Wiener Schnitzel

Wiener Schnitzel

4 slices top round of calf (or beef)
salt
flour
1 egg
dry bread crumbs for coating
1 fresh lemon
butter

Lightly tenderize each schnitzel, salt on both sides, dip into
flour on both sides, tap off excessive flour, dip into lightly
beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs, covering both sides. Heat butter in pan, brown meat on both sides until goldenbrown in color. Serve with slices of lemon. Serve with potatoes and green tossed salad.

Sauerbraten

3 1/2 to 4 lbs. shoulder of beef
1 quart buttermilk
a few drops of lemon juice

2 cups red wine
2 cups water
1 Tbsp. salt
1 bay leaf
4 or 5 peppercorns
1 Tbsp. vinegar
3 Tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 cups Lebkuchen, broken into bits, or stale gingerbread
1/4 cup raisins

Wash and dry the meat. Place in a deep bowl, cover with the buttermilk and lemon juice, marinate in refrigerator 2 days, turning several times. Remove; wash off the buttermilk.

Place meat in a pot or kettle, add the red wine, water, salt,
bayleaf, peppercorns and vinegar. Cook, covered, 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until very tender. Remove meat. Strain the stock, measuring 3 cups. Melt the butter in saucepan, stir in flour, then slowly stir in the stock, simmer until slightly thickened. Add the Lebkuchen and the raisins, cook until sauce is thickened. Add sugar to taste, if desired.

German Recipe

Germany is widely known for its beer, sausages, breads, desserts, and meat dishes. The cuisine varies throughout the country with French influences to the West, Scandinavian to the North, and Eastern European to the East.

Popular consumed meats are beef, pork, poultry, and wild game. German cuisine usually does not contain a large variety of spices and herbs; the most popular are mustard, horseradish, parsley, thyme, laurel, chives, juniper, and pepper.

Basic Pizza Dough

Ingredients:
1 tbs Sugar
1 pack Yeast
1 tbs Oil
1 tsp Salt (or garlic salt)
1/2 cup Flour
1 cup Luke warm water

Method:
Mix water yeast and sugar in a bowl and let stand for 1-2 min.
Add remaining ingredients and knead the dough for 5-10 min.
Pizza stone works best for maintaining a crispy bottom crust.
If not, try greasing your pan and then dust it with corn meal.
Bake the crust by itself (no toppings) for about 10 min.
Then top and finish baking.

Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
3 cups rotini pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 cups broccoli, cut into small flowerets
1/2 cup black olives, sliced

Method:
Cook the pasta and drain.
Combine the pasta with all the remaining ingredients.
Mix together.
Chill.

How to Cook Pasta

I was raised on pasta. I have seen my mother and father cook pasta a million times since I was born. All Italians (should) know how to cook pasta. But this is not true for everyone.

Do you cook pasta in unsalted water and add salt later? Do you add oil to the boiling water? Do you drain the pasta and have it sitting there for the guests to pick it up and dress it by themselves? Do you throw the pasta to the wall to see if it’s ready ? (This last one was a question seriously asked me by an American friend). Stop the insanity!

How to cook Long Pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc.)
1. Pasta must always be cooked in abundant salted water. The proportion should be 1 1/2 quart (approximately 1 1/2 liters) of water for 3 – 4 oz (100 gr) of dry pasta.
Use a large, tall stockpot. Bring to a boil the water necessary to cook the desired amount of pasta. Add the salt only after the water begins boiling. Salty water boils at a higher temperature, therefore taking a longer time. Add to the water about 1 teaspoon of salt per quart. The amount may vary depending on personal taste. If you don’t add salt to the water the pasta will taste very insipid and there will be a lot of contrast with the sauce that is salted. No Italian forgets to salt the pasta water!

2. Keep the pasta vertically over the boiling water and drop the pasta into the pot.

3. In few seconds the pasta will start softening. Using a long fork start pushing the pasta in the water until is fully submerged.

At this point the temperature of the water has fallen and it is not boiling anymore.

4. Place the lid on the pot and turn heat to high to bring the water back to a fast boil.

IMPORTANT!

When the water comes to a fast boil again and the pot is covered, the steam will push the lid up and the water will splash out of the pot! You have to be there and remove the lid to continue cooking the pasta uncovered. It is dangerous to leave the pot unattended. The splashing water can easily extinguish the flame and the gas would freely come out of the burner.

5. Continue cooking the pasta uncovered. Mix with a long fork in order to keep the pasta pieces separate from each other. Adjust the flame to keep the water boiling but preventing it from splashing out of the pot.

6. Read the manufacturer’s instructions printed on the envelope for cooking time, but don’t trust them. The best thing to do is taste a little piece from time to time to test for readiness. Bite a little piece and you can tell if the core of the pasta is still whitish the pasta is not ready yet.
Testing will give you an idea of the time left to a perfect al dente pasta.
The expression al dente in Italian refers to the correct cooking point of pasta. Literally it means, “when it is right for the tooth,” that is, soft but firm, and never overcooked.
Before draining reserve some of the cooking water if the recipe requires it. If you are using a “dry” type of dressing you may want to add some of the water back into the mixing bowl.

7. Place the colander in the sink in a secure position. When the pasta is ready, turn the heat off. Grab the pot firmly: Don’t forget that most of the accidents in the house happen in the kitchen. Make sure nobody is in your way to the sink: Watch for the kids!

8. Add a little cold tap water to the pot to stop the cooking process: About 1/2 glass is enough. In fact, pasta keeps cooking even after you drain it. Also, this way the pasta will not be extremely hot when served. Make sure the recipe allows cooling the pasta. Some recipes require for the pasta to be very hot. You are not “washing” the pasta here! Don’t overdue it!

9. Carefully drain the pasta.

10. Shake the colander to drain the pasta thoroughly, unless the recipe indicates otherwise.

11. Pour the pasta into a bowl of adequate size. Add the dressing or sauce, toss it well, add cheese if indicated by the recipe, and serve immediately.

How to cook Short Pasta (rigatoni, penne, etc.)
The procedure for short pasta is very similar to the one described above for long pasta. Cooking short pasta is generally easier, but takes few minutes longer because short pasta is normally ticker.

A. Follow step 1. Above, but use a large saucepan of adequate size.
When the salted water comes to a boil, drop the pasta in the saucepan.

B. The pasta will drop to the bottom of the pan. Stir thoroughly to keep the pieces separate. Cover the pan to bring the water back to a boil. Follow the indication and recommendations of step 4. and 5. above.

C. When the water comes back to a fast boil, adjust the level of the heat and stir often to keep the pasta pieces separate.

D. Test for readiness... Read step 6. above.

E. When the pasta is al dente drain it as indicated in the steps 7, 8, 9, and 10 above.

F. Pour the pasta into a bowl of adequate size. Add the dressing or sauce, toss it well, add cheese if indicated by the recipe, and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ: Do you add oil to the water when is boiling?

Answer: NO! You don't need to add oil at all when cooking the pasta. It accomplishes nothing.

FAQ: Do you add oil to the pasta after drained?

Answer: NO! After the pasta is drained you will add the sauce to the pasta, so there is no point in adding oil. Some people leave the pasta undressed and the sauce in a separate bowl. In that case they add oil to the pasta to keep it from sticking. That is WRONG! The pasta needs to be dressed with the sauce after drained and is served at once. The oil doesn't add flavor, adds just oil taste. If you have a condiment based on oil then you don't need to add anything. If the condiment is based on something else, adding oil will only add an intrusive taste.

What is Italian Cooking?

Many non-Italians identify Italian cooking with a few of its most popular dishes, like pizza and spaghetti. People often express the opinion that Italian cooking is all pretty much alike. However, those who travel through Italy notice differences in eating habits between cities, even those only a few miles apart.
Not only does each region have its own style, but each community and each valley has a different way of cooking as well. Every town has a distinctive way of making sausage, special kinds of cheese and wine, and a local type of bread. If you ask people, even in the same area, how to make pasta sauce, they will all have different answers.

