and discard any
oil that is forced out by the heat. Mix the ingredients with half the
fish sauce in a food processor and taste add more fish sauce until it is
just salty enough for you.

Variation:  add [up to] 6 finely sliced red chillis.

Once you have your dressings, you are ready to make one of a number of
Thai dips.

1:) Nam Jim Mamuang

prepare one cup of shredded green (i.e. unripe) mango, and combine it
with the dressing.

Variation instead of shredding the mango just julienne it. If you use
the chilli variation of the dressing the result is a Som Dam Mamuang (an
Isan variant - the normal som dam is made with papaya).

2: Use a cup of coarsely chopped pineapple (nam jim sapparot).

3: Try a cup of any chopped fruit.

4: A variation my wife calls Nam Jim Luk Koei (kai luk koei is "son in
law eggs" and is done with fried hard boiled [quails] eggs in a
caramelised onion sauce). Take a cup of mixed "round things" -
mareschino cherries, cherry tomatoes, cocktail olives, hard boiled
quails eggs. Mix with the dressing[s] and serve on cocktail sticks.

---

A variation my wife calls "devil's finger food"

take about 2 T of shrimp paste, and fry it. Mix in about 1 T of sliced
red chillis. Use this mixture to stuff pitted olives (instead of the
usual bland pimento) and serve it with a hot version of the chilli
dressing from above.

Caveat: Even I find this a little hot...



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Gaeng lueng - a "hot" yellow fish curry




Note this is part 1 of a two part dinner recipe: this curry is *hot*, as
a complement to it I suggest the Kai Yang Isan.

This is a curry that is best if you have an angler in the family. You
can probably prepare it with anything that you catch that doesn't eat
you before you get it on the plate. I particularly like it done with
catfish. If you don't have access to fresh caught fish, you can use any
shop bought fish. Macherel is a good staple.

The quantities are of course a matter of choice. The quantities of
shallots (purple onions), garlic and sliced prik ki nu are according to
my wife "a handful of each" - this equates to almost exactly half a cup,
so that is what I have put in the details.

Prik ki nu (literally "mousedropping chilis"), also known as birdseye
chilis or dynamite chilis, are small green, and quite explosive. The
usual cautions apply to handling them then rubbing your eyes... Cook
books often suggest throwing away the seeds, but this is not usually
done in Thailand. Instead when you slice them any seeds that escape from
the pile may be discarded, but don't go to any particular lengths to
seperate out the seeds.

Take about a pound of filleted fish. If using mackerel discard the head
and tail, cut the fish in half along its belly, discard the backbone. If
using catfish just chop it into chunks, and warn the diners about the
bones... :-)

In a blender or food processor, place a cup of water, a quarter cup of
fish sauce, half a cup of chopped shallots, half a cup of crush garlic,
and half a cup of thinly sliced prik ki nu, together with about 2
tablespoons of fermented shrimp paste that has been briefly fried to
bring out the aroma. Blend to a coarse paste, and add to 4 cups of water
in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the fish, 2 tablespoons of palm
sugar, a third of a cup of tamarind juice, half a cup of sliced long
beans (the Thai version is about a metre long, but the "european"
version will do...) and half a cup of sliced bamboo shoots. Bring to a
boil, reduce the heat untill it is just boiling and cook until the fish
is cooked (about 5 minutes).

 Serve over Thai Jasmine rice.

---

Footnote: you can add chilis at the table but you can't take them out
once the dish is cooked. Thais regularly offer five standard condiments
(prik phom, or chili powder, sugar, chilis in vinegar, chilis in fish
sauce, and ground peanuts). You also sometimes see chilis in sweet dark
soy sauce, fish sauce, dark soy and oyster sauce on the table. Feel free
to add whatever you fancy to the dish.

This dish is *meant* to be hot, but it isn't meant to eat the glaze off
the plate, so be sensible the first time you try it (I recall a cooking
show in Australia recomending half a birdseye chili per person: on that
basis this dish has enough chilis to kill an average Aystralian family
it would appear (though I don't believe it, so don't flame me, mail
Channel 7))

Thais usually have several dishes, that comlement each other. A good
complement to a hot dish like this is our relatively benign kai yang
isan.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kai yang isan - barbequed chicken




kai yang is literally "barbequed (or grilled) chicken", and is peasant
food. As such there are as many recipes as there are cooks in Thailand.
There are however two main styles: kai yang khrung thep ("Bangkok
Style") which is slightly more elaborate, and the basic kai yang isan
("North East style"), which this is. Originally the chicken was cut open
along the belly, and opened out, then knocked flat with a couple of
judicious blows from the back of a cleaver, marinated, pegged in a split
stick to hold it and then grilled over a charcoal brazier.

Faced with the needs of restaurant cooking, my wife adapted the classic
recipe for an industrial rotisserie by adding a stuffing. You can do
this in a broiler oven or rotisserie. If you want a barbeque version,
take two flattened chickens, place them face to face with the stuffing
between them, and hold them in a pair of barbeque tongues, or one of
those wire frame things, and barbeque the sandwich.

Thai chickens tend to be quite small. You can use a 2 pound bird, or a
couple of cornish game hens, or other small poultry.

--

Marinade:

half a cup of fish sauce
half a cup of sweet dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons of crushed garlic
2 tablespoons of freshly ground ginger root
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper.

Marinade the poultry overnight.

--

Stuffing

Mix half a cup each of freshly ground ginger, freshly ground galangal,
thinly sliced bruised lemon grass stalk, chopped coriander [cilantro]
(use the whole plant, including the roots, if you can get it), and fresh
mushrooms. Add the marinade left over from the night before, and heat in
a small saucepan to bring out the flavour if you are doing the mock kai
yang (see below). Stuff the body of the bird[s]

--

bake or broil until cooked, and the skin is crispy brown.

--

This is served with Thai sticky rice, and nam prik jaew (see below), you
should also put some more fresh ground ginger on the table and the usual
Thai condiments (I particularly like chilis marinated in sweet dark soy
sauce with this one). you can also serve it with a simple green salad

--

nam prik jaew

quarter cup yellow bean sauce
quarter cup lime juice
quarter cup minced garlic
quarter cup minced ginger
2 tablespoons of thinly sliced prik ki nu
quarter cup light soy sauce
quarter cup palm sugar

--

mock kai yang.

Wondering what to do with the left over turkey? well its a bit late now
I guess, but next time you have the problem try this:

Shred some pre-cooked poultry, to make about 4 cups of shredded meat.
Add about half a cup of the marinade (above) and mix well, and leave for
the meat to absorb the marinade. Make up about a cup of stuffing,
moistening it with a tablespoon of the marinade mix, and heat it in a
saucepan to bring out the aroma, then mix thoroughly with the marinaded
meat. Serve cold with a salad and the other ingredients... (If you
prefer you can mix the meat in with the stuffing and heat the whole
thing, then eat it hot or cold to suit yourself).




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Tom yum - Hot and sour soup




Tom Yum can be made with a number of ingredients. The version given here
is for a simple tom yum het (mushroom soup), but it can also be tom yum
kai (chicken), tom yum moo (pork), tom yum neua (beef), or tom yum
khoong (shrimp), by simply substituting the mushrooms for another flavor
ingredient. You can also mix and match to suit yourself...

Note: the Thais serve the soup with the rest of the meal, usually in a
large soup tureen, and each diner serves themselves, and uses it to wash
out the mouth between selections from the other foods on offer.

ingredients:

2 pounds fresh mushrooms (or other ingredient) cut into convenient
spoonable size pieces...

2 stalks of lemon grass, bruised (this isn't eaten, but is an essential
flavorant)

2 "kaffir" lime leaves (use lime zest if you can't get it)
2 coriander [cilantro] plants, chopped.
10-15 prik ki nu (birdseye chilis) thinly sliced.
2-5 dried red chilis.
the juice of 3 or 4 limes
2 or 3 tablespoons of sliced bamboo shoots or coconut shoots
2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce.
1-2 tablespoons "chilis in oil"

the "chilis in oil" or nam prik pao can be bought in small glass bottles
from oriental specialty stores. You can also make your own:

    nam prik pao

    4 tablespoon oil
    3 tablespoon chopped garlic
    3 tablespoon chopped shallots
    3 tablespoon coarsely chopped dried red chillies
    1 tablespoon fermented shrimp paste
    1 tablespoon fish sauce
    2 teaspoons of sugar

heat the oil: add the garlic and shallots and fry briefly, remove from
the oil and set aside. Add the chilies and fry until they start to
change colour, then remove them and set them aside.

In a mortar and pestle pound the shrimp paste, add the chillies, garlic
and shallots, blending each in before adding the next. Then over low
heat return all the ingredients to the oil, and fold into a uniform
paste.

The resulting thinck, slightly oily red/black sauce will keep almost
indefinately. If you wish you can add more fish sauce and/or sugar to
get the flavour you want.

--

The fresh chillies should be bruised in a mortar and pestle. The dried
chilies should be heated first, then crumbled into the fresh chilies.
Beat the lemon grass with the grinder of the mortar and pestle (it's
called a 'sa' in Thai, I'm never sure whether it is the mortar or the
pestle in english...) or the back of a cleaver.

Heat about 3 cups of water to boiling point, add all the ingredients,
and stir constantly until cooked (it doesn't take long for mushrooms,
longer for chicken or shrimp, and longest for beef).

variation : use three cups of thin coconut milk instead of water, the
result is tom kha, rather than tom yum...




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Tom kha kai - chicken soup with coconut milk




This is a mild but spicy chicken soup (it can also be made with shrimp,
pork, beef or mushrooms).

ingredients

16 fluid ounces        soup broth (chicken stock) or water
2             kaffir lime leaves, rolled to crack them to
            release the flavour, but otherwise intact
2 inch piece        lemon grass, bruised to release flavor
1 in cube         galangal ("kha") sliced thinly.
4 tablespoon        fish sauce (or to taste)
2 tablespoons        lime juice (or to taste)
4 oz             chicken breast cut into smallish
            bite sized pieces
5 fluid ounces        coconut milk
?            small red chillies, slightly crushed.

coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish.

Note the number of red chillies is a personal choice. It can be as few
as half a chilli per diner, to as many as 8-10 per diner, but the dish
should retain a balance of flavours and not be overwhelmend by the
chilies. Personally I would suggest about 8-12 chillies for this recipe.

method

Heat the stock, add the lime leaves, lemon grass, galangal, fish sauce,
and lime juice. Stir thoroughly, bring to a boil, add the chicken and
coconut milk, bring back to the boil, lower the heat to keep it
simmering and cook for about 2 minutes (unitl the chicken is cooked
through).

serve

Not really intended to be eaten as a separate course, you could serve it
with just a serving of steamed white (jasmine) rice, or together with a
Thai meal. This quantity serves 4 with other food, but is probably only
enough for two if eaten separately.





Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Gaeng phed kai - red chicken curry




The Thai name of this dish literally means "hot chicken curry". There is
a very similar recipe for a green curry (Gaeng Khiao Wan Kai) which I
shall also post.

As always, the quantities are up to you.

Curry Paste
-----------

5-10        dried red chillies
10 cloves    garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon    chopped galangal
1 tablespoon    thinly sliced lemon grass
half teaspoon    zest of "kaffir" lime (ordinary lime will do)
1 teaspoon    chopped coriander (cilantro) root
5         black pepper corns
1 tablespoon    roasted coriander seeds
1 teaspoon    roasted cumin seeds
a dash        fish sauce
1-2 teaspoon    fermented shrimp paste (kapi)

mix in a moratar and pestle or food processor. Will keep about a month
in a fridge. You can buy commercial red curry paste (Mae Ploy brand is
quite good), but as far as I am aware all commercial pastes contain MSG
and preservatives.

The curry
---------

6 ounces    chicken (in smallish bite sized pieces)
half a cup of    coconut milk
4 ounces    Thai eggplant (these are small round eggplants)
2        kaffir lime leaves (or a little lime zest)
1 tablespoon    sweet basil
2 tablespoon    fish sauce
1 tablespoon    palm sugar

oil for cooking
1-3 tablespoons of the red curry paste

method
------

cut the chicken up, then briefly fry the curry paste until fragrant,
reduce the heat, add the coconut milk slowly, and continue to stir
whilst cooking until a thin film of oil apppears on the surface.

add the chicken and other ingredients except the eggplant. Bring to a
boil and cook until the chicken begins to change colour. Adjust the
flavors to suit yourself. When it is at a boil again add the eggplant
and continue till the chicken is cooked through.

Serve over rice, or in a serving bowl with other Thai dishes.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Gaeng khiao wan kai (green chicken curry)




The Thai name of this dish literally means "sweet and sour chicken
curry". There is a very similar recipe for a red curry (Gaeng phed kai)
shall also post.

As always, the quantities are up to you.

Curry Paste
-----------

15-30           fresh phrik ki nu (birdseye chillies)
10 cloves       garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon      chopped galangal
1 tablespoon    thinly sliced lemon grass
half teaspoon   zest of "kaffir" lime (ordinary lime will do)
1 teaspoon      chopped coriander (cilantro) root
5               white pepper corns
1 tablespoon    roasted coriander seeds
1 teaspoon      roasted cumin seeds
a dash          fish sauce
1-2 teaspoon    fermented shrimp paste (kapi)

mix in a moratar and pestle or food processor. Will keep about a month
in a fridge. You can buy commercial green curry paste (Mae Ploy brand is
quite good), but as far as I am aware all commercial pastes contain MSG
and preservatives.

The curry
---------

6 ounces        chicken (in smallish bite sized pieces)
half a cup of   coconut milk
4 ounces        Thai eggplant (these are small round eggplants)
2               kaffir lime leaves (or a little lime zest)
1 tablespoon    sweet basil
2 tablespoon    fish sauce
1 tablespoon    palm sugar

oil for cooking
1-3 tablespoons of the green curry paste

method
------

cut the chicken up, then briefly fry the curry paste until fragrant,
reduce the heat, add the coconut milk slowly, and continue to stir
whilst cooking until a thin film of oil apppears on the surface.

add the chicken and other ingredients except the eggplant. Bring to a
boil and cook until the chicken begins to change colour. Adjust the
flavors to suit yourself. When it is at a boil again add the eggplant
and continue till the chicken is cooked through.

Serve over rice, or in a serving bowl with other Thai dishes.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Pad Si-iew




Si-iew (pronounce approximately "see yew") is the name for sweet dark
soy sauce in the dominant local Chinese dialect. pad si-iew is a
favorite lunch dish, a Thai version of fast food (and if you are on a
diet and omit the coconut milk, not as fattening as a beefburger!)

marinade
--------

3-5 cloves of garlic minced
1 medium duck egg, beaten (use chicken eggs if you can't get duck eggs)
1 tablespoon cornstarch/cornflour
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons sweet dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground ginger
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 tablespoon thinly sliced red prik ki nu (birdsey chilis - optional).

Take about 8 ounces (250 grammes) of beef and slice it paper thin (if
you don't fancy this try and persuade you butcher to put it through the
bacon slicer...) and marinade the beef in the marinade for about an
hour.

Ingredients
-----------

marinaded beef (above)
8 ounces sen yai (wide rice noodles)

1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
2 tablespoons oyster suace
2 tablespoons sweet dark soy sauce
1 cup broccoli florets
half a cup of coconut milk (optional)

cook the noodles until tender (andante I believe is the appropriate
Italian word), in plain water, then put in cold water to halt the
cooking process.

Heat a wok and using a little oil stir fry the marinaded beef until it
just begins to cook (because it is cut very thin, this is quite quick,
so be careful not to overcook). Add the noodles and the remaining
ingredients, and stir until blended and heated through. Taste the sauce
for balance of flavours (it should be just on the sweet side with a
salty tang).

Serve with rice and the usual Thai table condiments (prik dong [chilis
in vinegar], prik pom [ground red chilis] and sugar)






Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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khai pad gaprao - chicken with holy basil




This is a quick and easy dish to make. The holy basil has a "hot
peppery" taste, but if you can't get it then the standard european basil
is a reasonable substitute, though you should add a little freshly
ground black pepper in this case.

prik chi fa - called the Thai jalapena is the best chili to use, but if
you can't get it standard Mexican jalapenas will do very well as a
substitute. Canned jalapenas are comparatively bland however.

Ingredients
-----------

2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped mixed red & green jalapenas (prik chi fa)
1 teaspoon green peppercorns, whole.
quarter cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped holy basil leaves (bai gaprao)

Optionally you can add a medium "spanish" onion, cut into rings,
quartered and seperated. Or you can use sliced green onions, or a
combination.

1 pound ground or minced chicken

Method
------

(my wife chops the chicken with a pair of cleavers, and I can't bear to
watch... you can of course use a meat grinder or a food processor)

The garlic, shallots, peppers and peppercorns are ground together in a
mortar & pestle or a food processor. In a hot wok, with a little cooking
oil, briefly stir fry this paste to bring out the flavour and aroma. add
the remaining ingredients and continue to stir until the chicken is
cooked through.

Serving
-------

For luncheon pad bai gaprao can be served over plain rice, or over a
fried egg or egg crepe, placed on the rice. For dinner it goes well with
the hot and sour tom yum soups, as well as curries and other Thai food.

Add the usual Thai condiments (chilis in fish sauce (prik nam pla),
ground chillis (prik phom) and sugar), as well, perhaps as ground black
pepper.

Variants
--------

It can be made with chopped pork, or even a chopped beef base, though of
course the flavours are quite different. You can also experiment with
replacing the meat with hard tofu marinated in a mixture of sweet soy,
fish sauce and ground ginger, say, or a vegetable mix of your choice (I
like to mix broccoli and cauliflower florets, with julienned carrots and
wing beans), to make a vegetarian pad bai-gaprao.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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khai hoh bai toey - chicken in Pandan leaves




You should be able to get fresh pandan leaves from an asian market.

They are used both as a flavorant here and also as a bio-degradeable
packaging - much better for the planet than styrofoam...

marinade
--------

2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
a large pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons rice flour (if not available use cornstarch)
1 fresh pandan leaf, chopped small.

Mix the sauce ingredients, and cut about half a pund of chicken breast
meat into largish bite sized pieces, and marinade in the sauce for about
2-3 hours.

The pieces of chicken are then wrapped in pandan leaves: this can be
done in several "elegant" ways, but the simplest is to form a square of
leaf, put the chicken in the centre, pick up the corners and secure with
a wooden toothpick (if you want to be real basic, but highly authentic,
use a stapler to secure the ends - but don't forget to warn your guests
to remove the staples!)

Sauce
-----

The suace is a variation on the popular prik dong (pickled chilis): mix
two tablespoons of sugar in 5 tablespoons of white vinegar (rice vinegar
if you can get it), and in a small saucepan reduce this to about half
its volume. Add a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of finely
sliced mixed red and green prik ki nu (dynamite or birdseye chilis).
Transfer to a suitable serving bowl and allow to cool.

The wrapped chicken is steamed (in any available steamer) for about 10
minutes, after which time the leaves should be soft, and then deep fried
in hot oil until the chicken is fully cooked (takes a couple of
minutes).

Serving
-------

This is essentially Thai finger food: you can eat it by holding the
pandan leaf and taking the piece in your mouth, or use the toothpick to
pick it up, or of course use chopsticks or western style table utensils.

You can if you prefer keep the steamed parcels in the fridge till you
want them and then heat them on the table in a small deep fryer or
fondue pot.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Som Tam Isan (papaya salad)




This is a typical isan (north east) dish. It can be made with or without
the plara (pickled mud fish). Potential cook are warned: this ingredient
smells foul! but it does taste nice.

som tam is a basic "salad" style dish, eaten as a snack.

The pickled mud fish is sold in bottled form in asian markets: take some
of the fish, add a little fish sauce, and place it in a muslin bag and
squeeze as much fluid as possible from the fish. (you can use the fish
themselves, but they are raw, albeit pickled, and their is some risk
from parasites. If you use the fish paste itself I suggest you first
microowave it to ensure it is safe to eat! If you are squeemish then
sterilize the liquor also. If really squeemish, the ingredient is
optional ...)

ingredients
-----------

one papaya (paw-paw) julienned.
an equal quantity of red prik ki nu (birdseye or dynamite chilis). These
are normally de-stalked, cut in four length-wise then in half
cross-wise.

8-10 cloves of garlic, chopped coarsely,
2 tomatoes sliced thinly
half a cup of long beans cut into 1" pieces (Thai long beans if
possible)
pinch of salt
two teaspoons of fish sauce
quart cup of tamarind juice
juice from two tablespoons of pickled mud-fish.

method.
-------

sprinkle the julienned papaya with salt and let stand for half an hour
or so, then squeeze and discard any fluid. add the chili, and pound in a
mortar and pestle, add the remaining ingredients except the tomato, and
pound until mixed and tender. Add the tomato, and serve with a bowl of
sticky rice.

This is food for chili masochists in extremis: you can increase the
proportion of chilis until this is a bowl of red fire, and it will still
be authentic. On the other hand you can redice the cilis to just a hint
is left and it will also still be authentic. The above 50:50 mix is
about typical of the region.

If you wish you can decorate the salad with chopped roast peanuts,
sliced green onions, and mint leaves. You could also include [raw] bean
sprouts and sliced cucumber as side dishes.. Thais generally eat lettuce
or some cabbage related vegetable as a side dish also. (The normal way
to eat it is to rip a piece of lettuce leaf, and take a mouthful of som
tam in the leaf and eat it without knife, fork or spoon...) If you want
to be a bit more western use a standard salad, or even an exotic such as
a Wldorf Salad as a side dish...



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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yum nuea (beef salad)




yam nuea literally means "tossed beef". This is a simple beef "salad",
and can be eaten hot or cold. Consequently it can be made with left over
Sunday roast...

This should be on the hot side of neutral, but really is more spicy than
"hot" per se. However it is normal to add sunstantial amounts of hot
condiments to it to suit yourself (see the section on condiments below).

Ingredients
-----------

1 pound tender beef - barbequed steak is good, but any beef can be used.
This is cut into eigth inch thick slices, and then into bite sized
pieces. Remember this is probably going to be eaten without utensils, so
be dainty :-)

salad
-----

quarter cup sliced onions, separated
2 tomatoes, wedged
quarter cup sliced (Thai) cucumber
quarter cup thinly sliced mixed prik ki nu (red and green birseye or
dynamite chilis).

Sauce
-----

quarter cup fish sauce
quarter cup lime juice
1 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced ginger
3 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro (including the roots)
quarter cup chopped green onions (spring onions)
quarter cup chopped shallots (purple onions)
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili oil

Bar-B-Q the beef, and thinly slice it into bite sized pieces, combine
with the salad ingredients, and mix the sauce and toss the whole.

Serving
-------

Serve with sticky rice, a leafy vegetable (lettice or Chinese
Leaves...), condiments (below) and dipping sauce (below).