Variations in the omnipresent pasta are another example of the multiplicity of Italian recipes: soft egg noodles in the north, hard-boiled spaghetti in the south, with every conceivable variation in size and shape. Perhaps no other country in the world has a cooking style so finely fragmented into different divisions. So why is Risotto typical of Milan, why did Tortellini originate in Bologna, and why is Pizza so popular in Naples?

This is so for the same reason that Italy has only one unifying Italian language, yet hundreds of different spoken dialects. Italy is a country of great variety, and cooking is just another aspect of the diversity of Italian culture.

This diversity stems largely from peasant heritage and geographical differences. Italy is a peninsula separated from the rest of the continent by the highest chain of mountains in Europe. In addition, a long spine of mountains runs north to south down through this narrow country. These geographic features create a myriad of environments with noticeable variations: fertile valleys, mountains covered with forests, cool foothills, naked rocks, Mediterranean coastlines, and arid plains. A great variety of different climates have also created innumerable unique geographical and historical areas.

But geographical fragmentation alone will not explain how the same country produced all of these: the rich, fat, baroque food of Bologna, based on butter, parmigiano, and meat; the light, tasty, spicy cooking of Naples, mainly based on olive oil, mozzarella, and seafood; the cuisine of Rome, rich in produce from the surrounding countryside; and the food of Sicily, full of North African influences.

The explanation is hidden in the past; the multitudes of food styles of Italy mainly result from its history. Divided for a long time into many duchies, princedoms, kingdoms, and states—often hostile to one another—political unification in Italy did not occur until 1861. Many populations in the past three thousand years have occupied Italian territory, and most of them contributed their own traditions. And the original people, the Etruscans and Greeks, left influences still felt today.

Local traditions result from long complex historical developments and strongly influence local habits. Distinctive cultural and social differences remain present throughout Italy, although today mass marketing tends to cause a leveling of long-established values. In a country so diverse, it is impossible to define an “Italian” cooking style, but traditional food still is at the core of the cultural identity of each region, and Italians react with attachment to their own identity when they are confronted with the tendency toward flattening their culture

Wun Sungkaya (Jelly with Sungkaya Topping)

Jelly with Sungkaya Topping is like coconut cream Jelly. The difference is that eggs and palm sugar are added in the former dessert. Eggs and palm sugar give brown colour and some more nutritive value. ิ

Ingredients


1 pack (50gram) agar-agar powder
16 cups water
8 cups sugar
20 pandanus leaves
Methods

1. Mix the agar-agar and water. Bring to boil until the agar-agar dissolves. Add sugar and pandanus leaves. Boil for a while. Remove from heat and strain. Set 2 cups of the mixture aside. 2. Boil the strained mixture again. Add topping. Stir well. Pour into the molds. Leave to cool.

Ingredients of topping

2 kg. (to make 5 cups coconut cream) shredded coconut meat
2 eggs
1 cup palm sugar
1 tbsp. salt


Methods

Mix coconut cream, sugar, eggs and salt together. Pour into the mixture in Step. 1. Stir well and strain through muslin.

Sweet Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream and Black Beans (KHAO NIAO TAT)

INGREDIENTS :

Dried black beans,soaked in water overnight, then boiled until tender and drained 3 oz.
Sticky rice 2 cups
Coconut milk 1 cup
Salt 1 pinch
Sugar 1/3 cup
CREAM TOPPING :

Sugar 1/2 cup
Salt 1/2 tsp.
Coconut milk 1 cup
Tapioca starch 1 tbsp.
(6 servings)
1. In two separate bowls, soak the black beans and the sticky rice overnight.

2. Boil the beans until done, drain and reserve for topping.

3. Using a baking pan large enough to fit all the sticky rice, drain the rice and pour it into a baking pan.

4. In a bowl, mix together 1 cup of coconut milk, sugar and salt, making sure that all the sugar is dissolved. Pour this mixture into the pan containing the sticky rice.

5. Set the pan in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes until the rice absorbs all the coconut milk and increases in volume.

6. Combine the ingredients for the cream topping in a bowl and pour this sauce over the top of the cooked rice in the pan and return the pan to the steamer and continue to steam for 5 to 8 minutes or until the topping sets like custard.

7. Take the pan out of the steamer and sprinkle black beans over the top of the custard.

8. Let the cake cool before cutting into squares and serve.

Tips

Sticky rice is available in all Asian grocery stores. It differs from regular jasmin rice because when it is cooked it has a characteristic of sticking together and the grain is shorter and harder than regular rice, hence the overnight soaking.

Tamarind Sherbet (SHERBET MAKHAM)

INGREDIENTS :
TAMARIND ESSENCE :

Tamarind pulp 3 oz.
Water 1 cup
SUGAR SYRUP :

Granulated sugar 1 cup
Water 1 cup
TAMARIND SHERBET MIX :

Tamarind juice (essence) 1 cup
Sugar syrup 3/4 cup
Water 3/4 cup
(6 servings)
1. Mix together tamarind pulp and water, in a large bowl. Using your hand, squeeze the pulp to allow the water to mix and create a thick sour liquid of tamarind pulp juice. Strain this liquid through a sieve and bring it to the boil to kill all impurities. Boil for about 10 minutes and strain this liquid through a fine mesh strainer and reserve for later use.

2. Make sugar syrup by boiling together water and sugar until all the sugar has melted. Cool and keep the syrup aside for later use.

3. To make sherbet, mix together tamarind juice, sugar syrup and cold water and place this mix in an ice cream machine and churn until the liquid turns to ice.

Coconut Cake (KHANOM BA - BIN)

INGREDIENTS :

Grated coconut meat 4 cups
Palm sugar 2 cups
Pre-sifted glutinous rice flour1/4 cup
Rice flour 1/4 cup
Coconut cream 1 1/2 cups
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp.
(6 servings)
1. Melt the palm sugar in a pot containing the creamy coconut milk. Boil this mixture until the sugar is melted, take off the stove and allow to cool.

2. Once the liquid is cool, add the grated coconut meat and both kinds of flour. Mix well.

3. Oil the inside of a baking pan with vegetable oil. Then pour the coconut mixture into this pan and spread evenly. Bake in an oven 350 F or 180 C for 30 minutes until the cake is cooked and browned on top.

4. Take cake out of the oven and let cool. Once cool, cut into squares and serve.

Tips

If you have trouble finding fresh coconut meat, desiccated coconut can be substituted. It is available in all grocery stores in the baking section. This dessert is very popular with young children.

Banana Pudding (KHANOM KLUAI)

INGREDIENTS :

Fresh banana,pureed in a food processor or blender 3cups
Freshly grated fresh coconut meat 1 cup
Pre-sifted rice flour 3 cups
Granulated sugar 2 cups
Salt 1 tbsp.
Cream of coconut milk 1cup
GARNISHES : Freshly grated long strands of coconut meat
(6 servings)

1. Mix together all the ingredients except the bananas.

2. Once everything is in a mixing bowl and well mixed, puree the bananas and immediately pour it into the mixture.

3. Pour this mixture into an either round or square baking pan and steam this pudding in a steamer for about 20 minutes or until the flour in the pudding is cooked and the pudding sets.

4. Take the pudding out of the steamer and allow to cool before cutting and serve garnished with a little of the freshly grated coconut meat and salted coconut cream.

Tips

Coconut meat can be bought from your grocery store by buying a whole fresh coconut. Crack the coconut open with a hammer and the juice will run out. The white meaty flesh of the coconut that is attached to the inside shell is the meat that you will use to grate.

Coconut cream is derived from canned coconut milk by allowing the can to sit up in a cold place. Open the can from the top and the solidified mass on top of the can is the cream. Spoon only this top part and warm it in a sauce pan; if the liquid is too thick add a little of the milk from the rest of the can.