Condiments
----------

This is one to test the fortitude of the strong - well seriously it
isn't "destroyed" by adding hot extras. The usual condiments apply:
chilis in fish sauce (prik nam pla), chilis in vinegar (prik dong),
ground chilis (prok phom), sugar and the every popular msg. You can also
add fish sauce, dark sweet soy, and hot chili sauce if you wish.

dips
----

A useful "auxiliary dipping sauce" is made by mixing one part dark soy
with one part Worcestershire sauce, one part fish sauce and one part hot
mustard.

another dipping sauce is the following (known as nam prik narok in Thai,
I've seen it translated as "Hell Fire Sauce" in English.

oil to deep fry

2 pound of filleted white fleshed freshwater fish
1 cup green prik ki nu
1 cup red prik ki nu
half cup garlic
half cup shallots
3 tablespoons shrimp paste
quarter cup fish sauce
3-4 tablespoons palm sugar.

Flake the fish and deep fry until the flakes turn golden brown. Chop the
chilis, shallots and garlic, then [charcoil] broil them briefly and beat
the ingredients together in a mortar and pestle or food processor to
form a smooth paste. Place in a small saucepan or wok, and cook on
medium high until the mixture forms a bubbling paste.

The resultant sauce paste may be stored, when cold, in a tight fitting
jar, for several weeks.

variants
--------

This can also be made with pork (yum moo), or even with shrimp (yum
khoong). An interesting variant is to use thinly sliced luncheon meat or
even SPAM(tm). I have also made it with the "pressed meat" sandwich
products available in  US supermarkets. Vegetarians can experiment with
using a julienned vegatable mix inplace of the meat.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kaeng Djuut Wunsen Kai - a chicken soup




The word kaeng (pronounced 'gang' means two different things: one is a
stew like dish, usually a curry or a chili, and the other is a soup. In
Thai these are different words, and it is the bane of having to
transliterate them into latin characters that reduces them to sameness.
Some writers spell the curry word kaeng and the soup-word gaeng, others
try to reflect the slightly more aspirated sound of the soup by spelling
it 'khaeng'. Whatever: this uses the light semi-transparent vermicelli
style noodles known as wunsen in Thai.

You should also note that there are two types of soup in Thai cuisine:
one type the Toms (tom kha kai, tom yam etc) are designed to be eaten
with a meal. The other style, known collectively as kuiteao nam
(pronounced roughly "gw-eye-tee-ow nam") or "wet noodle dishes", are a
popular form of fast food in Thailand. They form a full meal and are
regularly eaten for everything from breakfast to early dinner, costing
only about 50 cents for a large helping in stalls and shops across
Thailand (perhaps a bit more in Bangkok itself). This kaeng djuut is a
kuiteao nam style "luncheon" dish. (In parallel with the kuiteao nam
dishes there is a wide range of kuiteao haeng (dry noodles) dishes)

The recipe calls for a small amount of tangchi (preserved chinese
raddish), which can be obtained from Chinese stores. If you can't get it
feel free to leave it out entirely.

You will also need a chicken stock: in Thailand they eat all of the
chicken except the feathers and the beak - and yes they do eat the feet.
However the bones are left over, and stock is made from the bones. Take
about a kilogramme of bones, and break them roughly with a large mallet
or the pestle of your mortar and pestle (also widely used by Thai chefs
to keep their husband's in line - made of granite it makes a handy
weapon :-) To each kilogramme of bones add about a tablespoon of garlic,
a tablespoon of ginger and a tablespoon of coarsely chopped
coriander/cilantro. Cover with water and boil up your stock. Filter
well, cool and then skim off any fat that accumulates on the surface if
you want a low fat variant.


Ingredients
-----------

1 tablespoon, coarsely chopped fresh garlic
1 tablespoon, coarsely chopped fresh ginger
about a pint of chicken stock.
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped tangchi
a quarter pound of chicken cut into bitesized pieces
2 ounces wunsen (vermicelli)
1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1-2 tablespoons of light soy
palm sugar to taste (about half a teaspoon should be sufficient)
half a cup of mushrooms (shitake is traditional, but western style
    button mushrooms are fine).
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
a couple of spring onions/green onions/scallions/ sliced
    lengthwise as garnish
a teaspoon of chopped coriander leaves as garnish.

method
------

Soak the wunsen in water at room temperature for about 10 minutes to
soften it, then drain it thoroughly.

Heat a little oil in a wok and stir fry the onion, garlic and ginger
briefly.

In a saucepan add the tangchi to a pint of stock and bring it to a
gentle boil.

Briefly stir fry the chicken to seal it, then transfer the chicken and
onion, garlic and ginger to the stock, add the remaining ingredients,
except the garnish and the wunsen, and simmer until the chicken is just
about cooked through. Increase the heat to bring the pan to a rolling
boil, add the noodles, and immediately turn the heat off.

Pour the soup into a serving turine, sprinkle with the garnish, and
deliver to the diners. Each diner should have a bowl with some fresh
boiled rice. Traditionally each takes a spoon of soup from the communal
serving bowl, picks up a little rice and then eats it. You may prefer to
ladle portions of soup over the diner's rice bowls...

In my opinion the quantities above make about enough for 4 people for a
light lunch. Scale according to the number of diners and how hungry they
are...

Normal table condiments would be chilis in fish sauce (prik nam pla),
chili powder (prik phom) and sugar, you might want to add dark sweet soy
as well.

enjoy




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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lab kai (spicy ground chicken)




Lab is an easy, quick to make "spicy" dish (it can be, and often is
fierily hot). I have seen it on Thai restaurant menus in America and
Britain described as "chicken salad Thai style", which might be the best
description for this dish.

It can be made with beef (lab nuea) or pork (lab muu) instead of
chicken, and it can be made with precooked left-over poultry or meat
instead. It can even be made with chopped up luncheon meat or something
like SPAM (tm) ... I leave it to your imagination. However in the part
of Thailand I live in it is almost always a chicken recipe.

ingredients
-----------

2-3 tablespoons of lime juice
2-3 tablespoons of chicken stock
2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce (nam pla)
4-6 teaspoons of prik phom (ground dried red chilis - not "chilli
            powder" as sold in western supermarkets!)
1 tablespoon khao koor (ground toasted rice)
3-4 shallots (purple onions) chopped
half a stalk of lemon grass very thinly sliced
1 [kaffir] lime leaf shredded, or 1 teaspoon lime zest
1-2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon powdered galangal (kha phom - available in most oriental
            supermarkets)

4 ounces of chicken

garnish
-------

lettuce, parlsey, sliced raddish and mooli, coriander leaves.

method
------

Line a serving dish with the lettuce leaves.

Chop the chicken (in a food processor, or with two cleavers, or get the
butcher to do it for you...)

In a fairly high wok, with a very small amount of oil, stir fry the
chicken until it just starts to turn whitish, then add all the remaining
ingredients (if using precooked meat, simply add everything to a hot wok
together), and stir until heated through and the chicken is cooked.

Serve on the bed of lettuce leaves and garnish to taste. Serve with
steamed sticky rice (if you prefer you can use jasmine rice) and a dish
of mixed [raw] fresh vegetables, and the usual Thai table condiments
(prik nam pla, prik dong, prik phom and sugar).

The usual way to eat this is to take a small ball of sticky rice in the
fingers and use it to pick up a little lab, then eat it with the raw
veggies. You can also use a fork and spoon as a lot of Thais do...




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Pak bung loy fa (stir fried greens aka "Flying Greens")




Following a number of postings asking for tips on how to prevent stir
frying oil from smoking, I offer this as a counterpoise.

*** THIS IS A RECIPE FOR INCIPIENT PYROMANIACS ***

Pak Bung is a common green leafy vegetable in Thailand that has the
unlovely western name of "swamp cabbage" (botannically it is ipomoea
aquatica). You can however substitute other vegetables (see variants
below).

This dish is cooked over *very* high heat in Thailand, and usually
catches fire at some point in the proceedings - indeed it is meant to.
The Thai chef then casually removes the wok from the fire, and tosses
the contents in the air, in a manner similar to a western chef tossing a
crepe. This extinguishes the flames, and the wok is returned to the
fire, to repeat the process. The story goes that in Phitsannaluk (a
small town in Thailand) two brothers opened strretside restaurants on
opposite sides of a street and found the cooking of this traditional
food attracted crowds if they threw the dish extra high. They developed
this until they started tossing the dish from one side of the street to
the other. When the greens had completed two passes over the street they
were cooked and served to the customers.

The flaming of the dish is important, and it combines stir frying with
flame broiling. This dish can be cooked as a pure vegetarian dish, or as
here with some meat to make it a complete "plate meal" - that is to say
that unlike normal Thai dishes that are served in a serving bowl with a
bowl of rice for the diner to help themselves, this one is served over
the rice on a dinner plate.

And now, since this USENET spool is read in America and American civil
law claims a universal application, and I don't want to be sued, a legal
disclaimer.

This  recipe is presented as an example of Thai cuisine and culture.
Users who attempt to follow this recipe do so at their own risk, and the
author accepts no responsibility for loss, damage or injury to the users
real estate, cooking equipment, person or other property.

Now back to the story...

This dish is usually cooked on a charcoal braziere with a forced draft
(bellows) in the open air, because of the high flames associated with
it.

Because of the high heat required, this dish should be prepared in a
round bottom wok. Since using a small wok increases the risk of spills,
I suggest a 16" wok as the minimum size - if you can beg, borrow or
steal a 20" or 24" restaurant wok that is better. The high heat suggests
that you use a barbeque. Arrange to support the wok on a wok stand or
ring. The ring should be at least half the diameter of the wok (ie 8"
for a 16" wok), and you should ensure that the wok doesn't tip or slide
when you stir fry in it. You also need a second wok stand away from the
fire, and a lid to fit the wok.

The high heat will seriously discolour stainless steel, possibly distort
aluminium, and possibly damage the surface of a non-stick wok - in any
case the high heat precludes the use of plastic or wooden spatulas. Use
a basic iron or steel wok.

Unless you live in a baronial mansion with 20 foot high ceilings made of
granite blocks, do as the Thais do, and cook this outdoors.

We are not talking about western style flambe in which alcohol is
ignited at relatively low temperature and quickly burns itself out: this
recipe calls for boiling oil at about 450-500 celsius to be ignited. It
burns solidly, and very hot. It can do a lot of damage if you have an
accident.

Unless you are an expert professional juggler or have an emergency
medical team and the town fire brigade on hand, don't try to juggle
burning oil and food in the Thai style!

Safety: There is a possibility of spitting or splashing oil. You could
also accidentally spill oil when moving the burning wok. Consequently I
strongly advise that you wear eye protection: my wife wears safety
goggles, I suggest you do too. Cover your hair. Do *not* use a nylon
hair net - nylon melts and the result will be painful. My wife wears a
leather baseball cap, and I suggest you do the same. Do not wear nylon -
either a shirt or stockings, as nylon melts and the resulting burns are
very painful, and hard to treat, often requiring plastic surgery. I
suggest you wear a denim work shirt, a pair of jeans, and cover them
with a cotton lab coat or long chefs apron or butchers apron. Wear
safety shoes (something like Dr. Martens). Finally like most Thai chefs
my wife's hands are covered with little scars caused by spashing oil or
particles of hot food. To avaoid this (and the possibility of dropping
the wok in pain) wear flame and heat resistant gloves.

As a last resort have a fire blanket and a first aid kit ready...

--

OK we've got the warnings and caveats out of the way...

Ingredients
-----------

12 ounces pak bung
half a pund of steak, cut into thin strips, then into bite size pieces
5-6 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
5-6 chopped chillis (prik ki nu - birdseye or dynamite chilis)
1 table spoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons crushed yellow bean sauce

you also need about half a cup of vegetable oil and two tablespoons of
stock.

Method
------

First arrange the cooker, place the lid of the wok on the side of the
second wok stand away from the fire.

Prepare the meat, and clean and dry the vegetables. Mix everything,
except the oil and stock in a small bowl ready. Don protective clothing.

Put the wok over very high heat: if using gas the flames should overlap
the edges of the wok and rise 3-4 inches above it, a charcoal burner
should be very hot (white hot). Add the stock and bring it to the boil.
Add the remaining ingredients except the oil and stir fry until the
mixture is almost dry.

Add the oil and bring it to smoking point, stir frying vigorously, then
ignite the oil (if it doesn't ignite on its own, I suggest you use a
small butane blow torch).

Without hurrying transfer the wok to the second wok stand and cover with
the lid. This will extinguish the flames.

Return the wok to the barbeque and reheat to smoking point, ignite and
extinguish as above.

The dish is now ready to serve. It can be served with rice, or as a
component in a Thai or oriental style buffet...

Variants
--------

If you can't get pak bung you can use cabbage, spring greens, or kale.

Alternatively you can use broccoli florets or cauliflower florets or a
mixture of the two. In this case cut the florets small, and slice the
stalks diagonally into fairly thin slices.






Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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satay kai (chicken satay)




Satay of course is originally an Indonesian/Malay dish, but it has been
in Southern Thailand for a very long time. This is a Thai version.

You can of course also make the same recipe with chunks of beef or pork,
or large prawns (if you can get the very large ones [3-4 per pound] then
they are usually deheaded and the skewer threaded lengthwise down the
body.

--
Ingredients
--

1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
about 1 pound chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut into bite sized
pieces.
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon curry powder (Thais use a mix called "phom kari", but
                an Indian style Madras curry powder is fine)
pinch turmeric powder (it's only a colorant, so very little!)
8 tablespoons coconut milk
3 tablespoons palm sugar

--
method
--

The chicken is beaten flat, using the flat of the blade of a heavy
cleaver (or using a meat-tenderising mallet, or the 'sahk' of the mortar
and pestle (i.e. the grinding piece, not the bowl :-) -- in Thailand
these are usually granite. You could also use a rolling pin...)

The coriander and cumin are toasted and then crushed in a mortar and
pestle or food processor (coffee grinder...) The ingredients are then
combined to form a marinade, and the chicken is marinated overnight.

The pices of chicken are then threaded on the 8" satay sticks, lossely
folding them in half and piercing through the folded meat to form a
loose gather.

The completed sticks are then grilled, broiled or barbequed on fairly
high heat (they taste best done over charcoal, as they absorb the
smoke). Turn them regularly and brush them liberally with the remaining
marinade. Cooking should take between 5 and 10 minutes depending on the
heat of your cooker.

--
nam jim satay (Peanut Sauce)
--

A peanut dressing accompies these snacks. This is my favorite variation.
If you have red or massaman curry paste that is preferred, but you can
use curry powder to taste if you prefer. Also you can if you wish use
peanut butter rather than fresh peanuts.

4 ounces of freshly roasted (unsalted) peanuts.

3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 ounce chopped onion
1-2 tablespoon red or massaman curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
8 tablespoons coconut milk
4-6 teaspoons lime juice (to taste).
2-3 teaspoons brown sugar.

First grind or crush the peanuts to a fairly fine powder

Then combine them with the remaining ingredients (except the lime
juice), to form a smooth sauce. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin
it with a little chicken stock. Now add the lime juice, tasting as you
progress to check the balance of flavors is correct.

Note use Red curry paste with beef or pork satay, massaman with chicken.
If you are doing shrimp satay then use half the quantity of massaman
paste.

--
a jad (Cucumber Pickle)
--

4 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons cucumber, very coarsely chopped, or sliced
2 shallots (purple onions) chopped
3-4 red and green prik ki nu (birdseye chillis), thinly sliced.

Combine the ingredients, and leave to stand overnight.

--

Each diner should have a small bowl of nam jim and a small bowl of a
jad. However the satay themselves are normally served "communally".




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Khao Pad Sapparot - stir fried rice and pineapple




This is an unusual recipe for Thai food because it is essentially a
vegetarian dish - they are not common in Thailand, where even nominally
vegetarian dishes often have quite a large amount of meat. This one has
a little dried shrimp, and the true vegetarian could easily leave that
out.

It is also unusual in that it is rather a theatrical dish: though the
theatricality comes from a Thai habbit of frugality, and perhaps a
desire to have less dishes to wash!

For two people you need a medium sized pineapple: choose carefully it
should be sweet and juicy.

--
Ingredients
--

1 pineapple
2/3 tablespoons of chopped shallots (purple onion)
1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
about 4/5 red chilis finely julienned.
the green of 2 spring onions, coarsely chopped
about 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander/cilantro
2 tablespoons of dried shrimp
2/3 tablespoons of garlic, coarsely chopped
1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

you also need two cups of cold, steamed rice and coriander leaves as
garnish.

--
Method
--

Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, and scoop out the fruit (my wife
uses a curved "grapefruit knife", but any knife will do...) then chop it
into bite sized chunks.

Put the fruit in a bowl and add the shallots, chili, ginger, scallion
and coriander, mix and set aside. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the
juice...

In a wok, heat about a tablespoon of oil, and stir fry the shrimp until
crispy, and the oil is aromatic. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon
and drain, then set aside.

Add a further tablespoon of oil, and stir fry the garlic until golden
brown. Add the rice, and stir thoroughly. Add the fish sauce and sugar,
and continue stirring. When the rice is heated through, add the
pineapple mixture and cooked shrimp, and stir until thoroughly heated
through.

Pour the mixture into the pineapple shells, garnish and serve.

Note: if you prefer fried rice to be darkish brown in colour, then
replace half the fish sauce with dark sweet soy sauce.

Variation: do not cook the fruit mixture. Instead put the fruit mixture
and the stir fried rice in the fridge (separately) and chill all the
ingredients, then just before serving mix them and put them in the
pineapple skins. If you are serving cold then you can also add a few
mareschino cherries as garnish. This cold variant makes an excellent
counterpoint to hot curries and spicy chilli dishes on a hot day (and it
gets *hot* here I can assure you, with the shade temperature topping 40
celsius on many a day.)





Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Thai dinner for 10 ... in 30 minutes




This was still ticking in my mind waiting to prompt an idea for a posting of
a recipe, when two of my wife's sisters "dropped in" with their husband's
and children, so completely unexpectedly we had 6 adults and 5 children
ranging from 3 to 12 years old to feed. Unlike Chef Caprial we don't have
a multiring cooking hob and a double oven, but nonetheless we forgot the
simple meal we'd intended to have that evening and put plan B into effect.
The menu would be

- steamed rice
- muoi's salad talay (a seafood salad)
- tom yum koong suki (that is to say a tom yum shrimp soup cooked in a suki pot)
- chicken stew (well it has a Thai name and is quite traditional, but this makes more sense.)
- yum moo ( a spicy pork dish)
- pad nuea nam man hoy: spicy stir fried beef

Now I've posted a yum nuea (beef) version of the yum dish - but this variation
was made in a hurry, and is different. Also I've dealt with a tom yum before,
but this version is essentially done as a tabletop quicky. A suki pot is the Thai
version of the device I've seen referred to in America as a Mongolian Hot Pot
or fire pot: a copper vessel with a central chimney that can be heated on the
table top. Traditional Thai pots use charcoal, but modern ones use solid fuel
or gas (ours is a butane model).

The last three dishes can all be made with beef, but together they should each
be made around a different meat for contrast. The stew is relatively bland, by
Thai standards, the yum is hot, the stir fried beef in oyster suace is spicy, rather
than hot.

The salad is only a traditional Thai dish in the sense that it is my wife's invention,
and she's Thai :-)

This meal took 30 minutes from start to finish to prepare: however the veggies
were all ready cleaned and ready to use. We took the meat out of the freezer
when the guests arrived and used a microwave to make sure they were defrosted.

Rice
----

OK: I'm not really going to tell you how to steam rice: 10 cups of washed Thai
Jasmine rice was placed in an automatic rice steamer with the appropriate
amount of water and placed on the dining table. Fifteen minutes later somebody
stirred the rice to fluff it and after thirty minutes it was ready for us to eat.

Muoi's salad talay
------------------

('talay' means seafood, and salad is the Thai word for, well, salad, actually :-)

You need two cups of mixed salad veggies, to which you add a cup of fresh
bean sprouts, and a cup of chopped onion (we use scallions/green onions,
but whatever takes your fancy).

Steam enough clams, mussels and other shellfish to yield 2 cups of cooked fish.

2 cups of parboiled potatoe. (Using Thai sweet potatoes, I split two large
potatoes in half lengthwise, and place them in the microwave for 5 minutes on
high, then peel them. The surface of the potatoe exposed to the air turns white,
and is cut off and discarded. The potatoe is then cut into bite sized chunks).
The potatoe is then deep fried in an electric frier for a couple of minutes (Thai
potatoe floats when it is cooked, and you scoop it out and place it on paper
towels to drain the oil).

Toss the veggies, potatoe and the shellfish together in a salad bowl and salt
and pepper to taste.

The dressing consists of one cup of mayonnaise, half a cup of tomato ketchup,
two table spoons of oyster sauce, one tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
and two tablespoons of hot Thai Chilli Sauce. If you can't get the Thai chilli
sauce you could use Tobasco, but it isn't as hot, and is somewhat more salty,
so be careful). You then add enough of the dressing to the salad to coat it
thoroughly when tossed. The remaining dressing is placed on the table as a
dipping sauce, together with a few plates of raw sliced veggies (cucumbers,
carrots, etc...)

Tom Yum Koong
-------------

Place about a litre (or a quart) of fish stock in the hot pot (if you haven't got one,
you could use a small "deep fryer" or a fondue pot as a replacement).

Bring it to a boil and add:-

2 stalks of lemon grass, bruised (this isn't eaten, but is an essential
flavorant)

2-3 "kaffir" lime leaves (use lime zest if you can't get it)
2 coriander [cilantro] plants, chopped.
1 tablespoon fresh ground ginger
ground chili powder (prok phom) to taste
4 tablespoons red chillis in vinegar (prik dong)
4 tablespoons green chilis in fish sauce (prik nam pla)
the juice of 3 or 4 limes
2 or 3 tablespoons of sliced bamboo shoots or coconut shoots
2-3 tablespoons "chilis in oil" (prik nam pao)

raw shrimp (about 15 to the pound in size) are placed on the table (in Thailand
we don't bother cleaning them - you might want to remove the heads, legs and
shells, and devein them), together with fresh mushrooms. The guests then cook
these by placing them in small bronze-wire baskets and dipping them in the suki
pot. If you are using fondue forks, you might want to add the mushrooms to the
soup liquor just before everyone starts to dine.

Chicken Stew
------------

It occasionally gets cold in Thailand (the temperature recently has been below 30
at midday, and has even gone as low as 16 celsius at night... :-)) and this dish
is traditional in the Isan region

Note if done with beef, the meat is simmered slowly, for several hours. Quite
unusual in Thai food. However chicken cooks quite quickly and is tender.
Remember my slogan: you cook it until it is cooked!"

Take the meat from a medium chicken, and cut it into bite sized chunks.

Place it in a large stewpan, and add:-

- a piece of cinnamom,
- about a tablespoon of grated galangal,
- the chopped roots of three coriander plants,
- about half a cup of fish sauce,
- 2 tablespoons of dark sweet soy,
- a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
- a cup of chopped celery (preferably Chinese celery)
- about two cups of chopped veggies (cabbage, kale, ...)
- 2 - 3 tablespoons of fried garlic

Cover with water, and simmer until the meat is cooked. Stir in some rice flour or
corn starch to thicken the sauce.