Salted coconut cream is only the melted cream from the top of a coconut can which has been salted. If this cream is too thick, thin it out with a little coconut milk,

Marinabe for Grilled Skewered Pork and Grilled Chicken Breast Thai Style (MU PING AND KAI YANG)

INGREDIENTS : Mu Ping
Soy sauce 1/4 cup
Sweet dark soy 1.5 tbsp.
Soy seasoning sauce (Maggi)1/4 cup
Granulated sugar 3 - 4 tbsp.
Ground pepper 1 tsp.
Chopped garlic 2tbsp.
Chopped coriander roots 1 tbsp.
Pork, sliced into thin strips1 lb.
Bamboo skewers 15 - 20 pieces
Marinade for Grilled Skewered Pork (Mu Ping)
1. Marinate the pork strips in the seasoning mix for two hours or more.
2. Skewer the pork strips onto the bamboo skewers which have been soaked in water, leaving enough exposed skewer for handling when grilling.
3. Grill skewered pork over charcoal or broil until cooked. Serve hot with steamed sticky rice.

INGREDIENTS : Kai Yong
Boneless chicken breast with skin 6 pcs. X 5 oz.
Fish sauce 2 tbsp.
Coriander roots, chopped 2 tbsp.
Garlic, peeled and chopped 1.5 tbsp.
Ground white pepper 1 tsp.
Ground dry turmeric 1.5 tsp. (4 servings)
Grilled Chicken Breast Thai Style (Kai Yang)
1. Wash chicken and pat dry, flatten slightly with wooden mallet to ensure even cooking.
2. Make a marinade by blending together coriander roots, garlic, white pepper and turmeric in a food processor adding fish sauce to form a smooth paste. Marinade the chicken pieces in this mixture for at least half an hour.
3. Grill the chicken pieces over charcoal on a moderate heat until cooked and golden. (Ten minutes if the chicken pieces are not too thick). You can also roast the chicken in the oven, skin side up and uncovered at 220 C for 20 minutes.
4. Served with sweet chili dipping sauce.
Fresh coriander or cilantro is now available in good supermarkets all over the world, usually in the fresh herbs section. Coriander roots are usually cut off from the stems of the bunches of fresh coriander when sold. Ask your grocer for the roots or use coriander stems as substitute. Sweet chili dipping sauce is sold in Asian grocery stores under the name 'grilled chicken dipping sauce' (nam jim kai).

Spicy Thai Fish Cakes and Cucumber Salad (THOT MAN PLA AND ACHAT)

INGREDIENTS: Spicy Thai Fish Cakes (Thot Man Pla)
Coconut milk 3/4 cup
Ground white pepper 1 tsp.
fish sauce 2 tbsp.
Egg 1 whole
Ground fresh fish, any white fish will do 1.5 lbs.
Kaffir lime leaves, julienne 2 tbsp.
Red curry paste 2 - 3 tbsp.
Chinese long beans or
green beans sliced thin 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil for frying 2 cups (4 servings)
Spicy Thai Fish Cakes (Thot Man Pla)
1. ln a food processor, using a steel blade, blend together all the ingredients except the Chinese long beans and vegetable oil for frying, The paste should be smooth with no lumps.
2. Spoon the fish paste into a mixing bowl and mix in the sliced beans.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan to medium heat, Form fish paste into bite size cakes by using spoons or your hands, Slightly moisten with oil to prevent the paste from sticking to your fingers, Flatten these round patties a little to ensure even cooking,
4. Fry these cakes until golden on both sides, (Do not take long to cook,two minutes or so depending on the size of the cakes.)
5. Lift cooked pieces of fish cake from the hot oil and drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot with cucumber salad.

INGREDIENTS: Cucumber Salad (Achat)
Cucumber,peeled and sliced thin 1 cup
Shallots, peeled and sliced thin 2 heads
Red spur chili peppers, sliced 1
Chopped coriander 1 tbsp.
Water 1.5 cups
Granulated sugar 4 tbsp.
White vinegar 4 tbsp.
Cucumber Salad (Achat)
1. Peel and cut cucumber lengthwise and slice thin.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Let the salad rest for 20 minutes and spoon into a small serving cup to accompany spicy fish cakes or chicken satay.

Chicken Satay and Peanul Sauce (SATAY KAI AND NAM JIM SATAY)

INGREDIENTS: Chicken Satay (Satay Kai)
Chicken Breast 8 oz.
MARINADE:
Coconut milk 2 fl. Oz.
Coriander roots, chopped 2 tbsp.
Curry powder 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp.
Sugar 2 tsp.
Fish sauce 1/2 tbsp.
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp. (2-4 servings)
Chicken Satay (Satay kai)
1. Slice the chicken into thin strips ready to be skewered.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together and mix the sliced chicken with the marinade. Allow the chicken to marinade for at least 3 hours or over night.
3. Skewer each slice of marinaded chicken onto a bamboo skewer which has been soakeb in water.
4. Grill or pan sear the skewered chicken until done and still moist. Serve hot with cucumber salad.

INGREDIENTS: Peanut Sauce for Satay (Nam jim Satay)
Vegetable oil 3 tbsp.
Red curry paste 2 tbsp.
Ground coriander 1/2 tsp.
Ground cumin 1/2 tsp.
Coconut milk 2 cups
Coarsely ground peanuts 3/4 cup
Sugar 2 tbsp.
Tamarind juice or lime juice 2 tbsp.
Salt 1 tsp.
Peanut Sauce for Satay (Nam jim Satay)
1. Put the oil in a saucepan and heat up. Add the curry paste when the oil is hot and fry until fragrant, being careful not to burn the curry. (Use medium heat)
2. After a minute or so add the dry spices and continue frying for another one or two minutes.
3. Add coconut milk and the rest of the ingredients except the tamarind juice and salt. Bring the ingredients in the pot back to the boil for a few minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
4. Adjust the seasoning with tamarind juice and salt. The sauce should taste slightly sweet followed by a touch of tartness and saltiness. The main scent of this sauce is the combination of curry and coconut.

Tried Spring Rolls (PO PIA THOT)

INGREDIENTS :
Spring roll wrappers 12 oz.
Ground pork 1 cup
Egg 1 whole
Mung bean noodle (or beanthread) 2 oz.
Green cabbage, sliced thin 1 cup
Bean sprouts 1 cup
Garlic, chopped 1 tbsp.
Flour and water paste 1/2 cup
Ground pepper 1 - 2 tsp.
Soy Sauce 2 tbsp.
Frying oil 4 cups. (4 servings)
1. Soak the beanthread in water until soft, drain and cut into short lengths.
2. Mix together ground pork, egg, cabbage, bean sprouts, ground pepper, soy sauce and beanthread and put aside.
3. In a pan heat up a little oil and fry the chopped garlic until aromatic, then add the mixture and fry until cooked and well seasoned. Take this mixture off heat and allow to cool.
4. Once cooled, stuff this filling into the spring roll wrappers and seal with flour paste.
5. Fry spring rolls in hot oil until golden brown and drain. Served hot with plum sauce.
Tips
This dish originates in Vietnam and the dipping sauces vary from region to region. Most likely the sauce that you would easily find in your country is plum sauce which comes bottled and ready made. Should the plum sauce be too sweet and not spicy enough simply warm it up and add a little vinegar with chopped hot chili peppers.

Spicy Salmon Salad, Thai Style (LAP SALMON)

INGREDIENTS :
Grilled salmon 1.5 lbs.
Shallots, peeled and sliced thin 1 cup
Onion, sliced thin 2 tbsp.
Mint leaves 1/2 cup
Toasted raw rice kernels, ground 3 - 4 tbsp.
Red chili powder 1 - 2 tbsp.
Fish sauce 1/4 cup
Fresh lime juice 1/3 cup
Red spur chili peppers, sliced 2 tbsp.
Chopped fresh galangal (optional) 3 tbsp. (4 servings)
1. Baste the pieces of salmon lightly with vegetable oil and grill until cooked. Take off heat and let cool.
2. With a fork break salmon pieces into a crumble. Add the rest of the salad garnishes except the fresh lime juice. Toss all the ingredients together, then add fresh lime juice to taste. It should be tart enough at first taste but not overpowering.
3. Spoon this salad over decorative lettuce cups and garnish with fresh mint leaves and julienne red spur chili peppers.