Yum Moo
-------

Barbeque, grill, fry, or braise about two pounds of pork steak. Cut into thin strips,
and then cut the strips into bites sized pieces.

Place it in a salad mixing bowl, and add

- 2 cups of diced or thinly sliced onions
- 15-20 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 25-30 red prik ki nu (birdseye chilis) thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon khao koor (ground toasted rice)
- sugar to taste
- 1 tablespoon pickled shallots
- 1 tablespoon pickled garlic

(these last two ingredients can be simply made at home. Pickled garlic can also
be bought in asian markets)

Place the meat, sliced onion, and a sliced cucmber on a bed of lettuce.

Mix the remaining ingredients and taste for seasoning balance, place in a small
bowl for use as a dipping sauce.



Nuea pad nam man hoy
--------------------

This is a simple stir fry dish: nam man hoy is oyster suace.

Put a little oil in a wok and saute a couple of tablespoons of garlic, and a couple
of tablespoons of shallots (purple onions).

Add about two pounds of beef, cut into bite sized pieces.

You then add a sauce consisting of

- 1 cup of oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce

and stir it until it begins to simmer. If it is a little dry, add a little water. Cover and
leave to simmer for five minutes.

Then add about a tablespoon of chilli powder (prik phom), fresh black pepper,
a tablespoon of fresh ground ginger, and some chopped onions, and stir until
heated through.

Incidentally we used a 24" wok for this - but for a smaller dinner party a 14" wok
would be safe enough. If you want to cook a lot in a small wok, divide it into safe
portions or you'll stir it all over the cook top!

The basic meal is now ready. Serve it with the basic condiments (green chillis in
fish sauce [prik nam pla], red chilis in vinegar [prik dong], ground chilis [prik phom],
and sugar), together with pickled cucumber [a jad], pickled shallots, pickled garlic,
You could also use any other vegetable pickles.

--

a jad

4 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon sliced cucumber
2 tablespoon shallots, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped green chillis

mix, bootle and keep for a few days before using.

For table condiments you can do a pickled garlic and shallots similarly:

gratiem dong

4 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons garlic

pickled shallots

4 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons sliced shallots





Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


gai pad khing (ginger chicken)




This is one of a a pair of recipes that I'll post today that cause some
confusion because of their similar names.

    gai    =    chicken
    pad    =    stir-fried
    khing    =    ginger

so this dish is chicken stir-fried in ginger. This is a simple, quick
meal that could equally be made with pork or beef, or even shrimp, or
for the vegetarians, tofu marinated in a mixture of dark soy and fish
sauce for flavor.

It is cooked in a hot wok - the peanut oil used for cooking should be at
the smoking point. However if this makes you a little nervous it doesn't
suffer from being cooked a little cooler. If you do use a lower
temperature, then the garlic should be sauteed in the oil before the
chicken is added, to bring out the flavour. At high temperature this
would result in burnt (and very unpalatable) garlic flakes in the food,
so you add the garlic with the chicken, not before it.

Because of the high temperatures you will need to move swiftly from step
to step. Therefore I strongly recomend that you put the ingredients on
plates ready to add them - you won't have time to measure ingredients
once things start to move.

--
Ingredients
--

3 tablespoons of peanut oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 cup of chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup of mushroom, sliced

3 tablespoons of grated ginger

2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce

a pinch of sugar
3 tablespoons of chopped onion
2-3 red chillis (prik ki nu) slivered
3 tablespoons of scallion/green onion, cut into 1" pieces

ground prik thai (black pepper)

optionally you can add a cup of sweet chillis (prik chi fa in Thai - a
variety of jalapeno)

The bulbs of 3/4 scallions, and some cilantro/coriander leaves for
garnish

--
method
--

Mix the fish sauce, soy and oyster sauce ready for use,

Bring the oil to the smoking point in an adequately large wok, and add
the chicken and garlic, and stir fry until the chicken begins to change
colour (this is quite quick, so don't overcook).

Add the sauce and stir until it returns to a bubbling consistency, then
add the remaining ingredients, and stir until the chicken is cooked.

Serve with steamed rice, and garnish.

The recipe for pork is identical, beef if it is used should be marinated
in a mixture of 2 tablespoons of whiskey and the fish suace, soy sauce
and oyster suace, which should be retained after marination to be added
to the cooking.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Gai pad prik khing (chicken and veggies)




This is the second of my pair of confusing recipes: consider the literal
meaning

    gai    =    chicken
    pad    =    stir-fried
    prik    =    chilli
    khing    =    ginger

so its chicken stir-fried with chillis and ginger, right?

Unfortunately, in this case, its wrong. How the name came about I don't
know, but the dish is essentially chicken stir fried with veggies. Even
more puzzling it doesn't have either ginger or chilis in the ingredient
list!

Unlike gai pad khing, which is cooked at smoking point, this dish is
cooked at medium high - any more heat and the vegetables will be
cremated!

As with gai pad khing this dish can also be made with pork or beef.

This is a good dish for those who don't like really hot food, as it can
easily be prepared with less curry paste.

Finally, if you can't find Thai red curry paste, you could use a little
Indian curry powder, blended in some coconut cream. Though the flavour
is undoubtedly different, it is quite acceptable.

--
ingredients
--

3 tablespoons of peanut oil

1 cup of chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

1 cup of veggies (either swamp cabbage, long beans, or broccolli, or a
mixture of beans and broccolli)

3 tablespoons of red curry paste

4 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

--
method
--

stir fry the curry paste for a short while, until the mixture becomes
aromatic, and a little oil is driven out of the paste by the cooking
process.

Add the chicken and stir fry briefly, until it just begins to turn
whitish.

Add the remaining ingredients, stir until it is heated through, and
taste for flavour balance.

Serve with steamed rice, and garnish with lime and basil leaves.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Nine flavoured salad




This is, if you like, the opposite of the quick dinner for 10 I posted
recently - it is a very slow recipe.

It has been remarked that most recipes in Thai cuisine are fast to cook,
and only require moderate preparation. In fact that does apply to most
foods except desserts. Traditionally a middle or upper class lady would
employ a number of khunchai -- household servants -- who would do the
"grunt work", including the cooking. The lady of the house would only
cook desserts, and having much leisure time could prepare amazingly
intricate and time consuming confections.

There is another exception: traditionally Thai households made their own
sauces: fish sauce could take months, even years to mature to full
flavour in a clay pot buried in the garden.

This recipe doesn't go to such extremes, but it does take a long time
for some stages to mature before you can continue.

This consists of a dressing that combines all four of the basic
flavours: salt, hot, sour, and sweet. The final salad uses nine flavour
ingredients, that are matched against each other in three groups. As
presented here the first of these groups, let us say the "protein group"
consists of a fin, fur and feather, that is to say a fish, poultry and
meat selection. This is offset by three "veggies" and three fruits. You
could however choose to use three more closely related flavours in the
protein group: three different sea food flavours, three poultry
flavours, or three meats.

Finally the salad dressing calls for two Thai chillis: prik chi fa is a
mild chilli, about finger sized, that is the Thai equivalent of the
Jalapeno. Prik Ki Nu (birdseye chilli) is a fiercely hot little morsel,
that can be replaced by Habaneros if you find them easier to obtain or
handle.

Finally the basic components of the salad dressing: the sweet soy
component, the fish sauce component and the chilis in vinegar, can all
be used as basic table condiments. Thus, though this recipe is for the
quantity needed for this dish, you could easily make more, and use them
with other foods...

---

The salad dressing.

Stage 1

Component 1 : prik nam siyu wan

Place a quarter cup each of freshly grated ginger, chopped shallots
(purple onions) and sliced prik chi fa in a 1 cup container, and fill
with sweet dark soy. Stir to make sure there aren't any air bubbles and
top up if necesary. Seal and keep in the refridgerator for a week.

Component 2 : pak nam pla

Place a quarter cup each of chopped onions, sliced celery and julienned
mooli (white Chinese raddish) in a 1 cup container, fill with fish
sauce, stir briefly and top up if needed. Keep in the fridge for a week.

Component 3: prik dong

Place a qurter cup of sliced red prik ki nu in a half cup container and
fill with white vinegar (rice vinegar if you can get it). Cover and keep
in the fridge for a week.

Stage 2

A couple of hours before you are ready to eat the salad, take some
tomatoes, and drop them briefly in boiling water, then skin them.
Discard the seeds, and coarsely chop them to yield one cup of chopped
tomatoes.

Combine all the ingredients, and add a quarter cup of palm sugar and a
quarter cup of lime juice.

Now, if you wish the dressing to have a smooth sauce like consistency,
put it in a liquidiser and blend until smooth. If you want a more salsa
like consistency, simply omit this step.

Place the combined ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until reduced
to suit your tastes (you need about two cups of dressing).

--

The salad.

You need a third of a cup each of the following ingredients.

1: crispy deep fried catfish pieces
2: chicken (preferably steamed, but any cooked chicken will do)
3: pork (stir fried, but again any cooked pork will do)
4: "Chinese leaves" (raw)
5: bean sprouts
6: mushrooms
7: pineapple chunks (preferably fresh)
8: mango
9: orange segments

Combine the salad ingredients, add enough dressing to coat thoroughly,
and serve.

Additional prepared dressing, prik nam siyu wan, pak nam pla, and the
usual Thai table condiments of prik dong, powdered chili and sugar
complete the presentation.

The dish can be served on its own "between meals", with sticky rice for
lunch, or as part of a multi-course dinner.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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penaeng kai - Penang Curry with Chicken




Penaeng is a dry curry, probably originally "imported" from Malaysia. It
can be prepared with any meat, and many fishes. This variety uses
chicken.

--

penaeng curry paste

You can buy prepared curry pastes in many shops, but for the full
flavour you should seriously consider the little effort involved in
making your own. This was a back breaking chore when the pastes were
prepared in a heavy mortar and pestle, but these days you can come very
close to the same result using a food processor.

You can reduce the number of chillis used if you want a milder curry,
but I don't recomend going to less than 10 chillis.

You need

25-30 dried red chillis: shake them to discard the excess seeds.
2 tablespoons chopped shallots (purple onions)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons of very finely sliced lemon grass
1 tablespoon grated galangal (use ginger if you can't find galangal)
1 teaspoon of toasted coriander seeds
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander root
1 tablespoon kapi (shrimp paste)
2 tablespoons of chopped freshly roasted peanuts.

Mix together to a fine paste in a food processor. This paste will keep
under refridgeration. You can also freeze it: I suggest plaing it in an
old ice cube tray to curry paste cubes, for ease of measurement later.

The prepared paste should be allowed to mature for two or three days
before use to bring out the full flavour.

Note that it is better to make the paste milder than to use less than
about 2 tablespoons in the final recipe

--

The curry

You need

1 cup of chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
half a cup of cocnut milk
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons of the curry paste
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
sugar to taste
2 lime leaves, finely shredded
10-15 holy basil leaves, finely shredded

Place a wok over medium high heat, and warm the coconut milk, but don't
let it boil. Add the curry paste, and stir it until the oil begins to
seperate out and form a thin film, to bring out the maximum flavour.
Add the remaining ingredients except the lime and basil leaves, and
simmer until the sauce is absorbed and thickened, then add the leaves
and stir fry briefly before serving.

Garnish with julienned red chillies, with steamed white rice, and the
usual table condiments.

Note if you particularly like your curries hot, then replace the fish
sauce in the cooking with nam pla prik (chillies marinated in fish
sauce), that has had at least a week to mature.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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kai pad ki mao - drunkards noodles and chicken




There are a number of line of thought about ki mao dishes in Thailand.
They are widely served as bar snacks, in much the same way that Spanish
bars serve tapas (and serve to make you thirsty, when used for this
purpose). Other dishes described in this way are eaten as a stomach
liner before embarking on a serious nights drinking. Other such dishes
are served by the patient wife of the wandering husband who cralws back
hung over in the middle of the night only to realise that he has to get
up for work before 5 the following morning!

I hadn't heard of a noodle "ki mao" dish, but when I discussed it with
my wife, she came up with the following. As is often the case it could
equally well be prepared with beef or pork.

--
Ingredients
--

6 ounces of wide rice ribbon noodles (sen yai)
a quarter cup of chopped shrimp
half a cup of chopped chicken
a quarter cup of firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallots (purple onions)
1 tabelspoon yellow bean sauce
1 tablespoon white (rice) vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 tablespoons of palm sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon prik phom (ground red chillis)
a quarter cup of bean sprouts
1 tablespoon chopped mixed red and green prik chi fa (jalapenos)
1 coriander plant, chopped
1 cup of bai gaprao (holy basil leaves)
2 bulbs of pickled garlic, thinly sliced (garnish)
3-4 red jalapenos, julienned (garnish)

--
method
--

Soak the noodles in water for about 15 minutes; take about a third of
the sen yai and cut the ribbons into short pices (about 2" long). The
remaining two thirds of the noodles should be plunged into boiling
water, and cooked until "toothy" then removed and placed on the serving
plate.

If desired the tofu can be marinated in some dark soy to which a couple
of sliced chilis are added.

The third of the noodles that have been chopped are fried in hot oil
until crispy.

The remaining ingredients, except the pickled garlic, are stir fried in
a medium hot wok until cooked through (if you want the sauce thickened
add a little rice flour or corn starch) and then poured over the boiled
noodles. The fried noodles and the pickled garlic are then added as a
garnish.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Gaeng som pla - sour soup




This is a popular fish soup that is quite common in Thailand, where it
is usually prepared using a local fish known as pla chon. However for
the purpose of this recipe, I suggest using tinned herrings packed in
brine. It can also be prepared just as succesfully using chicken and
chicken stock (when it is known as gaeng som kai).

If you can't find krachai (lesser ginger) then use ordinary ginger.

--
ingredients
--

about one and a half pounds of fish fillets.

4 cups of fish stock

3 tablespoons of chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of chopped shallots
3 tablespoons krachai (lesser ginger), thinly sliced
3 tablespoons of mixed red and green prik chi fa (jalapenos), thinly
sliced
1 teaspoon kapi (shrimp paste)
a quarter of a cup of fish sauce
a quarter of a cup of tamarind juice
1-2 tablespoons of palm sugar (to taste)
2 cups of very coarsely chopped green vegetables

--
method
--

If you are using fresh fish then dehead, detail, and gut your fish and
fillet it to produce four fillets of fish.

Heat the stock to simmering point, and add all the ingredients except
the fish and return it to the boil.

Add the fish and simmer until the fish is cooked through.

--

This dish can be eaten as a soup course, but as I have remarked before
in Thailand soups are normally eaten with the other dishes of the
dinner, rather than before them. Therefore you should use a slotted
spoon to remove the fish and serve it in individual bowls to the diners,
the soup liquor is then placed in a large serving bowl, from where they
can help themselves (you can use a fire pot of fondue cooker to keep it
hot if you wish).



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Pla pao - grilled fish




This is about as simple a treatment for fish as you could wish.

Traditionally the fish is wrapped in banana leaves, and then the bundle
is placed in the embers of a charcoal brazier, and allowed to cook
slowly (for example if you have prepared some other dishes, then without
adding extra charcoal, you place the bundle on the embers, cover with
ash, and simply leave until experience tells you its cooked.)

In a more practical vein you can wrap it in aluminum foil and barbeque
or braze it -- it won't quite have the flavour it acquires from the
charcoal smoke and the wrapping leaves though...

Any sort of fish could be used, but I personally like it done with a sea
bass; mackerel and whiting are also good.

Whilst your grill is getting warm, prepare the stuffing for your fish:

ingredients:
--

4 tablespoons chopped coriander (including the roots if possible)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

in a food processor, mix to a coarse paste. Rub this into the fish, and
pack any that is left inside the fish, then wrap it securely, and
grill/broil for about 5-6 minutes per side.

Whilst it is cooking, prepare the dipping sauce:

ingredients
--

3 tablespoons of lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon sliced prik chi fa (jalapeno)
2 teaspoons of sugar

This is mixed and served by giving each diner a small bowl of sauce.

The fish is served with a simple green salad.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Pla nung khing sai het
(steamed fish with ginger and mushrooms)




Traditionally this is prepared with the fish known in the West as a
pomfret, but any similar (flat) fish will do.

This is steamed, and as such is best done in a bamboo steamer, because
in a metal steamer condensation on the lid drips onto the food, and
marks it, spoiling the appearance, and also possibly affecting the
cooking process (fish is best steamed in "dry" steam). If you use a
metal steamer you should cover the fish with a paper towel which is not
in contact with the fish. Alternatively you can cook this dish in a
microwave, using low to medium power.

Clean the fish and score the sides with several cuts to allow the
marinade to penetrate.

The traditional recipe calls for phak kaat dong (pickled chinese
cabbage). In the highly likely event that you don't have this to hand,
the best substitute is probably pickled red cabbage.

--
marinade ingredients:
--

1 large field mushroom, thinly sliced,
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons phak kaat dong, thinly sliced (see above)
1 tablespoon prik chi fa daeng, sliced (red jalapeno)
2 scallions/spring onions/green onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon kapi (shrimp paste)
1 teaspoon prik thai (ground black pepper)
1 tablespoon whiskey (optional, but if omitted, add 1 tablespoon fish
stock)

--
method
--

mix the marinade ingredients and rub them into the fish, leaving it to
marinade for about an hour in a cool place.

Transfer the fish, and the marinade, on a dish large enough to hold it,
to a bamboo steamer (see note above), and steam for about 20-25 minutes
(if microwaving, cook until the flesh adjacent to the bones is cooked,
allowing it to rest for 1 minute after each 3 minutes cooking before
testing).




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Pla jian - fried fish




This is another simple traditional treatment for fish: this time it is
deep fried.

The recipe includes some minced pork: this can easily be omitted. It is
included in this case only to reproduce the traditional taste, as in the
past this dish was deep fried in pork fat, which transferred the pork
flavour to the fish. Today it would more typically be fried in vegetable
oil, hence the small quantity of pork.

Equally traditionally this dish is deep fried in a wok: the tiny shallow
woks foisted on western buyers by name-brand suppliers are frankly
border line dangerous for this, so unless you have a traditional fairly
deep wok, preferably a 20" wok or larger, I would recomend that you
follow the dictates of caution and fry it in a deep sided skillet.

Finally the fish is normally fried with the head on: this does, I
believe, contribute to the flavour, but if you can't bear the fish
starigng accusingly at you as you cook it, feel free to behead it first.

You need a small-to-medium flat fish (pomfret, flounder, ...), cleaned,
and with the sides slashed for the marinade to penetrate.

--
marinade ingredients
--

1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 ounces minced pork (optional, see above)
1 small carrot, julienned
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tablespoon of sliced mushroom (preferably the black, dried Chinese
mushroom, soaked for 15 minutes before slicing)
1-2 teaspoon yellow bean sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon kapi (shrimp paste)
1 teaspoon palm sugar
4 tablespoons fish stock
2 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon sliced prik chi fa daeng (red jalapeno)
1 teaspoon prik thai (ground black pepper)

--
method
--

mix the marinade, rub into both sides of the fish, and leave it to
stand, covered, in a cool place, in the marinade for at least an hour.

Remove the fish from the marinade, and allow it to drain. Transfer the
remaining marinade to a small saucepan, and add 2 tablespoons of fish
sauce, one tablespoon of sliced prik chi fa daeng, and one tablespoon of
grated ginger, and then simmer to reduce to a sauce like consistency.

Heat enough oil to deep fry the fish in a suitable pan over medium heat,
and slide the fish into the hot oil, turn once, and cook until the fish
is cooked through.

Serve on a platter, pouring the reduced sauce over the fish.





Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


pla lat - 3 flavoured fish




A traditional treatment for fish that simply contrasts sweet, hot and
sour flavour elements.

Again this is traditionally cooked in a large deep wok, though unlike
pla jian it is cooked at very high heat. Therefore I caution you to use
a large skillet or an electric deep frier (though I have yet to see one
of them that gets the oil hot enough for the full effect of this
recipe).

First the simple part: deep fry about a pound of mackerel or whiting,
preferably with the heads on, in smoking hot peanut oil until the skin
if crisp.

Place it on a serving platter.

--
sauce ingredients
--

2 tablespoons of chopped shallots (purple onions)
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng (red "birdseye" chillis), sliced
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of palm sugar
2 tablespoons of lime juice
2 tablespoons of fish stock

--
method:
--

In a small saucepan, saute the garlic and shallots in a little oil, then
remove and set aside.

Pour off the oil, leaving only a thin film on the pan.

Return half the shallots and garlic to the pan, and add the other
ingredients. Stir to dissolve the sugar and then simmer to thicken the
sauce.

Add the remaining shallots and garlic, stir until heated through, then
pour it over the grilled fish.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Bu ja - steamed crab




This is traditionally made from whole fresh crabs: the fresh (read that
as alive) crabs are killed by dropping them in boiling water, then the
shells are split, and the meat extracted for the recipe...

However you can simply buy crab meat... and if you don't have crab
shells you could easily use ramekin dishes (though the shells are nice
and showy for party food).

The food should be steamed in a bamboo steamer to avoid condensation
dripping onto the cooking food. Alternatively if you use a metal steamer
cover the food with a paper towel which is not in contact with the food,
or simply steam the crab in a microwave on medium or low heat. If you
use a microwave let the dish stand for one minute after each three
minutes cooking, and check for "doneness" by probing it with a fork.

If you prefer to omit the pork, use extra crabmeat, or chopped shrimp,
instead.

--
Ingredients:
--

2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander (including the root if possible)
4 ounces of crabmeat
4 ounces ground pork
1 duck egg (or large hen's egg)
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
a pinch of sugar

Note: if you want the dish to be a little more spicy, add a little
grated ginger and sliced jalapena (prik chi fa daeng)

--
method:
--

combine all the ingredients in a food processor, and then spoon a
quarter of the mixture into each of four crab shells or ramekin dishes,
and steam for about 15 minutes until cooked.

garnish with slivered red and green chillis and coriander leaves.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


kraphong khao priao wan - sweet and sour fish




This is prepared from steaks of kraphong khao (sea bass), but you could
easily use another fish (it works very well with shark steaks).

You can cook the fish in a electric deep frier if you wish (high heat is
not required).

The swwet pepper (prik wan) is a Thai equivalent of the bell pepper, but
is slightly less bitter. If you can't get rice wine, use a drinkable dry
sherry.

You require 4 half inch thick fish steaks.

Prepare a marinade consisting of:--

2 tablespoons of rice wine
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
2 tablespoons of wheat flour
2 tablespoons of rice flour

and dredge the fish in it, and leave to stand for about an hour so that
the fish is infused with the flavour.

Heat oil for deep frying in a deep skillet or large wok over medium
heat, and when it is hot, add the fish, turning once, until cooked
through. Remove the fish, drain the excess oil, and place on the serving
platter.

--
sauce
--

1 onion, chopped,
1 sweet pepper, chopped
a third of a cup of sugar
two thirds of a cup of tomato catsup
a quarter cup of rice vinegar (or other white vinegar)
4 tablespoons of rice wine
half a cup of fish stock (or water)
half a cup of pineapple pieces

in a small pan saute the onion and sweet pepper, add the remaining
ingredients, except the pineapple, and simmer until slightly reduced.
Add about a tablespoon of cornstarch or rice flour to thicken the sauce,
then add the pineapple and heat through.

Pour over the fish, and serve with steamed jasmine rice.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Khao mu daeng - red prok with rice




Mu daeng is a complement to khao man kai. Indeed in Thailand vendors
that sell one very often sell the other, but nothing else. Like khao man
kai a good lunch time meal can be had for half a dollar or so. An
interesting style for two people is to buy a portion of khao man kai and
a portion of khao mu daeng, and to share the meals.

Traditionally the pork was marinaded in a highly complex mixtrue of
herbs and berries to turn it sweet and red. Today the marinade at most
street vendors stalls is water to which a little artificial red food die
and a dash of sugar is added. What follwos is my sister-in-law's recipe,
and she got it from her father. Father-in-law used a very traditional
recipe, but this version is somewhat simplified.

In Thailand the food is cooked by placing it on a grating in an iron
bowl hanging from a tripod over a charcoal brazier, the whole being
covered with a large metal drum, such as a 55 gallon oil drum, to trap
the smoke and enhance the flavour of the meat.

If you have a domestic food smoker, or can improvise one with a
barbeque, then go ahead, otherwise, add a little "Liquid Smoke" and cook
the dish as follows.

Again this will feed two hungry people or four with moderate appetites.

--

You need about a pound of pork loin, pork steak, or pork chops.

--

The marinade is made by mixing

- a quarter cup of chopped tomato from which the seeds and skin have
been discarded
- 4 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons of honey
- 2 preserved chinese plums, chopped

This is mixed in a blender, and the meat thoroughly painted with it and
left to stand for several hours. If you cannot cook in a suitably smoky
atmosphere, add a little Liquid Smoke to the marinade. If you want it a
little redder use cochineal food colorant.

--

method

Place the meat, and the marinade, in a casserole, and add about a cup of
water or pork stock. Bring it to a boil on the stove top, then reduce to
low heat and cover, and continue to cook slowly until just about cooked.

The meat is then removed from the liquor in which it has cooked, and
drained, then placed under a grill or broiler on high heat and browned.
Allow it to cool and then slice it into strips, and the strips into bite
sized pieces.

Bring the cooking liquor back to the boil, and add two tablespoons of
dark sweet soy, and 2 tablespoons of honey and two tablespoons of rice
vinegar, and reduce to a thick sauce like consistency, adding a little
cornstarch or rice flour if necesary to thicken it.

Serve the pork on a bed of rice, garnished with coriander leaves, with a
supply of cucumber slices, and place the gravy in a small bowl, so the
diner may take as much as they choose.

Note that the meat and sauce may be served cold.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


khao man kai - chicken and rice




Firstly, I am taking the liberty of posting this to the fast food news
spool as well as my usual groups, because the subject is a common "fast
food" in Thailand.

Anybody who has spent any length of time in Thailand -- indeed who has
progressed beyond the International airport transfer lounge, will be
aware that Thailand is awash with streetside vendors who serve
everything from snacks and desserts to wholesome, nutritious meals.

These basically fall into three groups:

1) khao gaeng (literally curry and rice) stalls, sell a wide variety of
"single plate" meals

2) kuaitiao (pronounced "gw-eye-tea-ow", and meaning "noodles") sell a
variety of noodle soups and stir fried noodle dishes

3) khao man kai and mu daeng stalls, which sell chicken and rice and
"red pork" and rice (some stalls specialise in only one of these meals).

To watch a khao man kai chef at work is often to be dazzled by the
virtuoso performance -- and nothing goes to waste. The chef takes a
steamed chicken and quickly cuts of the head and neck, then trims off
the wings, which are set aside to be deep fried (wings in a tempura
style batter sell for 1 baht each or perhaps 2 for 3 baht - 4 to six
cents American each - throughout Thailand), and the legs are chopped off
and set aside (Thais in general don't relish dark meat, but you can
request a drumstick if you want - otherwise they'll also be deep fried
and sold for 5 baht each - 20 cents). The chicken is quickly slit down
the breast bone and the two breasts are removed, and the carcase and
neck tossed in the stock pan. The breast is placed on a cutting board,
smacked with the flat of the cleaver blade and quickly sliced into bite
sized pieces, served on a bed of rice that has been steamed in chicken
broth, and delivered to the customer with a cupfull of chicken and
pumpkin soup, and a couple of little bags containing bean source and
fresh ginger.

A local stall sells this meal for 15 baht a plate (60 cents), and 20
baht (80 cents) for a "jumbo" portion. Once a week, when we are feeling
lazy, my wife and I buy two jumbo portions and two deep fried chicken
breasts, for a total of 60 baht ($2.40).

Before you dismiss the prices on the basis that Thailand has a much
lower average wage than the US, bear in mind the Kentucky Fried Chicken
opened an outlet in town recently, and the KFC prices are within one or
two baht of the prices KFC charge in America...

So the process is continuous: bones are boiled to make stock, the stock
is used to cook the chickens and rice, and to make soup, and the bones
from the chickens are used to make more stock, and so the cycle
continues.

Since I am sure most of my readers are not contemplating continuous
production, you have two options: you can make it with water the first
time and then store stock in the fridge for future use, or you can buy
some bones and make some stock. Please do not use commercial stock or
stock cubes, as it almost all has rather a lot of salt, and often MSG,
in it, and the cooking of the rice will certainly concentrate this to
the point that it will be unpleasant to eat.

Finally in this preamble, let me say that the commercial sellers nearly
all sell simple yellow bean sauce, bought commerically, and Thai
purchasers may either eat it like that, or trick it up themselves at
home. I include the instructions for preparing a more traditional (and
tastier) sauce, below.

This recipe serves 2 hungry people or four people with more modest
appetites.

--

The first step is, about a week before you want to eat the khao man kai,
finely slice some prik chi fa (red jalapenos) and discard the seeds,
then mix them with about twice their volume of rice vinegar, and leave
to marinade (you need at least a tablespoon of chillis).

When you are ready to cook, you need about 8 cups of unsalted chicken
stock, made by boiling chicken bones in water for about 15 minutes. If
you don't have stock, use water.

Place the chicken in a large casserole, and cover with the stock. Add a
few slices of phak thong (winter squash), to the pot, and simmer or
poach over a low heat until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender.

Remove and drain the chicken, then when it is cool enough to handle, cut
off the wings and legs and reserve them for other dishes, remove the two
chicken breasts, and smack them with a cleaver to dislodge the skin,
which may be discarded if you are watching you weight. Cut the breasts
into strips about half an inch wide, and cut the strips into bite sized
pieces.

Place one and a half cups of washed long grain rice in a saucepan, and
add two and half cups of the chicken broth from cooking the chicken.
Cook over moderate heat until the liquor is absorbed, and the rice is
cooked (the finished rice should be slightly moist).

Serve the chicken on a bed of the chicken steamed rice, garnished with
coriander leaves, and accompanied by a good supply of sliced cucumber,
with a cup of the chicken broth, and few pieces of squash as an
accompanying soup, garnished with coriander leaves.

This meal is accompanied by the following two sauces:--

--

Bean sauce

You will need

4 tablespoons of fermented yellow bean sauce
4 tablespoons of the chicken broth from cooking your chicken
1 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce
1 tablespoon of pickled jalapenos (prepared earlier)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon of palm sugar

This is mixed and tasted, if required you can add extra sugar, and some
of the vinegar used to pickle the jalapenos, for balance.

The second "sauce" consists of half a cup of freshly ground ginger.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Khai luk koei - "Son-in-Law's Eggs"




This dish is traditionally made from quail's eggs, and the name is an
aliterative euphemism. The story goes that is a young man is being less
than kind to his wife, then on a regular visit to his mother-in-law, she
will give him a salutory reminder that his behaviour has been noted by
serving this dish. The message is plain, straighten up and fly right, or
his wedding tackle will take the place of the similarly sized eggs in a
dish of khai luk koei.

Mrs. Bobbit was not an original: Thai wives with errant husbands have
for centuries taken a singular solution to their woes: the husband
returns home with too much alcohol in his belly and lipstick on his
collar, to be pacified with a blow from the granite sakh (pestle) and
relieved of his offending glands, which are typically fed to the pigs or
geese so they cannot be restored - a step Mrs. Bobbit omitted :-)

--

Seriously though, this dish is delicious and easy to make. If you don't
have quail's eggs, then use 8 hen's eggs. You can also use the sauce to
go with fried eggs or simple omelettes.

--

Ingredients (for 4 people)

24 quail's eggs
4 tablespoons of shallots, (purple onions), thinly sliced
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons of honey
about half a teaspoon of prik phom (ground red chillis)

The eggs are hard boiled then shelled. If you are using hen's eggs, cut
them in half. They are then stir fried in a little oil on medium heat
until they are beginning to crisp, and then removed from the pan and
placed on the serving platter.

Add the shallots to the pan and saute until they are beginning to crisp.
Remove about half of the shallots and set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients of the sauce, and add them to the wok
or skillet, and stir until the sauce thickens.

Pour the sauce over the eggs, then sprinkle the reserved shallot flakes
on top.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kao soi - Chiang Mai Curry noodles




This is a noodle dish, prepared in a creamy curry sauce, that is
traditional in Northern Thailand.

ba mee are a medium yellow egg noodle. If you are using dried noodles
then 2 ounces of dried noodles should be soaked for about 15 minutes in
room-temperature water before being drained for use. This dish can also
be prepared quite effectively using Italian spaghetti.

Phom kari is a yellowish orange curry powder, but if you can't get it
you could use a reasonable moderate Indian curry powder such as Madras.

--
ingredients
--

4 ounces of fresh ba mee
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon red curry paste
half a cup of coconut milk
4 ounces of ground pork
one cup of stock
1 tablespoon phom kari
a pinch of turmeric powder
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
a pinch of sugar
a teaspoon lime juice

--
method
--

Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil, then place the ba mee in a wire
basket or strainer and dip the noodles in the water for a few seconds
(no more), and then drain them and transfer them to the serving plate.

In a wok, heat the coconut milk and then stir in the curry paste until
the aroma is brought out and a thin film of oil seperates out, then add
the garlic and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining
ingredients except the pork, and stir until the sauce thickens slightly.
Add the pork and continue to stir until the meat is cooked through.

Pour the sauce over the noodles.

Garnish with spring onions, sliced shallots, pickled cabbage (phak kaat
dong) and lime wedges.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Kaeng Pladuk Chuchi - dry curried catfish




This started life, long ago and far away (oops, sorry, that's another
genre!) as two traditional Thai starters - a toast and topper called
kanom paeng mu and an equally traditional Thai version of shrimp
tempura.

The name of the toast item is interesting: kanom paeng (bread) literally
translates as "expensive cakes" which shows what the Thais think of
bread!

However over the years my wife has developed these canopes, and this is
the current version.

--
notes on ingredients
--

Here in Thailand we can't get Maple syrup, so we use honey. This works
just as well, but we prefer the taste of the maple syrup, so feel free
to experiment.

The only bread available here in Thailand is white bread, but again we
find this tastes best with a stone ground wholewheat bread.

If you want to avoid the moderate chilis suggested, you could use bell
peppers, but frankly we find they taste a bit bitter, and anyway they
are a bit large for canopes!

Finally the quantities here make about two thirds of a cup of each of
the pastes. Say 180 millilitres. At 5 ml to the teaspoon this will do
about 8 toast bites and 8 chilis if they have 2 teaspoons of paste in
each. If you use more paste, it'll do less...

--
ingredients
--

First toast 6 slices of bread. Cut off the crusts and cut the pieces of
bread into four.

If the crusts aren't quite dry, pop them in the oven or a dry skillet,
and warm them until dry, then in a mortar and pestle or food processor,
convert them into bread crumbs.

Prepare half a cup each of cooked crab meat, cooked, chopped pork, and
raw, finely chopped mushrooms.

Prepare a paste consisting of

3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger,
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 tabelspoons prik phom (ground red chilis)
3 tablespoons crushed toasted peanuts
3 tablespoons khao koor (ground toasted rice)

saute the ginger and garlic, discarding most of the oil, and combine the
ingredients, adding two medium sized duck eggs to the mixture (or three
smallish hen's eggs).

Divide this micture in three, and combine each portion with one of the
half cups of mushrooms, crab or pork, to form three topping pastes.

--
method I
--

put about two teaspoons of paste on each of the toast pieces, and then
take 2 dozen prik chi fa (a chili about finger length and as thick as
your finger, that is the Thai equivalent of a jalapeno - you can use
jalapenos instead if you wish), Cut off the tops of the chilis and
discard the seeds. Put about two teaspoons of the paste mixture in each
chili.

--
method II
--

With a melon-baller prepare 16 balls of melon, 16 balls of mango, and 16
balls of fresh pineapple. [if you are using jalapenos, slice the fruit
and use a sharp knife to cut plugs for the tops of the chilis).

Place a ball of fruit on each piece of toast and secure by piercing it
through with a tooth-pick. Plu each of the chilis with a fruit ball, and
secure by piercing through the sides of the chili and the fruit ball
with another tooth pick.

Prepare another batch of fruit balls, and wash 16 prik ki nu (birdseye
chilis), and pat them dry.

--
method III
--

Mix two tablespoons of powdered peanuts, one tablespoon of khao koor,
one tablespoon of prik phom, and a little rice flour (or cornstarch), to
make a dusting powder.

Dip each of the pieces of toast, each of the stuffed chilies, each of
the fruit balls, and each of the birdseye chilis in maple syrup, and
then dredge them in the dusting powder.

--
method IV
--

prepare a batter by beating an egg yolk, and adding about a cup of ice
cold water to it, then add a cup of sifted plain [all-purpose] flour,
and mix to a thin batter. Add a teaspoon of prik phom and a teaspoon of
freshly groung prik Thai (black pepper).

Dip the canopes in the batter a few at a time, and deep fry until crisp.

--

Serve on a platter with the dipping sauces used for satay, and some
uncooked fruit balls, and cucumber slices.

--

Footnote: Thais eat the tempura prik ki nu with considerable gusto, but
farangs should probably be warned that these are almost literally
diabolical! (Of course if you are taking food to a batchelor party you
might omit to warn the groom-to-be!   :-)




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Kanom Muoi - Thai style starters




This started life, long ago and far away (oops, sorry, that's another
genre!) as two traditional Thai starters - a toast and topper called
kanom paeng mu and an equally traditional Thai version of shrimp
tempura.

The name of the toast item is interesting: kanom paeng (bread) literally
translates as "expensive cakes" which shows what the Thais think of
bread!

However over the years my wife has developed these canopes, and this is
the current version.

--
notes on ingredients
--

Here in Thailand we can't get Maple syrup, so we use honey. This works
just as well, but we prefer the taste of the maple syrup, so feel free
to experiment.

The only bread available here in Thailand is white bread, but again we
find this tastes best with a stone ground wholewheat bread.

If you want to avoid the moderate chilis suggested, you could use bell
peppers, but frankly we find they taste a bit bitter, and anyway they
are a bit large for canopes!

Finally the quantities here make about two thirds of a cup of each of
the pastes. Say 180 millilitres. At 5 ml to the teaspoon this will do
about 8 toast bites and 8 chilis if they have 2 teaspoons of paste in
each. If you use more paste, it'll do less...

--
ingredients
--

First toast 6 slices of bread. Cut off the crusts and cut the pieces of
bread into four.

If the crusts aren't quite dry, pop them in the oven or a dry skillet,
and warm them until dry, then in a mortar and pestle or food processor,
convert them into bread crumbs.

Prepare half a cup each of cooked crab meat, cooked, chopped pork, and
raw, finely chopped mushrooms.

Prepare a paste consisting of

3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger,
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 tabelspoons prik phom (ground red chilis)
3 tablespoons crushed toasted peanuts
3 tablespoons khao koor (ground toasted rice)

saute the ginger and garlic, discarding most of the oil, and combine the
ingredients, adding two medium sized duck eggs to the mixture (or three
smallish hen's eggs).

Divide this micture in three, and combine each portion with one of the
half cups of mushrooms, crab or pork, to form three topping pastes.

--
method I
--

put about two teaspoons of paste on each of the toast pieces, and then
take 2 dozen prik chi fa (a chili about finger length and as thick as
your finger, that is the Thai equivalent of a jalapeno - you can use
jalapenos instead if you wish), Cut off the tops of the chilis and
discard the seeds. Put about two teaspoons of the paste mixture in each
chili.

--
method II
--

With a melon-baller prepare 16 balls of melon, 16 balls of mango, and 16
balls of fresh pineapple. [if you are using jalapenos, slice the fruit
and use a sharp knife to cut plugs for the tops of the chilis).

Place a ball of fruit on each piece of toast and secure by piercing it
through with a tooth-pick. Plu each of the chilis with a fruit ball, and
secure by piercing through the sides of the chili and the fruit ball
with another tooth pick.

Prepare another batch of fruit balls, and wash 16 prik ki nu (birdseye
chilis), and pat them dry.

--
method III
--

Mix two tablespoons of powdered peanuts, one tablespoon of khao koor,
one tablespoon of prik phom, and a little rice flour (or cornstarch), to
make a dusting powder.

Dip each of the pieces of toast, each of the stuffed chilies, each of
the fruit balls, and each of the birdseye chilis in maple syrup, and
then dredge them in the dusting powder.

--
method IV
--

prepare a batter by beating an egg yolk, and adding about a cup of ice
cold water to it, then add a cup of sifted plain [all-purpose] flour,
and mix to a thin batter. Add a teaspoon of prik phom and a teaspoon of
freshly groung prik Thai (black pepper).

Dip the canopes in the batter a few at a time, and deep fry until crisp.

--

Serve on a platter with the dipping sauces used for satay, and some
uncooked fruit balls, and cucumber slices.

--

Footnote: Thais eat the tempura prik ki nu with considerable gusto, but
farangs should probably be warned that these are almost literally
diabolical! (Of course if you are taking food to a batchelor party you
might omit to warn the groom-to-be!   :-)




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Yam Wunsen Sai Mu - noodle soup with pork




yang dishes are the Thai equivalent of barbeque food. The most common is
undoubtedly kai yang (chicken) where a chicken is split open, beaten
flat, and gripped in a cleft stick to grill over the brazier.

This version -- neua yang or barbequed beef -- has a more assertive
sauce to go with the stronger flavor of the beef. It is best accompanied
with a bottle of strong beer, especially when eaten as lunch during a
break from working in the paddy fields... At dinner a good Italian red
wine is I think the best choice...

And of course if you don't have a charcoal brazier, or the weather is
shade cooler than here (its 38 Celsius [100 Fahrenheit] outside as I
type this...) then you could just as easily prepare this dish on a
griddle or broil it in the oven (but it *does* taste best if it can
absorb the flavor of the charcoal smake).

For an evening meal I would suggest serving it with a salad such as the
yam polamai (that I will post next), and a soup such as tam kha kai
(chicken soup with a coconut milk stock).

--

First prepare a serving platter, lined with lettuce leaves, and
decorated with sliced cucumber.

--
sauce ingredients
--

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce
3 tablespoons of shallots (purple onions) sliced very thinly
half a tablespoon of palm sugar (or honey)
half a tablespoon of prik phom (powdered dried red chilis)
1 tablespoon of sliced spring onion/scallion/green onion, incl. tops
1 teaspoon bai chi (coriander/cilantro leaf) chopped.

Combine the ingredients to make the sauce. taste and if required add
extra sugar/honey, lime juice and/or prik phom.

Note you can substitute sauteed onion for the shallots if they are
unavailable.

Also, remember when using prik phom (and sugar) in sauce preparation
that the diners can always add more at the table, but they can't remove
it if you put too much in!

--

barbeque half a pound of steak to whatever "doneness" you prefer, then
slice into slices an eighth of an inch thick, and then cut the slices
into bite sized pieces. Place on the lettuce, and pour the sauce over
the steak.

--

Served as a one-plate dinner, this serves one fairly hungry diner, but
with the soup and salad should be adequate for four people.

Accompany with the usual Thai table condiments (prik phom, sugar, and
prik dong [red chilis in vinegar])



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Neua Yang - charcoal broiled beef in a hot/sweet sauce




Yang dishes are the Thai equivalent of barbeque food. The most common is
undoubtedly kai yang (chicken) where a chicken is split open, beaten
flat, and gripped in a cleft stick to grill over the brazier.

This version -- neua yang or barbequed beef -- has a more assertive
sauce to go with the stronger flavor of the beef. It is best accompanied
with a bottle of strong beer, especially when eaten as lunch during a
break from working in the paddy fields... At dinner a good Italian red
wine is I think the best choice...

And of course if you don't have a charcoal brazier, or the weather is
shade cooler than here (its 38 Celsius [100 Fahrenheit] outside as I
type this...) then you could just as easily prepare this dish on a
griddle or broil it in the oven (but it *does* taste best if it can
absorb the flavor of the charcoal smake).

For an evening meal I would suggest serving it with a salad such as the
yam polamai (that I will post next), and a soup such as tam kha kai
(chicken soup with a coconut milk stock).

--

First prepare a serving platter, lined with lettuce leaves, and
decorated with sliced cucumber.

--
sauce ingredients
--

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce
3 tablespoons of shallots (purple onions) sliced very thinly
half a tablespoon of palm sugar (or honey)
half a tablespoon of prik phom (powdered dried red chilis)
1 tablespoon of sliced spring onion/scallion/green onion, incl. tops
1 teaspoon bai chi (coriander/cilantro leaf) chopped.

Combine the ingredients to make the sauce. taste and if required add
extra sugar/honey, lime juice and/or prik phom.

Note you can substitute sauteed onion for the shallots if they are
unavailable.

Also, remember when using prik phom (and sugar) in sauce preparation
that the diners can always add more at the table, but they can't remove
it if you put too much in!

--

barbeque half a pound of steak to whatever "doneness" you prefer, then
slice into slices an eighth of an inch thick, and then cut the slices
into bite sized pieces. Place on the lettuce, and pour the sauce over
the steak.

--

Served as a one-plate dinner, this serves one fairly hungry diner, but
with the soup and salad should be adequate for four people.

Accompany with the usual Thai table condiments (prik phom, sugar, and
prik dong [red chilis in vinegar])



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Pad Mi Korat Phet - hot noodles, Korat style




The route to this recipe started with a couple of requests for a "hot"
version of pad Thai.

Unfortunately for those that asked, whilst you can add anything you like
to pad Thai -- including chilis -- the result is not authentic. It
simply isn't done (which is not to say that Thais don't load their
plates of pad Thai with prik phom and chilis in fish sauce or vinegar
according to taste)

Pad Thai is quite an elaborate dish. The style usually found in Thai
restaurants outside Thailand is particularly elaborate, being referred
to somewhat insultingly my Thai housewives as "pad Thai Krungthep" --
the implication being that rich people in the capital do it that way to
show off.