Thai Prawn Salad (PHLA KUNG)

INGREDIENTS :
Prawns 1lb.
Fresh lemon grass, sliced thin 1/2 cup
Shallots, thinly sliced 1/4 cup
Young ginger, julienne 1/4 cup
Kaffir lime leaves, sliced very thin 4 - 5 leaves (4 servings)
DRESSING :
Lime juice 3 tbsp.
Fish sauce 4 tbsp.
Sugar 2 tsp.
Fresh spur chili peppers,
thinly sliced 6
GARNISHES :
Lettuce
Mint Leaves
1. Peel the prawns and clean well. Blanch the prawns in boiling water until just done and soak them in cold water to stop them from over cooking, drain and put aside.
2. Toss the prawns and salad ingredients with the dressing. Mix all the herbs well and spoon this salad onto a platter lined with fresh lettuce leaves. Decorate the dish with fresh mint leaves.
Tips
This dish has many variations and is very popular with drinkers in Thailand because its spiciness goes well with either beer or whisky.

Chicken Coconut Soup (TOM KHA KAI)

INGREDIENTS :
Chicken stock 2 cups
Coconut milk 3/4 cup
Fish sauce 2 - 3 tbsp.
Fresh chicken thigh, cubed 6 oz.
Kaffir lime leaves, torn 3 leaves
Bird's eye chili peppers 2 tsp.
Coriander roots from one plant
Young galangal root, sliced 2 tbsp.
Lemon grass, sliced 1 tbsp.
Fresh lime juice 4 - 5 tbsp. (2 servings)
1. Combine chicken stock and coconut milk, add kaffir lime leaves, coriander root, bird's eye chili peppers, young galangal and lemon grass, bring to the boil in a pot. Allow to boil for one minute.
2. Add cubed chicken pieces to the soup and bring back to boil. Boil the chicken until just cooked.
3. Season the soup with fish sauce and lime juice. The soup should taste slightly tart followed by a saltiness and a creaminess from the coconut milk. Take the soup off the heat and serve in a bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Tips
Coconut milk is available in cans or sealed pouches. Shake the can or the pouch before use because the cream of coconut milk is usually lodged at the top.

Hot and Sour Soup with Prawns (TOM YUM KUNG)

INGREDIENTS :
Chicken stock 2 cups
Fresh mushrooms, quartered 5 oz.
Fish sauce 4 - 5 tbsp.
Fresh prawns, peeled 8 oz.
Kaffir lime leaves 2 leaves
Bird's eye chili peppers 4 whole
Fresh coriander leaves 4 sprigs
Fresh lemon grass, sliced thin 3 tbsp.
Fresh lime juice 5 - 7 tbsp. (2 servings)
1. In a pot, bring to the boil the chicken stock, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass.
2. Allow the stock with the herbs to boil for one minute to allow the herbs to impart their scent to the stock. Add fresh mushrooms and boil until done (one minute).
3. While the liquid is still boiling add the prawns and season with fish sauce and lime juice. Garnish with bird's eye chili peppers and coriander leaves, serve immediately. Do not over cook the prawns, once the prawns turn white, turn off the heat.
Tips
Both lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves are available in Asian grocery stores the world over. They are usually dried then exported so rehydrate them before using. Tom yum kung is a well known dish. It has a delicate flavor, so when you season the soup, add the lime juice last and a little at a time, tasting the soup as you season. Should you add too much to the soup it cannot be corrected, hence make lime juice the last flavoring ingredient.

Carrot or Papaya Salad (SOM TAM)

INGREDIENTS :
Carrots or raw papaya or
cabbage or cucumber, shredded 2 cups
Fresh bird's eye chili peppers, bruised 8
Unsalted, toasted peanuts,
oarsely ground 4 tbsp.
Dry shrimps, ground 5 - 6 tsp. (4 servings)
SALAD DRESSING :
Fish sauce 1/4 cup
Brown sugar 1/2 cup
Lime juice 1/2 cup
Garlic chopped 2 cloves
1. To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
2. Grate the carrots or any of the vegetables mentioned above, rinse in cold water and drain well.
3. Toss the salad with the salad dressing adding the creshed bird's eye chili peppers should your salad spicy. Add a teaspoon of the peanuts and ground shrimps and toss thoroughly.
4. Plate the salad and garnish with ground peanuts and ground shrimps.
Tips
Som tam became famous during the Vietnam war when American G.l'.s came to Thailand for R and R and were introduced to this salad from the North East. Raw papaya is difficult to get in some countries so we suggest you use carrots or cabbage instead. It is recommended that once this salad is tossed it should be eaten immediately since Thai salad dressings do not have oils which help salads stay fresh longer.
Do you know that the flesh and oil from papaya is used to make meat tenderizers? NO wonder it helps your digestion.

Green Beef Curry with Thai Noodles (KAENG KHIAO WAN NUEA - KHANOM CHIN)

INGREDIENTS :
Vegetable oil 4 tbsp.
Coconut milk 2 cups or 16 fl.oz.
Green curry paste, (Kaeng khiao wan paste) 3 - 4 heaped tbsp.
Beef, sliced 1 1/2 lbs/ 24 oz.
Fish sauce 3 - 4 tbsp.
Granulated sugar 1 tbsp.
Sweet basil leaves, (bai horapha) 1/2 cup
Red spur chili peppers, sliced 4 - 6 (4 servings)
1. Heat up the oil in a pan large enough to hold the curry. Once the oil is hot, lower the heat and add the curry paste and fry the paste over a low heat, separating the lumps as much as possible. Stir constantly and do not let the curry burn.
2. Add a little of the coconut milk to the curry paste to soften the paste making it more spreadable. Add more coconut milk saving about half for later use. Bring the sauce to the boil, scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching.
3. Add the sliced beef and stir. Bring the curry back to a boil and cook the beef until done. Add the rest of the coconut milk, bring the curry back. to boil and season with fish sauce and sugar. Before serving, add Thai basi leaves and garnish with red spur chili peppers.
4. Serve this dish with rice or spooned over cooked khanom chin, which is Thai spaghetti sold dry in a box under the name of nguan soon.
Tips
Green curry paste is available in most Asian grocery stores and comes vacuum packed or in cans. The amount of chili paste used has to be adjusted depending on the saltiness of the particular paste. Conseguently all your seasonings have to be adjusted accordingly. Taste your curry before seasoning with fish sauce or sugar.
All Thai curry pastes contain most of the amazing Thai herbs. They differ from other curries as Thai curry pastes have fresh ingredients rather that dry herbs and spices.

Stirfried Chicken with Thai Basil and Chili Peppers (KAI PHAT BAI KRAPHRAU)

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 5 tbsp.
Yellow spur chili peppers, chopped 2 - 3 tbsp.
Garlic, peeled and chopped 1 - 2 tbsp.
Skinless and boneless
chicken thigh, ground or sliced 1 lb.
Black soy 1 tbsp.
Fish sauce 1 - 2 tbsp.
Granulated sugar 1 - 2 tsp.
Holy basil leaves , (bai kraphrau) 1/2 cup
(4 servings)
1. Heat oil in a wok or regular frying pan until it almost smokes.

2. Add chopped chili and chopped garlic to the pan and stir quickly to create aroma. Be careful not to burn them.

3. Just before the garlic browns, add the chicken and stirfry continuously. Once the chicken is cooked and the liquid from the chicken is reduced slightly, add the black soy to give this dish color and season with fish sauce and sugar. Continue to stirfry then allow the seasoning to seep into the chicken.

4. The above process should only take a few minutes since it is essential that you cook this dish on a high heat at all times. Before taking off the heat add Thai basil leaves, toss in the pan and serve immediately.

Tips

This dish can be made with any kind of meat as well as seafood. It is a standard dish eaten in Thailand for lunch, served over steamed rice.

Red Chicken Curry with Bamboo Shoots (KAENG PHET KAI SAI NORMAI)

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 4 tbsp.
Red curry paste, (Kaeng phet paste) 2 heaped tbsp.
Coconut milk 2 cups
Chicken thigh, skinned and sliced 1 lb.
Bamboo shoots , sliced or julienne 1 cup.
Fish sauce 3 - 4 tbsp.
Sugar 1 tbsp. Or less
Thai basil leaves, (bai horapa) 1/2 cup
Kaffir lime leaves 2 leaves
Red spur chili peppers, sliced 1 tbsp.
Green spur chili peppers, sliced 1 tbsp.
(4 servings)
1. Heat vegetable oil in a pot and add the red curry paste to fry in this oil whilst spreading the paste as much as possible. Lower the heat and fry the paste but do not burn it. Add a little of the coconut milk to make paste spreadable. Cook longer (two minutes) over low heat.

2. Add half of the coconut milk and bring to the boil, whilst scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching. Add the chicken pieces and cook until chicken is done before adding the rest of the coconut milk and bring back to boil. Add the sliced bamboo and cook two minutes longer.

3. Season the curry with fish sauce and sugar. Before taking off the stove, add Thai basil leaves and kaffir lime leaves. Garnish with two kinds of fresh chili peppers.

Tips

As their curries are fairly spicy, Thais usually eat their meals with rice as the main starch, accompanied by various other dishes such as plain soup, stirfried vegetables and fried meats. All these dishes are eaten all at once.

Salmon Chu Chee Curry (KAENG CHU CHEE PLA SALMON)

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oils 3 - 4 tbsp.
Chu chee curry paste 3 heaped tbsp.
Coconut milk 2 cups.
Salmon fillets 5 oz. each 4 pieces
Coconut sugars 2 tsp.
Fish sauce 1 tbsp.
GARNISHES :

Red spur chili, julienne 4 peppers
Kaffir lime leaves, shredded 1 leaf
(4 servings)
1. Heat vegetable oil in a shallow sauce pan or in a frying pan until hot.

2. Add the chu chee curry paste and cook for 3 - 5 minutes over a medium heat, stirring constantly. Should the curry paste be lumpy, add a little coconut milk to loosen the lumps and make it more manageable.

3. Add coconut milk to the cooked curry paste, stir to mix well and bring the liquid back to the boil.

4. Once boiling, add pieces of salmon and cook in the curry sauce, turning once to ensure even cooking on both sides. The length of time it takes to cook the salmon depends on the thickness of the fish.

5. Reduce heat and cook slowly to allow the sauce to evaporate and thicken. Season with coconut sugar and fish sauce. Serve with curry sauce spooned over the fish and garnished with julienne of red spur chili peppers and shredded kaffir lime leaves.

Tips

The spiciness of the curry is controlled by the amount of curry paste you use. If you like your curry hot and spicy, simply increase the amount of curry paste. Coconut sugar can be found in most Asian grocery stores. It comes in round patties the size of cookies; Use a knife to cut shavings from this sugar when seasoning curries. Other fish that hold together well can be used for this dish. Cod or snapper are excellent.

Sweet and Sour Prawns (PRIAO WAN KUNG)

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 3 tbsp.
Prawns, peeled and cleaned 8 oz.
Green bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces 1/2
Onion, cut into bite sized pieces 1/2 head
Cucumber, cut into bite sized pieces 1/2 cup
Pineapple 1/2 cup
Tomato cut into wedges 2
Sugar 2 tbsp.
Vinegar 2 tbsp.
Soy sauce or fish sauce 1 - 2 tbsp.
(2 servings)
1. Heat oil in a saute pan or wok, then add onion pieces and bell pepper. Stirfry until hot.

2. Add prawns and toss quickly. Immediately add cucumber and tomato and pineapple. Cook everything over a very high heat.

3. Season with sugar and vinegar. Add fish sauce or soy sauce for a touch of saltiness as this dish is usually sweet and sour.

4. Spoon this dish onto a plate and serve hot with other main dishes.

Tips

This Thai sweet and sour dish differs from the Chinese variety in that the sauce has no starch thus the dish is much lighter and more delicate. It also does not have tomato ketchup in it.

Thai cooking can sometimes prove difficult due to the fact that Thai ingredients vary in taste and intensity. One bottle of fish sauce tastes different to another and may also be saltier. So, when cooking Thai food, you have to taste your food as you cook, season it bit by bit and correct the taste as you go along.

Prawn Curry with Pineapple (KAENG KHUA SAPPAROT)

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 2 tbsp.
Kaeng khua curry paste 2 tbsp.
Coconut milk 1/2 to 1 cup
Prawns or shrimps, fresh and peeled 1 lb.
Fish sauce1 - 2 tbsp.
Sugar 1 - 2 tsp.
Pineapple, peeled and cubed 1/2 cup
(1 - 2 servings)
1. Using a sauce pan or a deep frying pan, heat up the vegetable oil until hot and add the kaeng khua curry paste to the oil. Use a medium heat and take care not to burn the curry paste. Should the paste become lumpy and become difficult to spread and stirfry, add a little coconut milk.

2. Cook the paste for 5 minutes over a low to medium heat. Add coconut milk and blend well. Bring the sauce back to a boil.

3. Once the curry sauce is boiling, add the prawns and quickly season the curry with fish sauce and sugar. When the prawns are almost cooked, add the pineapple and mix well. The curry should be fairly thick, almost the same consistency of white sauce. Spoon this curry into a bowl and serve with rice.

Tips

This dish does not take long to cook and the main characteristic of this curry is that it does not have very much sauce. The sauce is fairly thick and creamy. If you are unable to find kaeng khua curry paste, red curry paste is a good substitute.

Should your curry be too runny when finished, spoon out the prawns and pineapple and cook the curry sauce until thick, Cream can be used to replace coconut milk but you will not get the coconut aroma in your curry. Again this dish should be eaten with steamed rice or crusty French bread.

Stirfried Chicken with Ginger (KAI PHAT KHING)

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 4 tbsp.
Chicken breast meat , sliced 8 oz.
Onion, peeled and sliced from stem to blossom 1
Young ginger, julienne 1/2 cup
Woodear mushrooms, soaked in water, rough cut 1 cup
Spring onions, cut into 1 inch pieces1/2 cup
Red spur chili peppers, sliced length wise 1
Green spur chili peppers, sliced length wise 2
Sugar 1 tsp.
Fish sauce 2 tbsp.
(4 servings)
1. Heat oil in a pan and as soon as it's hot add onion pieces. Cook briefly then add sliced chicken, stirfry until done.

2. Add woodear mushrooms, ginger, two kinds of spur chili peppers and season with fish sauce and sugar.

3. Add spring onions and stir mix quickly. Spoon this stirfry onto a plate and serve.

Tips

This dish is to be eaten with rice and represents a Chinese influence in Thai cuisine. Usually a favorite of tourists who find this dish delicate and mild.

Woodear mushrooms are sold in most Asian grocery stores and have different names such as black or white fungus. They both have to be rehydrated before use.

Mussaman Curry with Chicken (KAENG MASSAMAN KAI)

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 2 tbsp.
Chicken thighs with skin 1 lb.
Massaman curry paste 3 tbsp.
Coconut milk 2 1/2 cups
Pearl onions, peeled and cooked,10
Peeled potatoes quartered 5 oz.
Roasted peanuts 2 tbsp.
Bay leaves 3 leaves
Cardamon seeds 4
Cinnamon stick, roasted 1 stick
Sugar 3 - 4 tbsp.
Tamarind paste or pulp juice 2 tbsp.
Lime juice 2 tbsp.
Fish sauce 3 tbsp.
(4 servings)
1. Cut chicken thighs into bite size pieces and boil in coconut milk until just done. Take off the stove and keep.