Ignoring the countryside versus capital debate, there is a local, very
simple variant of the dish, known as pad mi Korat. Made with the round
egg noodles known as sen mi, rather than the narrow rice ribbon noodles,
and with a recipe that consists of partly cooking a cup of noodles, then
stir frying them with a cup of sliced and shredded pak bung (swamp
cabbage), adding a little tamarind juice for flavor, and drizzling a
beaten egg over it to complete it.

However my wife prepares a more elaborate version of pad mi Korat, which
is also fairly hot. This version I will call pad mi Korat phet (hot stir
fried noodles in the Korat style).

Before I get into the details, I would like to make two comments.

The original of this dish is made with sen mi (Thai egg noodles), but if
you can't find them I find it works very well with a spagghetti or
similar (the little shell shapes are good).

The original uses swamp cabbage, but any greens will do. If I fancy
splashing out we make this with a mixture of broccoli and asparagus.

To simplify the dish I should point out that it is actually made using
table condiments, thus the ingredients are not as complicated as they
look. I will first include recipes for the table condiments you need. In
Thailand these would probably be on every housewife's table, but if you
don't have them you should make them about a week before you intend to
cook the dish.

We make them in vast quantities for the restaurant (in 5 gallon
containers), but for home use we use 1 pint spring top preserving jars.
These have the advantage of fitting in the door shelves of our fridge...

--
nam pla prik

Put two thirds of a cup of prik ki nu (finely sliced green birdseye or
dynamite chilis) in a 1 pint jar, and fill with fish sauce. Seal and
keep for a week before using.

--
prik dong

Put two thirds of a cup of prik ki nu daeng (finely sliced red birdeye
or dynamtie chilis) in a 1 pint jar, and fill with rice vinegar (any
white vinegar will do, as will cider vinegar, if rice vinegar is
unavailable).

--
prik siyu wan

Put two thirds of a cup of prik chi fa (sliced red or green Thai
jalapenas) in a 1 pint jar, and fill with sweet dark soy sauce.

--
kratiem dong

Peel and slice two thirds of a cup of garlic, place it in the 1 pint
jar, add 1 teaspoon of palm sugar, and one teaspoon of salt and half a
teaspoon of MSG (optional but recomended) and topped up with rice vinegar.

--
khing ki mao

Julienne two thirds of a cup of fresh ginger (into match stick sized
pieces). Place in the 1 pint jar. Add half a cup of Mekong whiskey
(Mekong is a whiskey made from Rice. If you can't find it or prefer
something else, any spirits, even sherry, will do). Add half a cup of
rice vinegar, and fill up the jar with fish sauce.

------

Now we'll progress to the pad mi itself.

For this you will need a cup of noodles, half a cup of green veggies,
half a cup of mild peppers such as prik chi fa (Thai jalapenas). If you
want to try this but at a lower heat level, use the Thai chili called
prik yiek, or a bell pepper. You also need one large egg (preferably a
duck egg), some tamarind juice and sugar, and chillis, bai chi
(coriander leaves) and a sliced cucumber for garnish.

Method.

Place the noodles in water to soak for about 15 minutes.

Place two tablespoons of the liquor from each of the five condiments
listed above, together with two tablespoons of tamarind juice, in a
small saucepan and simmer to reduce it to half its volume. When this is
done heat a wok, and stir a teaspoon of the fish sauce from the nam pla
prik into the egg, and beat it lightly. Drain one tablespoon of the
pickle from each of the five condiments.

If you are using Italian pasta, boil it for half the normal cooking
time.

Add all the ingredients except the egg and the reduced sauce to the wok
and stir fry until the noodles are just "toothy" in texture. Add the
sauce, turn the heat to as high as possible, and when the sauce has come
to a vigorous boil, gently drizzle the egg into the mix, which will cook
it.

Serve immediately, with the listed condiments, together with sugar and
prik phom (powdered red chili), and decorate with the garnishes.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Thai style rissoto




This is a simple vegetarian style dish, that in this case is cooked in
an electric rice steamer.

You need

two cups of Thai style jasmine rice
one tablespoon of sliced garlic
one tablespoon of ground ginger
one tablespoon of chopped shallots (purple onions)
one table spoon of red prik ki nu (birdseye or dynamite chilis) sliced
one table spoon of green prik ki nu, sliced

A quantity of good chicken stock, equal to the volume of water specified
by the rice cooker to cook two cups of rice, plus two tablespoons.

Method.

Place the rice in the cooker.

Stir fry the other ingredients (except the stock of course :-)

Add the ingredients to the cooker, and switch on.

When the cooking time is finished the dish is ready to serve.

(if you wish you can add a pinch of saffron or turmeric to colour the
rice yellow.)




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Khaifu sai ahahn farang paeng (omelettes)




The title of this snack is my Sister-in-Law's idea of a joke -- in Thai
it means "an omellete made from expensive foreign food" -- the expensive
food in question being Hormel brand Spam and Fray Bentos brand corned
beef. -- these are however grossly expensive in Thailand, costing
several dollars a can (this meal would cost a laborer several days
wages.

--
Ingredients
--

1 tin of Spam
1 tin of Corned Beef
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
one tablespoon of sweet soy
one tablespoon of prik phom (powdered red chili)
one tablespoon of garlic
one tablespoon of ginger
one tablespoon of shallots
one tablespoon of red prik chi fa (jalapenas)
one tablespoon of green prik chi fa

for the omellettes

3 duck eggs
3 teaspoons of fish sauce

--
method
--

Take a medium tin of corned beef and break it up with a fork. Take a
similar sized tin of Spam, and cut it into small dice. Combine.

This should give you about a cup of meat.

Add a tablespoon of fish sauce, and a tablespoon of dark sweet soy, and
stir in a tablespoon of prik phom (ground red chilis).

Leave to marinade for about an hour.

Beat 3 duck eggs, with three teaspoons of fish sauce.

Now in a wok saute a tablespoon of garlic, a tablespoon of ground
ginger, and a tablespoon of shallots (purple onions).

Add the marinaded meat, and stir fry until the meat begins to turn
brown. Add a tablespoon of chopped red and a tablespoon of chopped green
prik chi fa (Thai jalapenas)

Stir the meat mix, to amalgamate the ingredients, and if desired add
freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

In a 10" omellette pan, fry half the egg mix. When it is set on the pan
side, spoon half the meat mix neatly into the center in a rectangular
shape, and fold the edges of the omellette over the meat to form a
parcel. Flip it over and fry until sealed and the egg is cooked through.

Similarly cook the other half of the mixture.

Cut each omelette in two, and serve with other snack/linch foods (such
as pad Thai, pad mi Korat, som tam...)



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


kaeng som phak bung phrik sod kab pla - sour fish soup




This is a simple hot and sour soup, made with the fish of your choice.
In Thailand the vegetable is generally phak bung (swamp cabbage), but if
you don't have that cabbage, kale, or even broccoli can be substituted

--
ingredients

for chili paste:

3 tablespoons of finely sliced prik ki nu daeng (red birdeye or dynamite
chilis)
3 tablespoons of finely sliced shallots (purple onions)
3 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of kapi (fermented shrimp paste)
a dash of fish sauce.

for soup

1 pound of fish, diced
2 pounds of vegetables
10 small tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and diced
3 tablespoons of lime juice
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
3 tablespoons of tamarind juice (or rice vinegar if unavailable)
3 tabelspoons of prik chi fa (green jalapenos) thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of a sour hot sauce (such as Tabasco)

--

method

combine the ingredients for the chili paste to a fine even consistency.

Wash and dice the fish.

Place the fish in a bowl, add the lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind
juice, Tabasco and chili paste, and leave to marinade for at least an
hour.

Bring two cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan or wok, and add
the liquid from the marinading fish, then add the vegetables and boil
for about two minutes. Adjust the flavour to taste (it should be a
little salty and a little sour, and as hot as you desire it at this
stage).

Add the tomato and bring back to the boil

Add the remaining ingredients, return to the boil, and stir occasionally
until the fish is cooked.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tom Yam Polamai - fruit soup




This is a traditional combination of flavors - fruit and vegetables. As
it happens we have just had a family anniversary, remembering my long
deceased father-in-law. The family gathering meant that we all had to
bring food for the table, and the nature of the occasion meant that the
dish had to be vegetarian (see note below). This is a completely
vegetarian dish (unlike the normal "nearly vegetarian" Thai offering)

We wnt to the market and we bought a variety of produce that would make
the soup. Because this is essentially based on what was in the market,
and of high quality, I won't follow my usual technique of listing a
detailed ingredients list, but shall include the quantities in the
method. This is also because we were catering for a large gathering, and
the dish was for 14 people. I am sure you can scale things to suit your
actual circumstances.

--

Ingredients

tomatoes
water melon
cantaloupe melon
pineapple
limes
grapes
long beans
baby corn
shallots
coriander / cilantro
celery
asparagus
bricolli

nam prik pao (chili paste in a bean oil)
prik chi fa (Thai jalapenos)
Tabasco sauce
soy sauce
sugar

--

Method

core the tomatoes, put the skin and the seed pulp into a medium sized
sauce pan, put the tomatoe flesh into a liquidiser and produce about 2
cups of puree/juice. You could of course use tomatoe juice, but it is
very expensive in Thailand.

Next cut up some water melon and force the pieces through a fine seive
or chinois to give about 2 cups of juice. Add the seeds to the saucepan.

Similarly cut up the pineapple and put enough cubes in a liquidiser to
make a cup of juice. Peel and segment limes and produce a cup of lime
juice.

Add the trimmings of the vegetables to the saucepan and add 6 cups of
water. Boil vigorously for 10 to 15 minutes then sieve the juice to
remove the vegetable residue.

Return the vegetable stock to the saucepan, and use to blanch a cup of
long beans (the Thai variety is called tua phak yao - they are sometimes
sold as 'Yak's Tails' in the West - I don not recomend trying to
pronounce the Thai name (it sounds like "too-ah f*** you"). Also blanch
a cup of brocolli florets and a cup of asparagus, which has been cut up
into the tips and the stems sliced thinly on the diagonal.

Reserve the blanched vegetables, and reduce the stock to about 6 cups.
Add the fruit juice, and a cup each of sliced shallots (purple onions -
these are cheap and plentiful in Thailand, but I understand they are
expensive in the west - substitute red onion if you prefer), a cup of
baby corn cobs, a cup of phak chi (coriander/cilantro plants, finely
sliced, roots and all), and a cup of celery (we used 'chinese celery'
which is more delicate than the heavier occidental plant), and about 2
tablespoons of garlic sauted in oil (this is a stock item from the
fridge in our case).

Bring to a simmer and adjust the taste for salt/sweet by adding a salt
agent (we actually would normally use fish sauce, but this is an animal
product, so on this case we used light soy. You caould also use ordinary
salt), and a little sugar to taste.

Next you add the hot element: we add half a cup of nam prik pao (a
toasted chili paste in bean oil), half a cup of sliced prik chi fa (Thai
jalapenos), half a cup of sliced prik chi fa daeng (red jalapenos), and
about 2 table spoons of a mild sour pepper sauce such as Tabasco.

These ingredients are considered mild. However I am familiar with people
who cannot eat raw jalapenos as a snack, so you might wish to start with
a smaller quantity and add until the taste is balanced.

Bring back to the boil and make a final adjustment to the taste.

Put the beans, asparagus and broccoli in a salad bowl, and add two or
three pieces of cantaloupe, two or three pieces of pineapple, and two or
three grapes per diner. Toss these ingredients with a touch of salt and
freshly ground black pepper.

To serve, put a helping of the "salad" in a soup bowl and ladle the soup
over it. Diners can then add prik pom (chili powder), sugar, nam pla
prik (chilis in fish sauce - if you are particular, make this up with
soy sauce to avoid the animal ingredient), and prik dong (red chilis in
vinegar).

--

Note: we prepared the soup for the table in a "Mongolian Fire Pot", but
you could just as easily use a slow crock. The beans, asparagus and
brocolli, with the fruit can be served at room temperature or cold.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


saku sai mu - tapioca pork balls




In Thai the word for tapioca is saku (sago).

--

ingredients

one and half cups of tapioca pellets
1 cup finely chopped pork
1 teaspoon coriander (cilantro) root, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons of lard
3 tablespoon of palm sugar
3 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 cup chopped shallots (purple onion)
half a cup freshly toasted peanuts, crushed
3 tablespoon of crispy fried garlic
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

--
Method
--

clean the tapioca pellets, add a little hot water and knead until soft,
then soak for about an hour

stir fry the coriander root, add the pork and fry until cooked through.
adding the sugar and fish sauce, tasting for a flavor balance. Add the
shallots, then continue cooking until the mixture is dry. Add the
peanuts, stir till warmed through, then remove from the wok.

Flattent the tapioca balls into a thin sheet, place the filling, a
teaspoon at a time on the sheet, and wrap with the tapioca sheet.

Line a steamer with banana leaves and brush with oil (you can use
parchment paper if you don't have banana leaves), place the balls on the
sheet, keeping them seperate, and steam for about 15 minutes.

Place the cooked balls on a serving platter, garnish with the crispy
garlic, slivered red and green chilis, and acccompany with a platter of
fresh vegetables.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


basic curry pastes




Thai 'curries' are typically made using a 'curry' paste. However that is
an oversimplification: firstly the word used for these dishes in Thai is
kaeng (pronounced 'gang') and it covers soups, stews and of course
curries. A paste which is used could be used just as well for a soup as
for a curry.

Secondly of course it is not true that Thais call them curry: the word
for curry is kari and it is only applied to a small number of dishes:
the dishes that appear on western Thai restaurant menues as 'curries'
are kaengs, and they are made not with curry paste but with a sauce made
from prik kaeng (which in this case could be translated better as chili
paste).

There are many different prik kaeng in Thai cuisine and from them you
could make a vast number of different dishes by using different protein
ingredients, and vegetable ingredients and so on to the extent that it
is said that most Thai housewives could cook a different kaeng every day
of the year.

However if you know the four basic pastes listed here, and the basic
techniques from my next posting, you can make a vast array of dishes, if
not perhaps quite one per day for a year.

A rough rule of thumb is that one cup of raw chilis yields a cup or so
of paste (since there is air in the chilis). Further it will keep about
3 months in a preserving jar in the fridge.

Since the average kaeng will require (depending on how hot you make it)
between 2 and 8 tablespoons of paste, and since there are roughly 16
tablespoons in a cup, you can scale this recipe up to suit your needs.
Suffice it to say that we make these pastes on a cycle over 8 weeks and
make 6-8 portions of each of them. As they say in US motor
advertisements: your mileage may vary!



1: prik kaeng kiao wan

This is a paste for a green curry, and the 'wan' indicates that it
should be slightly sweet as well as hot.

ingredients:

1 cup of prik ki nu (green birdseye chilis)
5 tablespoons lemon grass, finely sliced
10 tablespoons of shallots (purple onions), chopped
10 tablespoons of garlic, minced
5 tablespoons of galangal (kha) grated
5 tablespoons of coriander/cilantro root, chopped
2 tablespoons of coriander seed
1 tablespoon of cumin seed
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of shredded bai makroot (lime leaves)
4 tablespoons of kapi (fermented shrimp paste)
1 tablespoon of palm sugar.

If you can't get prik ki nu, you can use half a pound of habanero chilis
or one pound of jalapena chilis. If you use the latter deseed them
before use. Note that if you use a substitute you will get a different
volume of paste, and that you will need to use different amounts in
subsequent recipes.

If you can't get kha use ginger
if you can't get bai makroot use lime zest
if you can't get coriander root, use coriander leaves.

method:

coarsely chop the chilis.

Toast the dry seeds in a heavy iron skillet or wok, and grind them
coarsely.

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process to a smooth
paste.

Place in tightly stoppered jars, and keep in the fridge for at least a
week for the flavors to combine and develop before use.

The remaining three pastes are all made from dried red chilis: those
sold in Thailand are frankly stale. Those sold in Europe and America are
generally barely fit for human consumption. If you must use them then
break them up and shake out the seeds, and soak them in tepid water for
about 30 minutes before use.

Preferably dry fresh red chilis. All these recipes call for one cup of
fresh red chilis, or half a pound of red habaneros, or one pound of red
jalapenas, deseeded. Dry them in the sun, or if the climate doesn't
allow then dry them in a herb desicator, or smoke them in a smoker or
over a barbeque.

The dried chilis (which need not be tinder dry - it is enough to remove
most of the water) are then toasted under a broiler until *almost*
burnt.

Treat this stage with extreme caution: if you overcook them a noxious
gas closely related to Mustard gas is released. This is quite dangerous
-- at a minimum cook them in a very well ventillated room with a fan on
and have a damp cloth ready to cover your mouth and nose in case of
emergencies -- and disconnect your smoke detector/fire alarm!

2: prik kaeng phet

phet means hot incidentally.

ingredients,

1 cup of prik ki nu daeng (red chilis), prepared
5 tablespoons lemon grass, finely sliced
10 tablespoons of shallots (purple onions), chopped
10 tablespoons of garlic, minced
5 tablespoons of galangal (kha) grated
5 tablespoons of coriander/cilantro root, chopped
2 tablespoons of coriander seed
1 tablespoon of cumin seed
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of shredded bai makroot (lime leaves)
4 tablespoons of kapi (fermented shrimp paste)

(Note that except for the sugar and the use of red chilis this is the
same as the prik kaeng kiao wan)

Follow the same procedure: toast and grind the dry seeds, and then blend
all ingredients to a fine paste

3: prik kaeng Panaeng

This is a paste for a 'dry chili'

ingredients

1 cup of prepared red chilis
10 tablespoons of shallots, chopped
5 tablespoons of garlic, chopped
10 tablespoons of lemon grass, finely sliced
5 tablespoons of galangal, grated
1 tablspoon of coriander seeds
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
5 tablespoons of coriander root. chopped
1 tablespoon of kapi
5 tablespoons of freshly toasted peanuts, crushed

follow the same general method, toasting the seeds, then blending
everything together.

4: prik kaeng masaman

masaman is a mild hot and sour dish equivalent to the Indian vindaloo.

ingredients

1 cup of prepared red chilis
3 tablespoons of coriander seed
1 tablespoon of cumin seed
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of cloves
1 tablespoon of star anise
1 tablespoon of cardamom
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
10 tablespoons of shallots, chopped
10 tablespoons of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons of lemon grass, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon of galangal grated
3 tablespoons of bai makroot (lime leaves, or lime zest)
3 tablespoons of kapi
a small amount of salt (pinch)
a small amount of turmeric (just a pinch as a colorant).

toast the seeds, and blend everything in a food processor to a fine
paste.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kaeng sai mai rong hai




The title of this note means "curry [or stew or soup] without tears"

If we have some prik kaeng (chili paste), and some basic ingredients,
then we can make curries, stews and soups easily and with a wide variety
of foods from the market.

The common thread of all these is to prespare a sauce base. Similar
sauces can be made from any Thai curry paste: the basic method is
simple: the paste is fried, dissolved in coconut milk, and a colorant,
taste extender and flavor element are added.

Note fried garlic in oil and fried shallots in oil are so basic that
most Thai cooks keep some ready made. It will keep in the fridge for two
or three months. It is best made in a small deep fat frier.

However if you don't have any put a tablespoon of oil in a medium hot
wok and stir fry a tablespoon of garlic (or shallots) until they just
change color and the oil becomes aromatic.

ingredients

1 tablespoon of fried garlic in oil
1 tablespoon of fried shallots in oil
4 tablespoons of red prik kaeng (chili paste)
1 cup of coconut milk
2 tablespoons of prik chi fa daeng (red jalapenas), sliced finely
2 tablespoons of 'ginger'
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
a pinch of sugar

method

In a wok heat (or cook) the garlic and shallots, and add the prik kaeng,
and stir until combined and aromatic. In a wok push it up the side of
pan away from the heat. If you are using a saucepan remove and set
aside.

Heat the coconut milk until nearly boiling and lower the heat. Add the
chili paste, a quarter at a time, and stir until dissolved.

Now add the remaining ingredients, and stir until heated through.

You can increase or reduce the shallots/garlic and chili paste together
by a factor of two (ie if you halve the chili paste, halve the garlic
and shallots also. If you double them double them all). Similarly the
jalapenas, ginger and fish sauce can be adjusted by up to a factor of
two to give the flavor balance you want.

'ginger' gives the dish and afterburn. You can use any mixture of khing
(common green ginger), kha (galangal), or kachai (lesser ginger) you
wish.

1: Curry without tears.

you can of course make the curry with any meat, poultry, fish or
vegetables you wish. This is for a simple kaeng phet kai (chicken
curry).

ingredients

one portion of red curry sauce (above)
1 cup of diced chicken
1 cup of bamboo shoots, julienned
2 tablespoons of lime leaves.

method

Heat the sauce. Add the bamboo shoots and cook for three or four
minutes, then add the chicken and lime leaves and cook until the chicken
is cooked through.

(If you choose to make this with beef instead you will need to cook the
meat for longer, so add it first, and cook until it just begins to be
tender, then add the bamboo).


2: Stew without tears

ingredients

one portion of red curry sauce (above)
1 cup of beef stock
1 cup of beef, diced
1 cup of broccoli, cut up into florets and sliced stems

method

In a medium pan bring the sauce and stock to a boil then turn down the
heat as low as it can go.

In a wok quickly stir fry the beef to seal it, and add it to the sauce.
Poach it for 30 minutes to an hour until it is tender, then add the
vegetables, turn up the heat and stir until the vegetables are barely
cooked.

3: Soup without tears

ingredients

one portion of red curry sauce
2 cups of fish stock
one cup of shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup of mushrooms
2 tablespoons of nam prik pao (chilis paste in oil)

Heat the sauce, add the stock and nam prik pao, and stir to combine, add
the shrimp and mushrooms, and cook until the shrimp are pink.

Taste and adjust the flavor by adding fish sauce (salt), sugar, and
possibly more nam prik pao.

You can of course ring the changes, using different main ingredients,
different chili pastes and so on, but these three dishes, with a bowl of
rice will feed a small group (4-6 people) with plenty of variety.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Seua Rong Hai - barbequed beef




The title of this dish means "tiger's tears" - not because it was
original made from tiger meat, nor from other felines (as it so often
does when "tiger" is used in the name of an oriental dish).

In this case the name comes from the noise of the fat dripping from the
meat into the bareque fire. The dish is also called neua yang (which
more prosaically means barbequed beef), but as the method is different
from kai yang (barbequed chicken), I will keep the colloquial isan (NE
Thailand) name.

Ingredients and method:

Take a one pound steak, and cut it into strips diagonally across the
natural grain, about half an inch wide, then cut the strips into bite
sized pieces.

Marinade the meat in 3 tablespoons of fish sauce and 3 tablespoons of
dark, sweet soy sauce for about an hour.