2. In another pot heat vegetable oil and fry the curry paste until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the paste.

3. Add a little of the coconut milk that was used to cook the chicken pieces to the curry paste to form a thick sauce. Spoon the chicken pieces into the curry and add just enough coconut milk to cover the chicken. Add peanuts and bring the curry to boil.

4. Once boiled, season the curry with sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice and fish sauce. The main flavors of this curry are a sweetness followed by a sourness from tamarind and lime and a saltiness from fish sauce. Bring the curry back to boil again and simmer until the chicken pieces are tender.

5. Add potato, cooked pearl onions, bay leaf, cardamon and cinnamon stick, Simmer for 5 minutes longer, turn off heat. The curry is ready.

Tips

This Thai curry has on lndian influence. It is very mild and can be eaten like a stew with thick toast.

Salmon Souffle in Banana Leaf Cup (HO MOK PLA SALMON)

INGREDIENTS :

Coconut milk 1/2 cup
Red curry paste, (Kaeng phet curry paste) 2 tbsp.
Egg 1 whole
Fish sauce 1 tbsp.
Sugar 1 - 2 tsp.
Salmon fillet, sliced 5 oz.
Sweet basil leaves, (bai horapha) 1/4 cup
(Makes 1 banana leaf cup. / 1 serving)
1. Mix the curry paste and the coconut milk together in a bowl until you have a smooth mixture.

2. Add egg and blend in well. Season this mixture with fish sauce and sugar. Mix this into a batter, and add pieces of salmon which have been sliced. This process is very much like making a custard or batter for quiche.

3. Prepare a baking dish and line the bottom of the dish with fresh basil leaves and spoon the batter and fish pieces into the dish. Steam or bake in bain-marie until done. lt takes about 30 - 40 minutes depending on the size and depth of the container. To test that the custard is done, insert a skewer into the center of the custard. If it comes out clean, the custard is done.

Tips

Substitutions : lt may be difficult to find fresh Thai basil, so please use fresh local basil or even fresh green leaf lettuce or spinach or kale. When buying Thai curry paste which comes either in a can or vacuum packed in a plastic container, read the label carefully to check that you are getting the correct type of curry paste.

Thai main dishes are usually eaten with plain steamed rice. If you eat some of these dishes by themselves the flavors may be too strong.

Stirfried Mixed Uegetables with Prawns or Chicken (PHAT PHAK RUAMMIT KUNG OR KAI)

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 3 tbsp.
Chicken or prawns 5 oz.
Fresh mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup
Asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces 1/2 cup
Carrots, peeled, sliced and blanched 1/2 cup
Cauliflower, cut into small flowerettes 1/2 cup
Garlic, chopped 2 tbsp.
Sugar 1/2 tbsp.
Fish Sauce 2 tbsp.
Water 3 tbsp.
(2 servings)
1. Heat oil in a saute pan or wok. Add garlic, chicken or prawns and fry until almost golden.

2. Add cauliflower, water, mushrooms, then stirfry until cauliflower is almost done.

3. Add asparagus, carrots and season with sugar and fish sauce. Stir to mix well and serve on a plate. (You can use other kinds of vegetables if available.)

Tips

This dish is another favorite with most tourists because it is simple yet very tasty and mild. This usually accompanies main dishes that are eaten with rice.

Minced Pork Omelet (KHAI CHIAO MU SAP)

INGREDIENTS :

Eggs, beaten 3 whole
Spring onion chopped 1 tbsp.
Shallots, peeled and sliced thin 2 tbsp.
Pork, ground 3 oz.
Fish sauce 1 tbsp.
White pepper, ground 1 tsp.
Vegetable oil for cooking 1/2 cup
(1 servings)
1. In a mixing bowl, beat together 3 whole eggs.

2. Add spring onions, shallots, fish sauce and ground white pepper.

3. Beat this mixture well and add ground pork and beat the mixture again to evenly distribute the pork in the egg.

4. Set a frying pan or wok on the stove ; add vegetable oil and heat the oil up until almost smoking.

5. Pour the egg mixture into the hot pan and tilt the pan to spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium and fry the egg until golden brown, then turn to cook the other side. The fat from the pork will seep out from the omelet to give the egg a golden brown color and a wonderful smell. Cook this omelet longer than normal to allow the pork to cook through. Serve piping hot with Thai chilisauce (sri-racha).

Tips

This Thai omelet is another staple in the Thai diet. Sometimes eaten with steamed rice and chili sauce, as a quick lunch or snack or as an accompanying main dish together with curries or dips.

Breaded Fried Fish with Spicy Dipping Sauce (PLA CHUP PAENG THOT)

INGREDIENTS : Breaded Fried Fish

Vegetable oil for frying 3 cups
Whole fish, flounder or similar white flesh 1 -1 1/2 lbs.
Eggs (whole) 2
Flour 1 cup
Bread crumbs1 1/2 cups
(2 servings)
INGREDIENTS : Spicy Dipping Sauce


Fish sauce 1/4 cup
Sugar 2 tbsp.
Lime juice 3 tbsp.
Water 1/4 cup
Bird's eye chili peppers 1 tbsp.
Julienne raw mango or
green apples 1/2 cup
Breaded Fried Fish

1. Clean and gut the fish. Using a sharp knife score each side of the fish into large diamond shapes. Wash and pat dry.

2. Immerse the whole fish in flour and roll the fish in egg white, then dunk in bread crumbs.

3. Once the bread crumbs stick firmly onto the fish, place the fish in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before frying.

4. Heat up oil in a frying pan and fry the breaded fish over a medium heat until it is golden brown and cooked. Take the fish out of the hot oil and drain on absorbent paper and serve the fish with julienne raw mango dipping sauce.

Spicy Dipping Sauce lnstructions

1. Melt the sugar in the rest of the liquid ingredients of the dipping sauce. Taste the sauce to see if it is sour and slightly sweet. If not, correct seasoning with sugar, lime juice and fish sauce.

2. Once you have a sauce, add the julienne raw mango or julienne green apple and chili peppers.

3. Spoon this sauce over the pieces of fish.

Stuffed Crab Shells (PU CHA)

INGREDIENTS : The stuffing

Ground pork 5 oz.
Crab meat 4 oz.
Garlic, chopped 1 tbsp.
Onion, chopped1 1/2 tbsp.
Spring onion, chopped1 1/2 tbsp.
Egg 1 whole
Fish sauce 1 tbsp.
White pepper, ground 1 tsp.
INGREDIENTS : The Shells


Crab shells 2
Egg 1 whole
Vegetable oil for frying 2 cups
(2-4 servings)
1. In a bowl, mix together all the stuffing ingredients but not to the point where the mixture becomes a sticky ball of paste.

2. Stuff the crab shells with this mixture. If you do not empty crab shells, you can use large scallop shells and pack the stuffing in tightly.

3. Steam these stuffed shells in a steamer until done (20 minutes). Lift the shells from the steamer and let cool.

4. Pour excess juice off the shells. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan. Dip the whole shells in beaten whole egg to cover then fry the whole shells face down first until golden brown then turn to finish the other side. This frying process is merely to give the stuffed shells color and heat.

5. Serve hot.

Tips

Thais eat meals in a totally different way from Westerners. Many main dishes are served at the same time at the center of the table and are eaten with rice. Everyone shares all the dishes.

Egg Fried Rice (KHAO PHAT KHAI)

INGREDIENTS :

Left over rice, at room temperature 1 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil 1/2 cup
Egg 1 whole
Spring onions, chopped 6
Fish sauce 2 - 3 tbsp.
Ground white pepper 1 tbsp.
(1 servings)
1. Heat oil in a wok or saute pan. While the oil is heating, beat the egg in a bowl.