Place the meat on a fine metal mesh (typically a 1 centimeter chicken
wire is used here in Thailand) over a barbeque and cook, turning the
pieces occasionally, until done to your taste.

dipping sauce:

two sauces are usual - nam prik narok (posted recently), and the
following. Note that it calls for powdered dried prik ki nu. Normal
chili powder found in bottles in western stores is *much* milder. If you
can't find the dried birdseye chilis to pound up yourself, then I
suggest using fresh red chilis (the effect is not quite the same, but
the heat is retained as intended).

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon phom prik ki nu (powdered dried red birdseye chilis)
1 tablespoon bai pak chee (coriander/cilantro leaf)
1 tablespoon chopped spring onion (scallion/green onion)

a quarter cup of fish sauce
5 tablespoons of lime juice

method:

combine the ingredients the day before required for use.

Vegetables:

It is usual to serve barbequed dishes of this sort with a platter of
vegetables - the Thai equivalent of cruditees.

a typical mixture would include cucumber slices, basil and mint, swamp
cabbage or spinach, and spring onions. However any mixture you have to
hand would be fine.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Nam Prik Kapi - universal Thai dip




This is the staple dipping sauce eaten with almost anything, and almost
universally added to the table setting of any but the most casual
dinner.

It is traditionally the one dish, other than desserts, cooked by the
mistress of the house, as opposed to the servants, and is often
extremely intricate in its preparation. There are probably as many
recipes as there are Thai women, and this is but one example.

The eggplants used - makheua phuang are very small - the size of green
garden peas, and are often added to curries as a crisp morsel that pops
in the mouth.

You could substitute the golf ball sized makheua pro, but the best
alternative to the real thing is probably to omit them.

ingredients

1 tablespoon kratiem (garlic) chopped
1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng ( red birdseye chilis), chopped
1 tablespoon kapi (fermented shrimp paste)
3 tablespoons of nam pla (fish sauce)
3 tablespoons of nam makrut (kaffir lime juice)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon of makheua phuang

method

In a wok, lightly fry the shrimp paste until aromatic.

Crush all the ingredients in a mortar and pestle or food processor,
except the makheua phuang which is coarsely chopped and added to the
paste after mixing it.

Serve with vegetable cruditees, or other dishes.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Haw Mukh - fish custard




haw mukh is a rarity : a dish intended as an appetiser or snack. It is
essentially a custard made from curried steamed fish. A non curreid set
of ingredients is included as an "afterthought", though to avoid
reptition I won't repeat the method - I leave that to the experience and
imagination of the lovers of bland food.

Ingredients

1 pound of white fish (cod), cut into small bite sized chunks

5 tablespoons of finely chopped phak bung (swamp cabbage (or spinach))
6 tablespoons of red curry paste
6 tablespoons of finely chopped, freshly toasted peanuts
3 tablespoons of finely chopped bai makrut (kaffir lime leaf or lime
zest)
2 eggs
6 tablespoons of thick coconut milk
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of corn starch
2 tablespoons of prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis) julienned

method

In Thailand this is steamed in little cups made from banana leaves,
pinned together with tooth picks, but you could just as well use ramekin
bowls.

Mix all the ingredients but the peanuts, julienned chilis, phak bung and
fish in a food processor.

Line the bowls with the phak bung, then put the fish in the bowls. Stir
the peanuts and chilis into the sauce mixture and pour over the fish.
Leave a little expansion space at the top of the dish.

Place the filled bowls in a steamer, and steam for 15 to 20 minutes
(until the fish is cooked and the sauce has set into a custard like
consistency).

To serve

Either serve the dishes 'as is' with the usual Thai table condiments, or
for a more formal occasion, whip some thick coconut milk, and garnish
each bowl with a couple of teaspoons of the whipped coconut milk and a
slivered red chili.

========

Non chili version:

sauce ingredients

2 cups of coconut milk
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of corn starch



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Yam Talay - seafood salad




This variation of yam talay could of course be made with any combination
of seafood you have to hand. It is a popular "pre-drink" food in Thai
bars - I leave it to the reader to guess why!

fish and shrimp balls are sold in Asian supermarkets. If you can't find
them use a little extra shrimp and crab.

ingerdients

4 fish balls
4 large shrimp (about 10 to the pound in size), shelled and deveined
4 crab claws
4 'bite size' calamari rings.

2 tablespoons of lime juice
1 tablespoon of prik phom (freshly crushed dried red chilis)
2 tablespoons of fish stock
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 bai makroot (kaffir lime leaves), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped shallots (purple onions)
2 tablespoons of 'spanish' onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of phak chi (coriander leaf), chopped

method

Line a serving bowl with lettuce or kale leaves,

Mix the non-seafood ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a gentle
simmer. Add the seafood and stir occasionally until the seafood is just
cooked. Pour onto the bed of lettuse, and garnish with shredded lettuce,
coriander leaves, and slices of cucumber.

(serves four as an appetiser).



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kai Sai Takrai - chicken and lemon grass




This dish has a nice poetic name, as the three words of the name rhyme.

Those who don't like chili can always leave it out.

ingredients

1 cup chicken, cut into bite sized pieces.

2 tablespoons of lime juice
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of chicken stock
1-2 teaspoon of prik phom (freshly ground dried red chilis)
1 tablespoon of thinly sliced prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 bai makroot (kaffir lime leaf), shredded
1 tablespoon of sliced shallot (purple onions)
1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic.
2 tablespoons of sliced lemon grass
2 tablespoons of diced 'spanish' onion
1 tablespoon of spring onion (scallion/green onion), thinly sliced

method.

Mix the lime juice and fish sauce, and marinade the chicken for about an
hour.

Pound the lemon grass with a mallet or meat tenderiser, and then very
thinly slice it.

Heat a little oil in a wok or skillet to medium high heat, add the
shallots, onions, garlic, prik phom and lemon grass, and stir fry until
aromatic.

Add the chicken and marinade and stir fry until it starts to change
color. Add the remaining ingredients and stir fry until heated through
and the chicken is fully cooked.

---

Serve with steamed [jasmine] rice.

This dish can also be made with shrimp (kung sai takrai).



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Bu Pad Phom Kari - curried crab claws




This is a mild curried dish, usually served as a counterpoint to a more
intense curry or garlic dish.

It can be prepared with crab claws, or with a cup of crab meat, or a
mixture of crab meat and shrimp.

Since it is often eaten with chop sticks, you might consider removing
the meat from the claws, as this makes it easier for the spice flavours
to penetrate and easier to eat the food.

Thai curry powder (phom kari) is unlikely to be available outside
Thailand. Use a mild Indian curry powder instead.

Prik yuak is a sweet green chili, if not available use green bell
peppers or canned jalapenas to taste.

ingredients.

1 cup of crab meat

1 tablespoon of garlic, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons of fish stock
1 teaspoon of phom kari
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
a pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of shallots, sliced thinly
2 spring onions (scallions/green onions), sliced thinly
1 tablespoon of julienned prik yuak

method

Heat some oil in a wok, and stir fry the garlic and onions. Add the fish
stock, soy sauce and fish sauce, and stir fry the crab until nearly
cooked, then add the remaining ingredients.

Line a serving dish with lettuce and pour the crab over it, garnish with
corinader leaves, lime leaves, and slices of cucumber.

If using crab claws, then steam the crab claws, and combine the
remaining ingredients separately, and reduce them to form a dipping
sauce.

This dish is of course served with the usual Thai table condiments, and
personally I like to add quite a bit of prik dong (red chilis in
vinegar) to it.

As always with this type of tropical seafood dish, you can serve it hot,
at room temperature, or chilled.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Plamuk Pat Phet - curried squid




This dish is supposed to be hot. However as always you can reduce the
heat in cooking it (diners can always add more chili later, but they
can't take it out!)

bai kaprao (holy basil) is a Thai variety. If not available substitute
ordinary european basil.

Thai eggplants (makheua pro) are a yellowish green fruit the size of a
golfball. If you can't get them, then you could substitute common purple
aubergine.

ingredients

1 cup calamari rings, cleaned.
1 cup of makheua pro, quartered.

2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons of red curry paste
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
a pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon of julienned prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis)
2-3 bai makrut (kaffir lime leaves), shredded
2 tablespoons of chopped bai kaprao

method

heat a little oil in a wok and stir fry the garlic, then add the curry
paste, and stir until aromatic.

Add the squid, and stir fry briefly.

This cooks very quickly and becomes rubbery if overcooked. You may
prefer to lift the wok from the stove to stir in the squid.

Add the remaining ingredients, and stir until the flavors are combined.

As soon as the squid is cooked transfer to a serving dish.

--

Note: because the squid cooks so quickly, you might prefer to steam the
squid, and to combine and reduce the other ingredients to form a dipping
sauce.

In either case serve with prik dong (pickled red chilis), nam pla prik
(green chilis in fish sauce), prik phom (chili powder), sugar, and fresh
ground ginger.

If you are serving it "dip style", then you could also add a mild satay
sauce as a contrasting dip. Those who prefer a hotter dip might also use
nam prik narok (literally "the dipping sauce from Hell")




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Nam Prik Narok - Dipping Sauce from Hell




This recipe is normally made from sun dried chilis. Dried red chilis are
fairly readily available in America and Europe, but dried green chilis
are unusual.

You could dry, or smoke fresh chilis, either in a hot oven or in a
sealed container on a barbeque, or with a home desiccator, but if all
else fails, chop fresh chilis, and spread them on a cookie tray and put
them under the broiler until fairly dry.

This sauce keeps well, and is popular as "traveler's fare" in Thailand,
being used as an accompaniment to various dried meats and cliced
vegetables.

ingredients

2-3 pound of catfish pieces
one pound of dried prik ki nu haeng (dried greed birdseye chilis)

half a cup of garlic, chopped (including the skins)
half a cup of shallots, chopped (including the skins)
2 tablespoons of kapi (fermented shrimp paste)

quarter cup of fish sauce
3 tablespoons of sugar (preferably palm sugar).

method.

The shallots and garlic are broiled/grilled until the skins blacken, and
then peeled and chopped.

The dried chilis are also broiled until they just (!) begin to blacken.
This is very critical - overdo it and the vapor given off is HIGHLY
irritating to the nose and eyes! (If nervous, follow the suggestion
above about cooking on a cookie sheet, but do it outdoors)

Deep fry the fish until crispy, then tease off the flesh, discarding the
bones. You need 2 pounds of shredded cooked fish.

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Can be kept in a well stoppered jar, or refrigerated.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Jao Bong - anchovy dip




This is a traditional Isan [North East Thailand] dip for barequed meals,
steamed fish and vegetable dishes.

The traditional method of cooking the anchovies is as shown below: if
you prefer you can wrap them in aluminum foil and roast them in a medium
oven for 15 minutes. You can also remove the heads and backbones first.
You can also use tinned anchovies (drain and use - they are already
cooked).

ingredients.

hakf a pound of anchovies

quarter cup lemon grass
qarter cup shallots, chopped
quarter cup kha (galangal) chopped
3 tablespoons prik ki nu (green birdseye chilis), sliced
quarter cup of tamarind juice (or rice vinegar)
5 bai makrut (kaffir lime leaves), shredded
3 tablespoons of garlic, sliced

method.

Wrap the anchovies in banana leaves, and place on the embers of a
charcoal brazier until the leaf blackens. Remove from the fire and
unwrap. Discard the heads and backbones of the fish.

Combine all the ingredients in a mortar and pestle or food processor.

Will keep for about 3 weeks if refrigerated.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Tom Yam Pla Krop - crispy fish soup




This isn't a crispy soup, it's a soup made with crispy fish.

Specifically pla krop (pronounced  'plah grob' with the 'o' in krop
being something between a short o sound an a 'au' sound (a bit like
saying 'crab' when you have a very nasal cold)) is deep fried catfish.

The catfish is fried whole in very hot oil (smoking peanut oil), so the
usual cautions and caveats apply. Also for the proper flavor it should
be fried with the head on - in Thailand it is fried before it is cleaned
and trimmed for the second stage of cooking. You may of course clean and
fillet the fish first.

The very hot oil ensures that only the outside of the fish is
crunchy-crisp, and the inside is not reduced to concrete hardness!

If you prefer this dish can be made with salmon, trout, or sea bass.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients

one catfish, to yield about half a pound of catfish pieces.

6 thin slices of kha (galangal)
6 thin slices of khing (ginger)
4 hom daeng (shallots - purple onions)
6-8 prik chi fa haeng (dried red Thai jalapenas)
4 kratiem (cloves of garlic - with skins)
2-3 stalks of takrai (lemon grass or citronella), cut in 2" pieces

half a cup of nam pla (fish sauce)
half a cup of nam som makham (tamarind juice)

method.

1: Deep fry the catfish whole in very hot oil until the skin is very
crisp.

Remove and drain.

When cool enough to handle, remove the head and the tail (don't waste it
- it can be added to your fish stock pot, or fed to the cat), then break
the rest into large bite sized pieces, discarding the major bones.

2: on a grill or barbeque, grill the galangal, ginger, shallots,
jalapenas, garlic and lemon grass until slightly charred.

discard the skins, and chop, then pound to a paste in a mortar and
pestle or a food processor.

3:

Bring about 3 cups of water to a rolling boil, and add the ingredients,
after one minute lower the heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for about
20 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Tom Jabchai - vegetable stew




This is sometimes called "Chinese" vegetable stew in Thailand, because
the chosen vegetables are usually of Chinese origin. You can make
substitutions, and some recipes for this stew call for as many as 10
different vegetables. You do need at least 4 to get the veriety of
tastes and textures required, but if the produce market yields more on
the day, then you can indeed use more (keep the overall quantity about
the same.)

Though called a vegetable stew, this is by no means a *vegetarian* dish.
It contains a substantial amount of meat. The essential flavor of the
dish comes from the belly pork. If you prefer you can use a pound of
belly pork and omit the poultry, but you shouldn't omit the pork
altogether.

This is a "one plate" meal - a single dish forming the entire meal (as
opposed to the more usual dining style in Thailand with several
contrasting dishes).

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients

half a pound of belly pork cut into half inch cubes.
half a chicken or duck, cut into bite sized pieces.

4 cups of mooli (Chinese white raddish) cut into 1" slices, and
quartered

1 Chinese cabbage, cut into moderate sized chunks

1 [Western] cabbage, quartered, cored, and cut into 1" cubes

1 cup of leek, in 1" rings

2 cups of [Chinese] celery, in 1" pieces

4 cups of kale, stems crushed, and very roughly chopped

10 medium Chinese mushrooms, soaked in water, and the stems discarded

5 cakes of hard soybean curd, quartered, and the pieces cut in half
diagonally

3 cups of mung bean noodles, soaked, and cut into short lengths

half a cup of bai phak chi (coriander/cilantro leaf), chopped

6 tablespoons of soybean paste
3 tablespoons of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of minced ginger
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon of Maggi sauce
2 tablespoons of [palm] sugar
8 cups of pork stock

black pepper to taste


Method

Bring the stock to a boil and add the pork, poultry, fish sauce, soy
sauce, and Maggi sauce, boil uncovered until the meats are just cooked.

Add the vegetables, bean curd, and noodles

In a wok, heat some oil, and fry the soybean paste until fragrant

Saute the garlic and ginger

Add the soybean paste, garlic and ginger to the soup.

Taste, and adjust the fish sauce and pepper to suit the chef's
preferences.

Remove from the heat and serve when the vegetables are done.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kaeng Liang - vegetable soup




as opposed to tom jabchai, this *is* a vegetarian dish.

Though normally included in Thailand, the curry paste and chili beans in
oil can be considered optional for those who are looking for something
with a little less heat.

You can use any vegtables available, but typically in Thailand it would
be made from one of the gourds (buap liam (sponge gourd), phak dumleung
(gord gourd), phak nam tao (bottle gourd)) or from phak wan (a forest
tree, latin name melientha suavis - the leaves and flowers are used, and
are slightly sweet) or banana flowers.

If one of the gourds is used it is cut into bite sized chunks first.

====================================================================

Ingredients

spice mixture

10 prik Thai (black pepper corns)
1 tablespoon kapi (fermented shrimp paste)
3 tablespoons of nam pla (fish sauce)
10 hom daeng (shallots - purple onions)
half a cup of dried shrimp

other ingredients

1 tablespoon of red curry paste
2 tablespoons of nam prik pao (chilis paste in oil)
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
5 cups of vegetables
5 stems of bai horapha (sweet Thai basil)
4 cups of vegetable stock

Method

in a mortar and pestle or food processor, grind the spice mixture
ingredients to a smooth paste.

Bring the stock to a boil and add the spice mixture, curry paste, and
prik nam pao, and stire until thoroughly mixed.

When it is again boiling, and mixed, stir in the fish sauce.

add the vegetables and basil, stir until cooked.

The vegetables should be minimally cooked - especially gourd, which will
become soft and unpallatable if overcooked.

Taste and adjust the saltiness by adding more fish sauce if required.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Nam Jim Muoi - Muoi's hamburger relish




Hamburgers have become popular in Thailand, but the relishes available -
mainly imported products - are bland, and sweet, and not to local tastes
(they are however sometimes eaten like jam...)

This is my wife's recipe for a spicy relish. It consists of four
components, and the first - the mayonnaise - can be used on its own as a
salad dressing or crudite dip.

To mellow the flavor, and get a more interesting variety of flavors, the
chilis used are from the normal table condiments of prik dong (red
birdseye chilis in rice wine vinegar) and nam pla prik (green birdseye
chilis in fish sauce), drained before use. The liquor can of course be
recycled to make more prik dong and nam pla prik. If you don't have
these items to hand, you should prepare some about a week in advance to
give the flavors a chance to develop.

Similarly the "three gingers" - khing (green root ginger), kha
(galangal), and kachai (lesser ginger), are sauteed in a little oil.
They can be kept in a jar with enough oil to cover the ginger, and if
they don't dry out will keep almost indefinately. Again if you do have
the prepared sauteed gingers, then simply drain the amount you need. If
not, then peel and cut the ginger into slices about an eigth of an inch
thick, sautee the slices in peanut oil over medium heat, then julienne
and chop the slices.

Component 1: Mayonnaise

ingredients

2 large egg yolks (we use duck eggs)
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of mustard powder
1 tablespoon of drained prik kin nu daeng (red chilis - see note)
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil

method

put the garlic, mustard powder, drained pickled chilis, and a dash of
olive oil in a liquidizer, and puree. Add the egg yolks, and then
srizzle in the remainder of the oil as you whisk the mixture.

Component 2: gingers and chilis

ingredients

6 tablespoons of drained prik ki nu (green chilis - see note)
6 tablespoons of drained prik ki nu daeng (red chilis - see note)
2 tablespoons of sauteed khing (ginger - see note)
2 tablespoons of sauteed kha (galangal - see note)
2 tablespoons of sauteed kachai (lesser ginger - see note)

method

drain the vinegar and fish sauce from the thinly sliced chilis, and toss
the ingredients together

Component 3: tomatoes

Drop ripe red tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds to loosen the
skin, then peel and core them, and then quarter them and discard the
seed pulp (the skins and seeds can be reserved for stock making).

Coarsely chop the tomato segments: you want 1 cup of chopped tomato

Component 4: onions

Cut and dice a cup of onions: in Thailand we use hom daeng (shallots, or
purple onions), which are plentiful and cheap. I understand they are
less cheap in other countries, so you could easily use ordinary
"spanish" onions.

Then sautee the onions briefly in a little olive oil or butter to soften
them and moderate the taste.

Finally combine the four ingredients to form the relish.

This gives about 4 cups. The ingredients other than the mayonnaise will
keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, but containing uncooked eggs
the mayonnaise has limited keeping capacity. You might prefer to make
mayonnaise fresh and combine it with the other ingredients as required.

You might also prefer to put the four ingredients in small bowls, and
let the diners mix the relish to suit themselves...

          *****  And I would suggest warning small children *****
          *****  and the chili intolerant that this might   *****
          *****  look like bottled relish, but has a little *****
          *****  more bite to it :-)                        *****




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kha Mu - pork hocks with galangal




This is a popular "snack", but it can form a course in Thai style
dinner. It could be made from any fairly fatty cut of pork, but is
normally made from the hocks and shanks of pork.

ingredients

2 pounds of pork hock

4-5 tablepoons of chopped garlic
4-5 tablespoons of kha (galangal), julienned
4-5 tablespoons rak phak chi (the stems and roots of coriander/cilantro,
chopped)
sweet soy sauce (see method)
1-2 tablespoons of palm sugar
light soy sauce to taste
2-3 pieces of star anise

method

Cut the hocks into chunks the size of a small fist.

Grill or barbeque or braise them to seal the meat and crisp the
outsides.

Finely chop the garlic, galangal, and other ingredients (except the star
anise and soy sauces) in a mortar and pestle or food processor, so they
are easily integrated into the gravy.

Put the other ingredients in a large pot, add the pork, then add enough
pork stock to cover the meat, and then add enough dark soy to produce a
rich coloration.

Bring to a boil, and boil for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to a
light simmer, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Taste and add sugar or light soy to adjust the flavor. Continue to
simmer until the meat is tender enough to fall apart when probed with a
chop stick (about 45 minutes). Add additional stock if the pot begins to
dry out, but allow the sauce to reduce to a thickish gravy. Stir
occasionally to prevent sticking.

Transfer to a large serving dish and serve with rice (warn the unwary
not to eat the star anise!)

Note: the pot should be large enough that when the ingredients and stock
are assembled at the start of boiling the pot is about half full to
prevent it boiling over.





Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tom Kha Pladuk - catfish soup





There are two staple soups in Thai cuisine: tom yam is a hot spicy clear
soup with elements of sweet and sour flavors added. Tom kha is a milder
soup with coconut milk and galangal (kha) dominating rather than the
fiery prik (chili) of the tom yam.

Because it is milder tom khas are often made with chicken or pork, but
most common in Thailand are varieties using seafood (especially shrimp,
squid, or fish such as red snapper or catfish) or vegetables (especially
medleys of mushrooms, tom kha hed)

The catfish can be "crisped" by quickly, and briefly, deep frying it in
very hot oil, but this variation is based on simply poaching the fish in
the soup.

In Thailand the fish is cleaned, and then poached whole (with the head),
then removed from the soup, and cut into bite sized pieces which are
returned to the soup for serving. The method here is a little simpler,
in that it doesn't involve handling the hot fish.

Thais eat the galangal, which is cut into thin matchstick pieces.
However I have noticed that many western diners prefer to discard the
galangal and so it may be wiser to leave the galangal in thin slices.

Similarly the lemon grass is eaten, but you may prefer to cut it into 2"
lengths, and crush them with a mallet. These may then be discarded by
the diner.

=======================================================================

ingredients

1 cat fish (about half a pound prepared weight)

2 cups of fish stock
1 cup of coconut milk
1 tablespoon of kha (galangal), julienned
1 tablespoon of takhrai (lemon grass), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon bai phak chi (coriander/cilantro leaves)
1 tablespoon of prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis), thinly sliced
4 tablespoons of fish sauce
4 tablespoons of lime juice

method

Bring the stock to a simmer.