2. Add the beaten eggs to the hot oil and scramble to a soft scramble stage by stirring constantly.

3. Add cold (left over) rice to the wok or saute pan and stirfry to heat up the rice and spread the scrambled egg evenly over the rice.

4. Once the rice is hot, add chopped spring onions. Toss and season with fish sauce and pepper. Serve this fried rice with sliced cucumber and spring onions. This dish usually accompanies other main dishes which are eaten Thai style.

Tips

Fried rice tastes better when the rice kernels are allowed to scorch a little at the bottom or the side of the wok or pan. This gives the rice a toasted flavor and is very tasty. At all times use a high heat when making fried rice.

Do not use freshly cooked rice for fried rice because it will be too soggy as it has too much moisture.

Phat Thai (PHAT THAI)

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 1/3 cup
Garlic, chopped 1 tbsp.
Pressed beancurd, sliced into small pieces 1/4 cup
Prawns, fresh and peeled 6 oz
Chanburi rice linguini, soaked in water and drained 2 cups (packed)
Fish sauce 1 - 2 tbsp.
Coconut sugar 1 - 2 tsp.
Unsalted, toasted peanuts, chopped 2 tbsp.
Thai chili flakes (prik pon) 1 tsp.
White vinegar or tamarind pulp juice 1 - 2 tbsp.
Bean sprouts, roots picked 1 cup
GARNISHES :

Omelet julienne 1
Fresh red spur chili peppers, julienne 1 tbsp.
Spring onion, julienne 1 tbsp.
Fresh lime wedges 2
(2 servings)
1. For best results, this dish should be cooked in a wok, Prepare all your ingredients in advance and have them ready beside you. Heat up the oil in a wok until almost smoking.

2. Add the chopped garlic and pressed beancurd to the wok. Stirfry until cooked but not browned; add the prawns and stir quickly.

3. Prawns cook very fast so do not over cook them. Once the prawns are slightly white add the flat thin rice noodle from Chanburi province. This noodle has to be soaked in water to make it pliable but not soggy, and drained before use.

4. While stirfrying the noodles, season this dish with fish sauce, coconut sugar, chili flakes and vinegar. The liquid from the prawns and seasoning sauces will make the noodle soft yet " al dente" . Add peanuts and toss to mix well.

5. Finally add the bean sprouts and quickly toss in the hot wok to warm them up but do not over cook them. Garnish the dish on top with a julienne thin omelet, red spur chili peppers and julienne spring onions with a few fresh bean sprouts and a lime wedge on the side.

Tips

This dish is very famous in Thailand and the world over. It's a great lunch item and our national pasta dish. Chanburi noodles are easily found in most Asian grocery stores, they come dry packed in a bundle wrapped in plastic. Ask your Thai or Asian grocer for phat thai noodles. Eating and seasoning tips: Westerners usually season their pasta dishes with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese but each phat thai dish is seasoned by the diner with fish sauce for saltiness, sugar for sweetness, lime juice for sourness, chili flakes for spiciness and peanuts for crunchiness.

Garlic Fried Rice (KHAO PHAT KRATIEM)

INGREDIENTS :

Left over rice, at room temperature 1 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil 1/4 cup
Garlic, chopped 3 tbsp.
Egg 1 whole
Spring onions, chopped 6
Butter 1 tbsp.
Japanese soy sauce 3 tbsp.
Salt/pepperTo taste
(1 servings)
1. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add chopped garlic and stirfry until almost golden.

2. Add rice to the frying pan and stirfry rice until hot and well mixed.

3. Create space at the center of the pan. Add butter to the space and when melted, crack an egg into the space and scramble it. Mix the rice with the egg and stirfry to evenly distribute the egg.

4. Add Japanese soy, salt and pepper to season. Before serving the fried rice, add the chopped green onions and mix together. Serve hot as a side dish to accompany the main courses.

Tips

This dish is also an import but very popular and very familiar with most visitors to Thailand. lt is important to use left over rice to make fried rice or else your rice will be soggy. It's avery good way to use left over rice.

KUAI-TIAO PHAT KHI MAO , Stirfried Noodles, Drunken Style - Chicken, Beef, Pork

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 1/4 cup
Fresh yellow spur chili peppers 2 tbsp.
Garlic, peeled and chopped 2 tbsp.
Onion, peeled and sliced 1/4 cup
Chicken, beef or pork, ground 8 oz.
Phat thai noodles, soaked and drained 2 cups
Fish sauce 1 - 2 tbsp.
Granulated sugar 1 - 2 tsp.
Oyster sauce 1 tbsp.
Sweet basil leaves (bai horapha) 1/2 cup
(4 servings)
1. Pound together yellow spur chili peppers and garlic into a paste. If you do not have a pestle and mortar, you can use a food processor or a blender.

2. Place a large frying pan or wok on the stove and heat up the oil until almost smoking. Add the chili and garlic paste and fry quickly. Before the paste browns add onion.

3. Allow the onion to cook slightly, add the ground meat and stirfry, stirring constantly.

4. Add the noodles to the pan. You can use pasta such as cooked spaghetti or linguini as a substitute. Toss and mix well in the pan and season with fish sauce, sugar and oyster sauce.

5. When the noodles are well seasoned and have an almost uniform color, add the fresh basil leaves, toss and mix. Serve immediately.

Tips

Substitution: This dish can easily be made with pasta that you have available in your kitchen. All you need to do is cook the pasta "al dente", plunge it in cold water, drain and set aside to stirfry.

This dish is also a lunch favorite amongst Thais. It is a complete meal in itself with ingredients from all the food groups.

Slow Cooked Pork Ribs & Pineapple ( Mu Op Sapparod )

A wonderful dish of slow cooked pork ribs in a pineapple & wine sauce. The pineapple does more than flavour this dish, the acidity of the pineapple softens the ribs as they cook, so the meat practically falls off the bone. Mirin sake is a brand of japanese spirit, if you can’t get hold of it, use white wine.

Ingregdients


300 gms Pineapple
500 gms Pork Ribs
3 Tablespoons Oil
2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
3 Tablespoons White Wine Or Mirin Sake
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Ketchup
600 ml Water
Preparation

1. Clean the pork ribs, chop into 4-5cms pieces, if you don’t have a cleaver, get your butcher to do this.

2. Cut the pineapple into similar sized pieces.

3. Put the oil in a pan and preheat.

4. Fry the ribs just to brown the outside and make the fat a little crispy.

5. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan, bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat until the water has reduced by more than half. This takes an hour or so.

Boiled Chicken in Spicy Sauce ( Guy Op Sea Eaiw )

Saying this chicken is boiled is not the full story, it is first pan fried to get some flavour from the browning, then simmered slowly in a stock, and finally served up with a delicions spicy dark sauce. It’s healthy chicken but with an unhealthy taste!

Ingredients


500 gms Chicken Breast with Skin
1-2 Coriander Root
2-3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Peppercorns
3 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Butter
500 ml Water
1 Chicken Stock Cube
Preparation


Clean the chicken breast and add the light soy sauce.
Into a mortar, mix the garlic, coriander root, peppercorns and pound until ground up. Add this to the chicken, mix it well together so that the chicken is covered and leave to marinade for 30 minutes.
Put the butter into a pan, fry the chicken in this starting skin side down until the skin is browned, then turn it over and brown the other side. The aim is to just add some flavour, not to cook the chicken.
Place the chicken, water and stock cube in a saucepan, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to simmer. Simmer until the water has reduced by half.
During the last 10 minutes of cooking you can use this stock to cook side vegetables like baby corn, carrots or mushrooms if you are serving these too.
Remove the chicken, slice, place in a serving bowl with some of the stock and the following sauce.
Ingredients for Sauce


5 Chillies
1 Garlic Clove
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
Preparation

1. Mix chillies, garlic, sugar and salt in a mortar and pound it until the mixture is ground up, then add the dark soy sauce.