Add the galangal, lemon grass, coriander, chilis, fish sauce and lime
juice, and bring back to the simmer.

Clean the fish and cut it into 1" steaks, then divide them, removing the
bones.

Add the fish to the soup, and the coconut milk and bring back to a very
gentle simmer, and poach the fish for 3-4 minutes (until just cooked).





Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Sai Grog Tod - Isan style sausages




I guess every country has some variant on sausages, and this is the
local isan (NE Thailand) variety.

If you have sausage casing you can of course make this in conventional
sausage form, however as this is a messy job you can also do as we do
and form the sausage meat into patties the size of small hamburgers and
eat them that way.

Thai sausages use rice as the filler/binder to extend the meat.

===================================

sai grog (the actual sausage)

ingedients

1 pound minced pork
quarter cup minced garlic
half cup of steamed sticky rice
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon MSG (optional)
quarter cup lime juice
2 tablespoons of fish sauce

method

Combine the ingredients and place in a covered dish in a cool place
overnight.

Stuff your sausage casings, or form patties or meat balls from the
mixture.

Steam for 30 minutes.

================================

sai grog tod (a sausage meal)

ingredients

sausages (see above)

quarter cup each of:

     freshly roasted peanuts
     ginger, sliced very thinly
     shallots, sliced very thinly
     lemon grass, bruised and sliced very thinly
     prik ki nu (green birdseye chilis), julienned

method

Place the sausages on a grating over a charcoal brazier and cover with
an upturned wok or other metal cover to trap smoke, and cook, turning
occasionally, for 5-6 minutes (until cooked to a golden brown).

If you have formed sausages, they should be sliced on the diagonal into
quarter inch thick slices.

Arrange on a platter with the accompaniments, and serve with your
favorite dips (such as nam jim satay and nam prik narok perhaps)

If you've made patties of the sausage meat, then serve as "Thai
hamburgers" and add your favorite relish.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sai Oua - Northern Thai Sausage




This is a quite different sausage, this time from the Chiang Mai region
of northern Thailand.

It can be formed into sausages about 4" long, or into hamburger style
patties or meatballs (delicous in guaitiao (noodle soup))

ingredients

1 pound of minced pork

1 teaspoon salt
quarter cup kratiem (garlic), minced
quarter cup bai pak chi (coriander/cilantro leaves), chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
quarter cup lime juice
1 tablespoon takhrai (lemon grass) very finely chopped
1 teaspoon phom kha (galangal or lao powder)
1 tablespoon hom daeng (shallot), chopped
1 tablespoon kapi (fermented shrimp paste)
1 tablespoon prik ki nu (green birdseye chilis), finely chopped

method

make sure the lemon grass is very finely chopped (put it through a food
processor or grind in a mortar and pestle).

Combine all the ingredients and stuff a sausage casing and form 4"
sausages, or form into patties or meatballs.

fry or broil until cooking to your taste.

Traditionally this is served with sticky rice. These sausages are also
sold, spiked on wooden skewers, as popular "hawker food" throught
Thailand, and eaten as you walk along the roadway...




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Pad Phak Taohu - stir fried vegetables and tofu




This is a basic vegetarian stir-fry.

The chilis are optional.

You may use green bell peppers instead of the Thai sweet chilis.

ingredients

2 tablespoons kratiem (garlic), sliced thinly
2 tablespoons khing (ginger), julienned thinly
2 tablespoons prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis), julienned
2 tablespoons prik ki nu (green birsdweye chilis), julienned
quarter cup of hom daeng (shallots/purple onions) sliced thinly
quarter cup of bean sprouts
quarter cup of snow peas
quarter cup mooli (chinese white raddish), sliced thinly
quarter cup water chestnuts, sliced
quarter cup prik yuet (Thai sweet chilis), sliced
quarter cup sliced mushrooms
quarter cup of cauliflower florets
quarter cup of broccoli florets
quarter cup of asparagus tips
2 cups of fried tofu
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons of dark sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons of mushroom soy sauce
1 tablespoon of corn starch, dissolved in a little water
freshly ground black pepper to taste

method

Take two cakes of hard tofu, and cut them in quarters, then divide the
squares in half diagonally, then divide each piece in half "height-wise"
to yield 32 bite sized pieces.

Place a little peanut oil in a hot pan and stir fry the tofu pieces
until they turn golden brown.

Next sautee the garlic, ginger and chilis (if used) in a little oil, and
then add the soy sauces and then all the other ingredients except the
bean sprouts, and stir fry for about a minute, then add the cornstarch
and continue to stir fry for a further minute.

Add the bean sprouts, stir very briefly to warm them, but not cook them,
and then serve with steamed white rice.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Pla Kung - Thai sushi




In the Isan (Northeast Thailand), this dish is sometimes prepared with
raw shrimp This variant is known as pla kung lao (ie shrimp prepared in
the Laotian style). In essence the shrimp are "cooked" in the lime
juice, which induces chemical changes in the shrimp meat. However the
dish has a Thai variant (pla kung korat or simply pla kung) in which the
shrimp are "blanched" in the manner typically used for vegetables.

bai chaphlu are the leaves of a tree with the latin name piper
sarmentosum. In the highly probable situation that you can't find them,
garden mint makes a reasonable substitution.

Tamarind juice is made by adding tamarind pulp to a little water, and
allowing to stand for an hour, then squeezing it through a chessecloth
to filter it.

ingredients

1 pound of medium shrimp

2 tablespoons takrai (lemon grass), punded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon bai makrut (kaffir lime leaves), shredded
2 tablespoons of bai chaphlu leaves, shredded
2 tablespoons bai pak chi (coriander/cilantro leaves), chopped
2 tablespoons of hom daeng (shallots/purple onion), sliced thinly
2 tablespoons of hom (spring onion/scallion) sliced thinly
1 teaspoon phom prik (ground dried red chili)

quarter cup nam pla (fish sauce)
quarter cup lime juice
1 tablespoon tamarind juice

in addition drain the vinegar from enough prik dong (pickled red chili)
to yield two tablespoons of drained, sliced red birdseye chilis, and
drain the fish sauce from enough nam pla prik (green chilis in fish
sauce) to yield two tablespoons of drained, sliced green birdseye
chilis.

method

Drop the shrimp, still with their heads and shells, into boiling water
and blanche for no more than 30 seconds.

De-head and de-vein the shrimp, and discard all the shells but the
tails.

Place the shrimp in a bowl and add the fish sauce, lime juice, tamarind
juice and chili powder, and leave to marinade for about an hour.

Toss with the remaining ingredients to combine.

Garnish with cucumber slices and lime wedges and serve with sticky rice.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Tom Khing Kai - gingery chicken soup





ingredients:

2 cups of chicken cut into bite sized pieces
3-4 cups of chicken stock

2 stalks of lemon grass, bruised (this isn't eaten, but is an essential
flavorant)

2 "kaffir" lime leaves (use lime zest if you can't get it)
2 phak chi (coriander/cilantro plants, including roots), chopped.
1 tablespoon prik ki nu (green birdseye chilis) thinly sliced.
1 tablespoon prik haeng (dried red chilis), crushed
the juice of 3 or 4 limes
2 or 3 tablespoons of sliced bamboo shoots or coconut shoots
2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce.
2 tablespoon hom daeng (shallots), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon kratiem (garlic), minced
1 tablespoon khing (fresh ginger), minced
1 tablespoon kha (fresh galangal), minced
prik Thai (freshly ground black pepper), to taste [optional]

Heat a wok dry, and warm the dried chilis, then crumble them. Add a
little oil to the wok, and sautee the chilis, ginger, galangal, shallots
and garlic, until aromatic.

In a medium sauce pan, bring the stock to a boil, add the sauteed
ingredients, and the fish sauce and lime juice, and taste for balance,
then add the remaining ingerdients, and bring back to the boil before
adding the chicken. After about 1 minute taste for the balance of spices
again, and then serve when the chicken is just cooked.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kuaitiao Neua - beef noodle soup




This soup is a popular light meal in Thailand, and often sold by "stop
me and buy one" hawkers who pedal tricycles around the streets.

The traditional form is made from beef offal, and contains cow's blood.

There is nothing odd about this: cow's liver and kidneys are popular in
Britain, as are the lights (lungs) - at least they were before mad cow
desease! Blood is a major component in black pudding - a form of sausage
that is also popular in Britain.

However the dish can be made quite satisfactorally from any cut of beef,
and the blood can be omitted, or replaced, as in this version, by red
wine Bull's Blood is a heavy red wine from central Europe and is
suitable (if only because of the name?)

The noodles should be cut into handleable pieces (the Thais don't bother
and eat soup with chop sticks (not used for any other type of food), but
as this is an art that takes considerable practice, it is easier to cut
up the noodles to eat the soup with a spoon.

So here is a non-vampire version of kuaitiao neua:

==================================================================

                    nam kaeng jued (soup stock)
                    ===========================

ingredients

10 cups of water
4 cups of beef bones
2 onions, with skin, quartered
2 coriander roots, chopped
4 bai makrut (kaffir lime leaves), shredded
1 tablespoon ginger, grated.

method

break the bones with a hammer, and roast them for 15 minutes in a hot
oven.

Bring the water to the boil, and add the vegetables, and the bones to
the pot, Boil gently for an hour.

Boil vigorously to reduce to about half the volume you started with.

Allow to cool, skim off the fat, filter through a fine seive.

=========================================================

                           kuaitiao neua
                           =============

ingredients

4 cups of stock
1 cup of red wine (Bull's Blood or similar)
2 cups of beef (any cut), cubed.
1 cup of celery (preferably Chinese celery), sliced
1 cup of mushrooms (any variety)
half a cup of shallots, sliced
1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis), sliced
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of dark sweet soy sauce
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 cup of ribbon noodles, soaked

Method

Soak the noodles for 15 minutes, and then chop them into 2-3" long
pieces for ease of eating.

Heat the stock to a gentle simmer, and add the wine, and all the other
ingredients except the beef, mushrooms and noodles.

When the stock is again boiling add the beef and simmer until the beef
is tender. Add the mushrooms and noodles, and cook for a further one-two
minutes

Garnish with a few coriander leaves and serve with the nam jim described
below.

============================================================

        nam jim rod dedt (chili vinegar wuth garlic and vinegar)
        ========================================================

This sauce will keep indefinately.

ingredients

half cup water
half cup fish sauce
3 cups rice vinegar
3 tablespoons [palm] sugar
6 cups prik ki nu daeng (red birds eye chilis), sliced
6 tablespoons garlic, minced
6 tablespoons ginger, grated
6 tablespoons phak chi (coriander/cilantro, including roots), chopped

Method

Heat the water, fish sauce and vinegar, and dissolve the sugar.

Allow to cool, and then add all the ingredients to a food processor and
process to a smooth paste.

If you prefer a thinner consistency you can increase the amounts of
water, fish sauce and vinegar.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Nam Prik Kiga (chili sauce) - and an appetiser.




This is a common dip for barbeque style foods.

ingredients

6 tablespoons prik ki nu (green birdseye chili), sliced thinly
6 tablespoons prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chili), sliced thinly
4 tablespoons hom daeng (shallots), sliced thinly
2 tablespoons kratiem (garlic), sliced thinly
3 tablespoon phak chi (coriander plant including root), chopped
1 tablespoon nam makrut (lime juice)
1 tablespoon fish sauce

method

sautee the chilis, shallots and garlic in a little hot oil.

After cooling puree the mixture in a food processor of mortar and
pestle.

If the coriander and shallots are added at the last minute the mixture
will keep for several weeks in a refrigerator.

==========================================================

A simple appetiser:

ingredients

12 medium shrimp (about 10-12 to the pound)

12 wonton skins

3 tablespoons of nam prik kiga
3 tablespoons of chopped onion
3 tablespoons of diced tomato (discard the skin and seed pulp)

method

Remove the heads, legs and shells, including the tails, from the shrimp,
and devein them. Thread them lengthwise onto thin skewers (to straigthen
them out).

Combine the nam prik, onion and tomato.

Lay a  wonton skin on your worksurface. Place half a tablespoon of the
mix on the skin, add a shrimp, a second half tablesppon of mix, and wrap
in the skin, pinching it closed.

Repeat for the other shrimp.

The uncooked shrimp rolls are now delivered to the table with a small
pot, such as a fondue pot, of cooking oil, and the diners dip shrimp
into the oil and deep fry them to their tastes before eating (a small
charcoal burner and a small wok is used in Thailand).



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Yum Mu Isan - North eastern pork salad




A word of caution is in order here. My wife cooked this for me last week
and I found it almost too hot to eat. Since I eat hot chili/curry style
food two or three meals a day it may be an idea for those less
acclimated to the food to either reduce the amount of chili, or reduce
the marinade time (it can be reduced to zero - simply pour the sauce
over the meat and serve).

Preparation

Take a pork steak or similar cut of meat (about a pound in weight), and
barbeque or grill it to the desired degree of done-ness.

Take a cup of prik ki nu daeng (fresh red 'birdseye' chilis), and roast
them in a moderate oven (or grill them), until the skin begins to change
colour (we do this in a hot air "turbo" roaster - but any suitable oven
or roaster will do).

Grind the chilis to a pulp and add equal parts of tamarind juice and
fish sauce until the whole forms a slightly fluid paste.

Cut the pork diagonally across the grain into eigth inch thick slices,
and cut the slices into 1" long pieces and then toss with the sauce and
allow to marinade for about 24 hours.

Add 1 cup of very thinly sliced onions and two tablespoons of freshly
grated root ginger, and half a cup of chopped coriander leaves.

Toss (as a salad is tossed) and serve on a bed of lettuce with a bowl of
sticky rice (if not available ordinary steamed white rice will do).




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Kai Kaeng - chicken casserole




This is a "Thai-ised" version of a recipe from Delia Smith's cooking
course, called Chicken with Whole Spice, which is a mild pastiche on
Indian food.

This version is set up for a slow-crock cooker, but it could be prepared
as a conventional casserole by simmering it on the stove top for about
30 minutes or in an oven at about 180 C for 30 minutes or so. In either
case check occasionally for "doneness" as I have lost my notes on oven
cooking of this dish (not owning an oven it is of little interest to
us...)

Ingredients

4 cups of chicken, filleted and cut into bite sized pieces.

for the marinade

1 tablespoon of garlic, cruchsed
1 tablespoon of fresh root ginger, grated
1 tablespoon of shallots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of peanut oil
a pinch of turmeric, and salt & pepper to taste.

for the sauce

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of cardamom pods
1 tablespoon of fermented shrimp paste
1 cup of shallots, finely sliced (or use red onions)
1 tablespoon of prik ki nu (green birdseye chilis), thinly sliced
1 tablespoom of prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis), thinly sliced
1 cup of coconut milk

Method

Mix the ingredients of the marinade, and marinade the chicken in a cool
place for about 3 hours.

Toast the cumin, coriander, and cardamom in a dry heavy skillet or wok,
until aromatic, and grind to a fine powder.

Blend the ingredients of the sauce together.

Transfer the chicken and marinade to a wok or sautee pan and stir fry
until the chicken just starts to change colour.

Transfer to a slow-crock cooker, and add the sauce, and then simmer,
covered on low heat for one to one and a half hours (until the chicken
is cooked, tender, and the pieces fall apart at the pressure of a
chopstick.)

Serve with steamed white rice.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------


Phraram Long Song - meat in a peanut sauce




There are a number of possible translations of the title of this dish,
which is from the milder "Royal Thai" tradition. Phraram is the name
given in Thai to the God Rama, or the title of the King. The title can
be translated by those of a poetic nature to mean food so good it makes
the king cry...

Because this is a mild, Royal Thai, dish, I give two methods, which
differ slightly in that one is mild and has complex flavors, the other
is more in line with the country tradition of not throwing away anything
that can be eaten, and is a little more potent, as suits the provincial
palatte.

This dish can be made with pork, beef, chicken or shrimp. shrimp require
less cooking and beef rather more. This version is made with pork

Ingredients

one cup of pork, cut into small bite sized pieces
one cup of phak bung (swamp cabbage), shredded

Note that phak bung is very common - almost a weed - in Thailand. In the
West where it is probably unobtainable, use spinach or kale.

to flavor the oil

garlic, ginger, prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis), and phom kari
(mild curry powder). according to the method. If Thai curry powder isn't
available use a mild Indian curry.

for the sauce

1 tablespoon of garlic, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon of massaman curry paste
1 cup of coconut milk
1 cup of pork stock
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lime juice
half a cup of raw peanuts, crushed

method

Heat a wok, and add three tablespoons of peanut oil, add one teaspoon of
slivered garlic, and sautee until the garlic is just changing color.
Remove and discard the garlic. Add 4 'coins' of ginger, 1" in diameter,
and an eigth of an inch thick, and sautee for 1 minute, remove and
discard. take 4 red chilis and destalk them, cut them in half and tap
them on the counter to remove loose seeds, sautee for 1 minute, remove
and discard. Now add one teaspoon of curry powder and stir until
absorbed into the flavored oil.

For the provincial version, to the hot oil add 1 tablespoon of slivered
garlic, one tablespoon of slivered ginger, and 1 tablespoon of very
thinly sliced chilis, including the seeds, then remove the flavorants,
add 1 tablespoon of curry powder and blend into the oil. The garlic,
ginger and chili is then blended to a fine paste and retained to be
added later.

Now stir fry the meat for about 1 minute, and remove it from the oil
whilst you prepare the sauce.

Fry the peanuts for about 5 minutes in the oil, then remove them and
blend them to a fine paste, and return the paste to the oil, adding the
curry paste and stirring until aromatic (if you can't find curry paste
use a further tablespoon of curry powder), now slowly add the coconut
milk, stirring constantly to blend, and then add the remaining sauce
ingredients, then bring to a gentle simmer.

If preparing the provincial version, return the oil flavorants to the
mix at this time.

Add the meat, and return to the simmer, cover and simmer, stirring
occasionally for about 20 minutes, until the meat is tender.

Add the vegetables, turn the heat up and boil vigorously for 1 minute.

Serve with jasmine rice.

==

We cooked this to check the recipe in a 16" wok that is 6" deep - if
your wok is smaller or shallower you may not wish to have this much
sauce in a wok, and of course you can complete the recipe in a medium
saucepan.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Pla Rad Prik - fish in chili




This can be made with any fish. Personal choices would be catfish, sea
bass or salmon.

Thai preference would be to gut and clean the fish, but leave the head
on. You may of course prefer to remove the head, even to use fish
fillets...

Ingredients

a fish, about 1 lb

white wine (preferably rice wine)
plain flour
oil for deep frying

sauce:

3 tablespoons of kratiem (garlic), finely slivered
quarter cup prik chi fa (Thai jalapenas), thinly sliced
quarter cup prik chi fa daeng (red jalapenas), thinly sliced
quarter cup hom daeng (shallots, or other onions), thinly sliced
quarter cup bai phak chi (coriander/cilantro leaves), chopped
quarter cup nam pla (fish sauce)
1 tablespoons palm sugar

quarter cup bai horapa (sweet basil leaves), chopped

method

cut three or four slashes in the sides of the cleaned fish, and sprinkle
with the rice wine. Dust liberally with the flour, and deep fry in hot
oil until crispy.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, or second wok, add a little oil to the hot
pan, and stir fry the chilis and onions until fragrant. Add the fish
sauce, and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the sugar and continue
stirring until the sugar is dissolved. add the coriander leaves, and
stir occasionally until the sauce is slightly reduced (about 5 minutes).

Remove from the heat, and transfer to a sauce jug. Add the basil leaves
when cool.

The fish, on a serving platter, and accompanied with a basket of khao
niao (sticky rice), and the jug of sauce is presented to the diners,
with the usual Thai table condiments (notably nam pla prik - chilis in
fish sauce).

Normally diners break off small pieces of the fish with chopsticks and
transfer them to their plate, make the morsel into a ball with a little
sticky rice and dip it into the sauce before transfering it to the mouth
with the right hand... left handed diners and those feeling more
comfortable could of course use a fork and spoon...




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Neua Pad Prik - beef with chilis




This is a quick, and fairly mild preparation for beef. It can also be
prepared with pork.

The prik chi fa used are a mild chili, about the length of a finger,
often called a "Thai Jalapeno" and "ordinary" jalapenos make a
reasonable substitute.

The seasoned fish sauce is the fish sauce from nam pla prik, found on
any table in Thailand. If you don't have any then take 4 tablespoons of
fish sauce, add a tablespoon of green prik ki nu ('birdseye chilis'),
sliced thinly, store in a stoppered jar for a week in the refrigerator,
then it is ready to use. The excess can be used as a condiment for this
dish.

Ingredients

2 pounds of beef

marinade

2 tablespoon of seasoned fish sauce
2 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

sauce

2 tablespoons of garlic, chopped
half a cup of shallots (purple onions) finely sliced
half a cup of prik chi fa (green Thai jalapenos), sliced
half a cup of prik chi fa daeng (red Thai jalapenos), sliced
5 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of dark sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of sesame oil

Method

Slice the beef, and pound the slices thin. Mix the marinade ingredients
and combine with the beef, and marinade for about 2 hours.

In a large skillet or wok, heat some oil, and sautee the beef, marinade,
garlic, shallots and chilis for about 3 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and suatee for a further 2-3 minutes until
cooked.

Serve over jasmine rice, and garnish with a fried egg.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Neua Pad Prik (beef and chilis - a hamburger variant)




Some years ago, my wife and I were living near Oxford in England. One day
she went to the asian market to buy the groceries, and disaster struck: no
Thai chilis.

She managed, with poor grace, to buy some jalapenas and some 'Scotch Bonnet'
peppers, and the dish that follows is what we had for dinner that night.

We have since converted it back to Thai ingredients and methods. The
following notes are relavant:

sweet chilis: in Thailand these are prik chi fa. Otherwise jalapenas
hot chilis: in Thailand prik ki nu, otherwise Scotch Bonnets or Habaneros
syrup: in Thailand, boil some water, dissolve sugar in it until no more
will dissolce, and then reduce to form a syrup. otherwise Tate & Lyle
brand golden syrup, or something similar, will do.

In Thailand we use shallots (purple onions). These are cheap and plentiful.
In the west, where they are often expensive and hard to find, ordinary
yellow or red onions will suffice.

We cook it by wrapping it in banana leaves and placing it on the ashes
of a charcoal brazier for 30 minutes. Otherwise you can wrap it in
aluminum foil and grill it until cooked to the desired doneness.

You can slice and pound the beef as in a conventional neua pad prik
recipe, or you can follow this technique for burgers. You could buy
prepared hamburger (ground beef), but it is usually low grade meat and
high in fat. Better, we feel to make it as indicated.

The seasoned fish sauce is the fish sauce from nam pla prik, found on
any table in Thailand. If you don't have any then take 4 tablespoons of
fish sauce, add a tablespoon of green prik ki nu ('birdseye chilis'),
sliced thinly, store in a stoppered jar for a week in the refrigerator,
then it is ready to use. The excess can be used as a condiment for this
dish.

Ingredients

For the burgers:

2 pounds of beef
1 cup of diced shallots
2 tablespoon of seasoned fish sauce
2 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg


sauce/relish:

2 tablespoons of garlic, chopped
half a cup of shallots (purple onions) finely sliced
half a cup of sweet chilis, sliced
quarter cup of hot chilis, sliced
quarter cup of ginger, grated
quarter cup of fish sauce
quarter cup of dark sweet soy sauce
quarter cup of sugar syrup

Note: the chilis should preferably be a variety of colours

Method

Dice the beef, and combine with the remaining burger ingredients, except
the egg and leave to marinade for about three hours. If desired the meat
can be ground in a food processor first.

Beat and add the egg. Form the mixture into 12 patties.

In a wok heat about 3 tablespoons of peanut oil, and then sautee the
garlic, onions, ginger and chilis until aromatic. Remove from the heat,
add the remaining ingredients, and process to a coarse chop.

Take 6 pieces of banana leaf (or aluminum foil), and on the first, place
2 tablespoons of the sauce mixture, and spread it into a disc the size of
the meat patties. Add a pattie, add two tablespoons of relish, add a second
pattie, and then add two more spoons of relish. Seal the package by folding
it and clipping it with a toothpick or small wooden skewer. Repeat for the
remaining patties to form 6 packages.

Place these on the ashes of a brazier (or on a medium hot barbeque) and
cook until they reach the desired doneness.

To Serve:

Open the packages, add a couple of tablespoon of cooked rice, and a fried egg.

This has the advantage that when the diners have eaten the plates do not
need to be washed!




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kaeng Hanglay - Northern style beef curry




This is a curry in the northern style. It could also be made with pork
or chicken, in which case the cooking time must be shortened.

Note that traditional (Lea & Perrins) Worcestershire sauce is a matured
mixture of fish sauce and tamarind juice, and as such is a very good
substitute for the fish sauce and tamarind juice in this recipe.

ingredients

1 pound of beef, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups of coconut milk

for the curry paste

3 tablespoons of very thinly sliced lemon grass
3 tablespoons of palm sugar
2 tablespoons of yellow bean sauce (tao jiao)
2 tablespoons of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons prik ki nu haeng (dried red birdseye chilis), crumbled
2 tablespoons of challots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon cumin seed
pinch turneric

quarter cup fish sauce
quarter cup tamarind juice

method

simmer the beef in the coconut milk for 30 minutes in a covered
saucepan.

toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant, and grate. Combine
all the curry paste ingredients and process to a fine paste.

After the beef is cooked until tender, add the curry paste, stir to
combine, and continue to simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

==

Since the beef is simmered it is possible to use cheaper (tougher) cuts
of meat. If necesary extend the cooking process until the meat is
tender.

Serve with white (Jasmine) rice, and the usual table condiments.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Thai chicken satay




Here is the current variant of a Thai chicken satay recipe my wife is
using at the moment (as they say of web sites, this one is continuously
under construction)

sate kai (chicken satay)

ingredients

3 chicken breasts

1 teaspoon corinader seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon phom kari (mild curry powder)
a "good pinch" of tumeric powder
6 tablespoons of thick coconut cream (see below).
3 tablespoons palm sugar

method

Open a can of coconut milk and allow to stand until it spearates
slightly. Skim off (and retain) the light milk. This recipe uses the
thicker cream remaining.

In a clean dry skillet toast the coriander and cumin seeds until
aromatic, then grind to a powder.

Cut the chicken into long thin strips and thread onto skewers
lengthwise.

Mix all the ingredients together to form a marinade, and marinate for at
least 12 hours before cooking.

Barbeque or grill until cooked.

=================================

Nam jim sate (satay peanut sauce)

ingredients

one can of coconut milk (14 ounces)
half a cup of chicken stock

half a cup of uncooked peanuts

1 tablespoon of garlic, crushed,
1 tablespoon of red curry paste
1 tablespoon of nam prik pao ([roasted] chili paste in oil)
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice

method

In a wok or large heavy skillet, dry roast the peanuts until they start
to turn toasty brown. Bite one to check that it is cooked through
(careful - they're hot).

Discard any brown peanut "skins" and put the peanuts in a
liquidiser/blender or food processor.

Separate the coconut milk and add a cup of thick coconut cream to the
blender, and process until smooth. Add the garlic, curry paste, nam prik
pao, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice and process until mixed
thoroughly.

Combine the remaining coconut milk with the chicken stock, and then
slowly add this to the running blender until a suitable consistency is
achieved.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Kai Pu Khao - "Volcano Chicken"




This was a request from a correspondent, and my wife was somewhat
surprised to discover that this is still offered in restaurants. "Rather
complex" was the family opinion.

This for once isn't one of my wife's recipes: My mother-in-law was kind
enough to demonstrate this one to us.

an explanation of volcano chicken:

When the chicken is stood vertically on the plate and ignited the flames
coming from the open body cavity resemble the eruption of a volcano...

Hence the name.


Ingredients

1 chicken, about 2 pounds or a little more.

marinade

2 tablespoons of kratiem (garlic), minced
half a teaspoon prik thai (black pepper), freshly ground
quarter cup of fish sauce
quarter cup of whiskey
quarter cup of honey
quarter cup of coconut milk
1 tablespoon of red curry paste
2 tablespoons nam prik pao (black chili paste in oil)

for flambeeing : 1 cup whiskey

Method

Mix the marinade ingredients, then clean and prepare the chicken, and
thoroughly coat with the marinade, and leave to stand in a wok for 12
hours.

Remove the chicken from the wok, allowing to drain thoroughly, then over
medium heat reduce the marinade to form a thick sauce.

The chicken should be stood upright on an ovenproof plate (in Thailand a
metal disk with a vertical peg attached is used. Something similar is
sold as a "chicken roaster" in America and Europe I believe), and cooked
in a medium oven until the skin just begins to change colour.

Remove the chicken and place it on a flame proof but table-ready plate
and bring to the table. Pour whiskey through the interior of the bird,
and then ladle it over the outside so the bird is thoroughly coated,
then ignite and allow the whiskey to burn itself out.

Carve the chicken, and serve with khao suay (steamed white [jasmine]
rice), and stir fried green vegetables, and the usual Thai condiments
and the reduced sauce.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Ice Cream




Thai ice cream is made from coconut milk, and as such is a totally
non-dairy (ie vegetarian) product.

Ingredients

2 cups cocnut milk
1 cup water

4 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla or rosewater (optional)
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of shredded coconut (see below)

sprigs of mint for garnish

method.

Stir fry the coconut until golden (optionally use a few pieces of fresh
corn... Thais often flavor ice cream with things considered unusual to
western tastes).

Heat the coconut milk and water over medium heat, stirring continuously
for a couple of minutes. DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.

In a bowl beat two eggs, plus two yolks, then add the other ingredients,
and whisk gently.

Transfer the mixture to a double boiler over gently boiling water, and
slowly blend in the hot coconut milk, stirring until the mixture
thickens to form a continuous slightly sticky coat on the back of a
spoon lifted from the mixture.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then transfer to a metal ice
cream tray or similar container and place in the coldest part of the
freezer for one hour.

Remove to a food processor and beat slowly until smooth (this
incorporates some sir into the mixture and prevents it becoming too
hard), then return to the freezer and complete the freezing process.





Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Beef stir fried with Holy Basil




This is a quick and easy dish to make. The holy basil has a "hot
peppery" taste, but if you can't get it then the standard european basil
is a reasonable substitute, though you should add a little freshly
ground black pepper in this case.

prik ki nu - called mouse dropping chilis, or dynamite chilis - are the
best chili to use, but if you can't get it standard Mexican habanera
chilis, or Scotch Bonnets, will do very well as a substitute.

Ingredients
-----------

2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped mixed red & green chilis (prik ki nu)
1 teaspoon green peppercorns, whole.
quarter cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped holy basil leaves (bai gaprao)
1 cup sliced onion (any mixture of 'spanish' onions, red onions, shallots
                    and spring onions can be used).

1 pound ground or minced beef.

Method
------

(my wife chops the beef with a pair of cleavers, and I can't bear to
watch... you can of course use a meat grinder or a food processor)

The garlic, shallots, peppers and peppercorns are ground together in a
mortar & pestle or a food processor. In a hot wok, with a little cooking
oil, briefly stir fry this paste to bring out the flavour and aroma. add
the remaining ingredients, except the onion, and continue to stir until
the beef is cooked through.

Add the onions, mix thoroughly, and serve.

Serving
-------

For luncheon pad bai kaprao can be served over plain rice, or over a
fried egg or egg crepe, placed on the rice. For dinner it goes well with
the hot and sour tom yum soups, as well as curries and other Thai food.

Add the usual Thai condiments (chilis in fish sauce (prik nam pla),
ground chillis (prik phom) and sugar), as well, perhaps as ground black
pepper.

Variants
--------

It can be made with chopped pork or chicken, though of course the flavours
are quite different. You can also experiment with replacing the meat with
hard tofu marinated in a mixture of sweet soy, fish sauce and ground
ginger, say, or a vegetable mix of your choice (I like to mix broccoli
and cauliflower florets, with julienned carrots and wing beans), to make
a vegetarian pad bai kaprao.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Sweet & sour spareribs




This originated in a recipe my wife collected when she was a schoolgirl.
Since the Fourth of July is coming I thought I'd post it to the usual
groups I use.

The chilis can be either prik ki nu (birdseye chilis, or habaneras or
Scotch Bonnets) if you like a hot flavor, or prik chi fa (jalapenas) if
you want a sweet picquante sauce.

enjoy.

==

ingredients

1 pound spareribs

marinade:

1 tablspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon prik Thai (black pepper), freshly ground
1 tablespoon cornstarch/cornflour
1 tablespoon rice wine

Sweet & Sour sauce:

half a cup of tomato catsup
quarter cup freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon vinegar (preferably rice vinegar)
1 tablespoon sugar (preferably palm sugar)
one teaspoon fish sauce
one teaspoon prik Thai (black pepper), freshly ground
3 cups of beef stock

You also need:

quarter cup of chilis, sliced
half a cup of fresh pineapple chunks
half a cup of onion or shallots, sliced
quarter cup of pickled ginger, shredded
half a cup of tomato "meat"

Method

Mix the marinade ingredients and marinade the ribs for 4-6 hours in a
cool place.

Drop the tomatoes in boiling water to lossen the skins, and peel and
quarter them, then discard the seed pulp and chop the 'meat' to yield
half a cup.

fry, broil, or barbeque the ribs until golden brown.

In a small saucepan or wok mix the sweet & sour sauce ingredients, and
bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 15 minutes until slightly
thickened. Strain out any lumps that have formed.

Heat some oil in the wok or a frying pan/skillet until very hot
(smoking) and add the chili, pineapple, tomato, onion and ginger, and
stir fry until aromatic. Add 1 cup of the sweet & sour sauce mix. In a
small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of
water, and add this to the mixture to thicken it, then add the remaining
sauce.

Transfer the suace to a sauce jug, and place the ribs on a serving
platter. Drizzle a little sauce over the ribs, and deliver the ribs and
the jug of sauce to the diners.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Mu Yang Takrai - BBQ pork with lemon grass




As part of my series of recipes for the short short summer in temperate
latitudes, here is yet another Thai barbeque recipe.

This is essentially a hawker food: meat (usually pork) is threaded on
skewers or satay sticks and cooked over a charcoal braziere, and then
served along with a dipping sauce in a small plastic bag.

It makes an easy recipe for a summer afternoon's barbeque.

Alternatively you can make it with pork chops or even with spareribs or
chicken pieces... it even makes a barbeque sauce for hamburgers and hot
dogs...

Ingredients

1 pound of pork cut into bite sized pieces

for the marinade

10 tablespoons of palm sugar
10 tablespoons of nam pla (fish sauce)
10 tablespoons dark soy sauce
10 tablespoons of takrai (lemon grass), sliced very thinly
5 tablespoons of whiskey
5 tablespoons of hom daeng (shallots), sliced very thinly
5 tablespoons of kratiem (garlic), minced
5 tablespoons of coconut milk
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon prikthai (black pepper), freshly ground

Method

Mix the marinade ingredients, except the coconut milk and in a saucepan
or wok, simmer until reduced to about half the original volume. Allow to
cool, and add the coconut milk, stirring until combined.

Marinade the meat for 1-3 hours in a cool place, then drain well, and
thread onto skewers.

Barbeque the meat until cooked.

Heat the marinade until simmering, stirring for 1-2 minutes (to cook any
blood that has dripped from the marinading meat, and hence sterilize
it), and serve as a dipping sauce for the meat.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Pad Ped Mu - stir fried pork




This dish is made with belly pork. There are a number of reasons for
this: on the pragmatic level the Thais tend to use all of an animal, and
this is a way of using the rather fatty belly pork. Secondly the style
of cooking means that the dish is cooked in the pork fat itself, which
enhances the flavor, and thirdly, the fatty meat absorbs the additional
flavors and so tastes better.

My wife prepared this for our dinner last night, and cooked it in an
iron wok, as always. The pork tends to stick, and so it is quite a
difficult job cleaning up afterwards. Consequently I am going to suggest
that you use a non-stick stir fry pan or sautee pan for this dish if
available. The wok or pan should be quite hot, so as to sear the pork
and render the fat quickly. If the pan is too cold it will tend to
become leathery and "chewy".

My recipe notes indicate that the sliced chilis are 'optional'. You can
also reduce the amount of red curry paste used quite substantially
without too much adverse affect on the authenticity of the dish.

The sliced prik yuat are a Thai variety which is hard to find outside
Thailand. Known as the Thai Bell Pepper, you could easily substitute
ordinary bell peppers for this ingredient.

The long beans used in Thailand are known as tua phak yao. I have seen
these sold in the West as "Yak's Tails". If unavailable ordinary green
long beans can be used.

==========================

ingredients

1 pound of belly pork, cut into small dice.

2 cups of long beans, cut into 1" pieces

half a cup of prik yuat (green Thai bell peppers), sliced
half a cup of prik yuat daeng (red Thai bell peppers), sliced

3 tablespoons of red curry paste
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of nam prik pao (roasted chilis in oil)
1 tablespoon of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of [palm] sugar
1 tablespoon of prik ki nu (green birdseye chilis), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly ground

Method

Heat a wok (see above), and then add the belly pork and stir fry until
it turns brown, and the fat crispens and reduces. If it becomes too dry
add a very small amount of peanut oil.

Add the curry paste, and stir fry to combine, then add the fish sauce,
chili oil, garlic, sugar, chilis and pepper, and stir fry for about two
minutes stirring continuously to combine the flavors and mix well.

Add the bell peppers and stir fry until they just begin to soften, then
add the long beans and stir fry until heated through (about 30 seconds).

Serve with steamed white [jasmine] rice.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Khing Dong - pickled ginger




This is a simple pickling recipe for ginger. The resultant pickle can be
eaten with meats and poultry. It is also eaten on its own as a snack,
and even on ice cream (!)

Ingredients

2 pounds of fresh ginger

2 cups of water
2 cups of vinegar (preferably rice vinegar)
one and a half cups of sugar
quarter a cup of salt
half a teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

method

Peel the ginger and then slice it thinly, cutting larger slices into
smallish pieces. Rub with the baking soda and allow to stand whilst
preparing the pickling liquor.

Boil the water, and stir in and fully dissolve the sugar. Next dissolve
in the salt, allow to cool, and add the vinegar, stirring thoroughly.

Place the ginger in a one quart preserving jar, and fill with the
liquor, seal and keep in a cool place for at least two weeks before
using.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Nam Jim Wan - sweet dipping sauce




This is a simple dipping sauce usually used with deep fried items such
as spring rolls and the stuffed chicken wings I shall post shortly.

ingredients

3 cups of water
3 cups of sugar
1 cup of vinegar (preferably rice vinegar)

3 tablespoons of Chinese pickled plums
3 tablespoons of thinly sliced prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis)
2 tablespoons of garlic, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of ginger, julienned or grated
1 teaspoon of salt

Method

Boil the water, and add the pickled plums (sometimes sold as 'salted
plums'), and simmer for five minutes.

Remove the plums to a food processor and puree them.

Continue to boil the water, adding and dissolving the sugar, then adding
the vinegar and salt. If any sugar is still undissolved, add a little
more water until it dissolves.

Return the plums to the mixture, and then pour over the other
ingredients in a sterilized preserving jar, and keep in a cool place for
at least a week before using.




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Bpeek Kai Yat Sai Koong - stuffed chicken wings




This recipe was a popular one at the restaurant that my wife was working
in, located in Merrimack New Hampshire (now I believe no longer in
business - at least not under the same management). The original was
available in two strengths "normal" and "five flames" - so you can suit
yourself as the heat by simply increasing and decreasing the amount of
chilis and curry paste that is added to the stuffing mixture.

As for the question "how many does it make" the answer is that it
depends on how well you stuff the wings.

The original was known as "mini drum sticks" incidentally, and the
ingredients added to the stuffing were the plain chilis, ginger and
garlic, not the marinaded variants that my wife includes in this
version.

These little morsels can be eaten as a starter, or as a snack on their
own. They are also served as a side dish with a larger Thai dinner.

===================

Marinade

1 teaspoon fish sauce
quarter cup of takhrai (lemon grass), very finely sliced
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground prikthai (black pepper)
quarter cup of chopped pak chi (coriander/cilantro plant)

Stuffing

drained nam jim wan (see method)
drained khing dong (see method)
one cup of shrimp, pureed or finely chopped
1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis), finely chopped
1 tablespoon prik nam pao (chili paste in oil)
1 tablespoon red curry paste

12 chicken wings

Method

chop the chicken wings in half.

Combine the marinade ingredients and marinade the wings overnight.

Now you must seperate the meat from the bones by gripping one end of
each piece and jerking the meat and skin from the other end back to your
hold (alternatively you can insert the stuffing using a cake icing bag).

Drain about one tablespoon of the ginger from a bottle of khing dong.
Similarly drain a tablespoon of the chili/garlic mixture for a bottle of
nam jim wan (see recipes also posted today).

Combine all the ingredients of the stuffing to form a fine paste, making
sure that the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated to avoid "hot
spots" in the mixture. and then stuff the wing portions with it.

The mini drumsticks can now be barbequed or deep fried until golden
brown.

Serve with khing dong and nam jim wan.

Footnote: if you choose to make some wings hotter than others, then you
can dip the hot ones in a little red food coloring diluted in water to
turn them red... as a warning to the unwary!




Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Khao Tom Koong - rice soup with shrimp




khao tom is a staple in Thailand, being widely eaten as a breakfast
dish, as well as an accompaniment to lunch and dinner.

It can be cooked plain (without the shrimp), or as here with shrimp. It
can also be made by simple substitution with chicken, pork, or any
combination of seafood that you have to hand.

It can be made with cooked left over chicken/shrimp etc, or as here with
fresh ingredients. It is however almost always made from pre-cooked rice
(though not always left-overs: the cook will often simply ladle enough
rice from the electric rice pot to make the soup shortly before serving
dinner.)

Made with chicken it is a popular meal for recovering patients who still
feel a little queasy.

I make no apolgies for also posting this to the chile heads mailing
list: it is one of the best cures I know for the fire of an over hot
chili dish!

In Thailand the rice is almost always cooked until it starts to "fall"
and the liquor turns milky. When my wife worked as the chef at the
Bangkok Oriental Cuisine in Merrimack, New Hampshire, they found that
the customers preferred it with the rice less cooked. If you also want
the rice to stay "intact", then limit the heating before adding the
shrimp to 2 or 3 minutes, which is enough to ensure that it is heated
through ready to eat.

Maggi seasoning, also known as Maggi sauce, is a dark - almost black -
seasoning sauce, made by the Maggi company of Switzerland, and widely
used in Asian cooking. It should be available from asian supermarkets in
case of difficulty. If it can't be found at all, then mix a little
Worcestershire sauce with an equal volume of dark soy sauce. The taste
isn't quite the same, but it will do.

The celery used in Thailand is Chinese Celery (the plant of which
celeriac is the root ball). If this isn't available you can use
"western" celery.

Cooks in Thailand make this in a wok - but I'm not convinced that it is
entirely safe to balance this much fluid in a round bottom wok on a
skimpy western stove-hob. So perhaps for safety you should use a large
saucepan.

.............

ingredients

2 cups of water
1 cup of cooked white rice
1 cup of thinly sliced Chinese celery (including the leaves)
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon Maggi seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground (or to taste)

You also need 4 large (8 to the pound) shrimp, or half a pound of
smaller ones, shelled, deveined, and butterflied, or half a pound of
other flavor ingredient.

method

In a very small amount of oil sautee the garlic until golden brown and
beginning to crisp up, then pour in the water, and bring to the boil,
next add the celery, Maggi sauce, and fish sauce and pepper, and stir
until it boils again. Now add the rice and return to the boil,
continuing to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice begins to
"fall" and the water turns a milky white (note comment above).

Now add the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink.

Transfer to a serving dish, and garnish with chopped coriander/cilantro
leaves.



Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.
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Mee Krob - crispy stir fried noodles




mee krob is an easy dish that makes a pleasant snack, or a useful
accompaniment to hotter foods. The tangy sweet & sour sauce is optional
though certianly normal, and hardened vegetarians could easily leave out
the pork and shrimp.

In Thailand this is almost always prepared in a wok. If you feel nervous
about deep frying in a wok, feel free to use a saucepan or electric deep
frier

ingredients

6 ounces of sen mee (rice vermicelli noodles)
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons of kratiem dong (pickled garlic), thinly sliced
3 tablespoons of shallots (purple onions), sliced thinly
4 ounces of belly pork, cut into small dice
4 ounces of medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

sauce

1 tomato
2 tablespoons tamarind juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon citrus zest (preferably kaffir lime)
1 tablespoon fish sauce

garnish

thinly sliced green onions, and red and green chilis julienned.
half a cup of hard tofu, cubed.

Method

Heat about 3 cups of peanut oil until very hot (preferably smoking),
then whilst it is heating, crush the noodles in a large plastic bag.

Drop the noodles, a small quantity at a time, into the hot oil. They
immediately puff up and turn golden brown. Remove at once with a slotted
spoon, or the type of wire strainer available from Chinese hardware
stores.

When all the noodles have been cooked and set aside to drain on kitchen
paper, drizzle the egg into the oil to form a ribbon of cooked egg, then
take it from the oil and chop it up.

Finally deep fry the pieces of tofu until golden brown and set aside.

Now pour off and reserve all but a little of the oil, and stir fry the
garlic pickle and shallots. Next stir fry the pork until the fat is firm
and the meat cooked to your taste. Stir fry the shrimp briefly until
they turn pink.

Mix the cooked ingredients, except the tofu, and transfer to a serving
platter.

Combine the ingredients of the sauce, and place it in a small bowl so
the diners may ladle it over the food as required (if you do it too
early the noodles will go soggy).

Garnish the mee krob with the green onions, chilis and cooked tofu.

Recipe courtesy of: Muoi Khuntilanont.

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