2. You can spoon this sauce over the chicken, as I’ve done for the photograph, or if some of your guests don’t like spicy chilli, you can serve it as a side sauce.

Saying this chicken is boiled is not the full story, it is first pan fried to get some flavour from the browning, then simmered slowly in a stock, and finally served up with a delicions spicy dark sauce. It’s healthy chicken but with an unhealthy taste!

Ingredients


500 gms Chicken Breast with Skin
1-2 Coriander Root
2-3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Peppercorns
3 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Butter
500 ml Water
1 Chicken Stock Cube
Preparation


Clean the chicken breast and add the light soy sauce.
Into a mortar, mix the garlic, coriander root, peppercorns and pound until ground up. Add this to the chicken, mix it well together so that the chicken is covered and leave to marinade for 30 minutes.
Put the butter into a pan, fry the chicken in this starting skin side down until the skin is browned, then turn it over and brown the other side. The aim is to just add some flavour, not to cook the chicken.
Place the chicken, water and stock cube in a saucepan, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to simmer. Simmer until the water has reduced by half.
During the last 10 minutes of cooking you can use this stock to cook side vegetables like baby corn, carrots or mushrooms if you are serving these too.
Remove the chicken, slice, place in a serving bowl with some of the stock and the following sauce.
Ingredients for Sauce


5 Chillies
1 Garlic Clove
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
Preparation

1. Mix chillies, garlic, sugar and salt in a mortar and pound it until the mixture is ground up, then add the dark soy sauce.

2. You can spoon this sauce over the chicken, as I’ve done for the photograph, or if some of your guests don’t like spicy chilli, you can serve it as a side sauce.

Fried rice with pineapple (Khao Pad Sapparot)

Fried rice with pineapple
Khao Pad Sapparot

Serves 4

2 onions
300 g (13 fl oz) canned pineapple pieces
3 tomatoes
300 g (10 oz) rice
2 tb oil
2 tb fish sauce
1 tb ketchup
1 ts sugar

Takes 30 minutes
1. In a pot bring water to boil and add rice. Cook for ten minutes and pour off water. Let rice cool down.
2. Dice onions and tomotoes, drain pineapple pieces.
3. Heat oil in a wok or a pan and add onions. Stir-fry onions until golden.
4. Add tomotoes and pineapple. Continue to stir-fry.
5. Stir in rice and heat.
6. Season with fish sauce, ketchup and sugar.

kai pad ki mao - drunkards noodles and chicken

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.

Kai Ho Bai Toei (Chicken wrapped in Pandanus Leaf)

pandanus leaves act as both a wrapping and flavoring in this dish. Leaving a long tail on the parcels will make them prettier and easier to handle so don't trim the leaves. To eat, carefully unwrap the parcels and dip the chicken into the sauce.

5 cilantro roots, cleaned and roughly chopped
4 to 5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 pound, 5 ounces skinless chicken breast fillet, cut into 25 cubes
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon plain, all-purpose flour
25 pandanus leaves, cleaned and dried
vegetable oil for deep-frying
plum sauce or a chilli sauce, to serve

Using a motar and pestle or a small blender, pound or blend the cilantro roots, garlic, white pepper, and salt into a paste. In a bowl, combine the paste with the chicken, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and flour. Cover with plastic wrap and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Fold one of the pandanus leaves, bringing the base up in front of the tip, making a cup. Put a piece of chicken in the fold and, moving the bottom of the leaf, wrap it around the chicken to create a tie and enclose the chicken. Repeat until you have used all the chicken.

Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium heat. When the oil seems hot, drop a small piece of leaf into it. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. Lower some parcels into the oil and deep-fry for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the parcels feel firm. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep the cooked ones warm while deep-frying the rest. Transfer to a serving plate, and serve with plum sauce or a chilli sauce.

Kai Phat Yot Khao Pot (Chicken with Baby Corn)

Servings: 4

500 grams (1 pound) chicken fillets
1 tablespoon fish sauce
pepper
1 teaspoon oil
400 grams (13 ounce) babycorn, fresh or canned
3 spring onions
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

Slice chicken and marinade with fish sauce, pepper and oil for ten minutes. Cut babycorn lengthwise into halves. Cut spring onions into 3 cm (a little over an inch) long pieces. Chop garlic. Heat oil in a wok or a pan and roast garlic until golden. Add chicken and stir-fry until tender. Add babycorn and onion and continue to stir-fry. Add fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar and taste if extra sugar or fish sauce is needed.

Thai Cuisine Information

One of the secrets of Thai cooking is the use of spices. Here you can find a list of some ingredients including spices used in most Thai recipes. Each we describe briefly, including its Thai name. It is hopeful that wanted ingredients are available at your local market.

Nothing captures the imagination or the taste buds quite like Thai chilies. Thai cooks capitalize on the chili’s power in a kind of culinary leveraged buy-out that borrows additional funds of heat from garlic, ginger, vinegar and peppercorns. That fire is actually found in the membrane of the chilies in a substance called capsaicin, which stimulates nerve endings and fools your brain into thinking you are in pain.

Many Thai dishes rely on the phrik kee noo, or mouse dropping chili. The name does not do justice to its explosive but sour flavor. It rates up to 80,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), a scale devised in 1912 to measure the intensity of chilies. That’s behind the 300,000-550,000 SHU’s of the habanero chili, but well ahead of the Jalapeno pepper that ranks around 4,000 SHU’s. Pure capsaicin is off the charts at an estimated 15,000,000-16,000,000 SHU’s.

Yet, the health benefits are many. Chilies have twice the Vitamin C by weight of oranges, with a single ounce enough for a daily allowance; they’re useful when it comes to weight loss; and - believe it or not - chilies are recommended for lowering blood pressure. Provided, of course, you can stand the heat.

Thai Seafood

If you like seafood, you’re in luck. Thai cooking is the most seafood intensive of any cuisine except perhaps Japanese. In general, Thai dishes and meals are built more around fish and shellfish than poultry and meat.

The roots of Thai culture, after all, are in water not land: the first to arrive in what is now Thailand settled along its rivers. Today, you could eat only seafood meals here and hard l get bored. Thai Squid curry and BBQ Prawns Seafood is the basis of Thai dishes, including curries, soups, sauces, rice, noodles, appetizers and salads.

Thai restaurateurs have turned seafood into a form of ready-made advertising. Restaurants along beaches and sidewalks have enormous stainless-steel trays Stainless Steel Fish Tray to display the catch fresh flounders, sea bass, grouper, tiger shrimp, lobsters, crabs, clams and oysters. A nice fish is pleasing to the eye, keeping cool on a glistening bed of ice.

About Thai Cuisine

The true gourmet traveler in a new destination demands to know one thing above all: “Where can I eat like a local?” In Bangkok, the simplest answer is “everywhere”, because Thais crave good food, and seemingly every inch of the city, both indoors and out, is dedicated to the pleasures of the palate. Modern Bangkok offers more choice than ever, although, mysteriously, in the increasingly common proper” air-conditioned restaurants, much of the glorious intensity of Thai cuisine is missing. With a few notable exceptions mainly around the capital’s more posh areas, Thai food has yet to translate very well to up-market surroundings.

The soul of Thai cooking is found on the street, in wheeled metal carts, wicker baskets and traditional food shops, called raan aharn. This is great news for food explorers because to discover the authentic”, the culinary Holy GraiI. You have to venture into the alleys and market places of ordinary life, and get a taste of Bangkok’s unvarnished heritage, which is still intact behind the city’s malls and office blocks.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of these outlets in the capital, and thousands of them really will be good. So any attempt to quantify them in terms of “the best” is doomed to fail. There are, however, hot spots with a good choice of stalls and many outlets with reputations, often built over generations, for outstanding individual recipes.

Spicy Squid salad

Yam Pla Meuk

Spicy Squid salad
500 grams medium sized squid or cuttlefish,
1/4 cup shredded young ginger,
1 cup mint leaves,
1 cup Chinese soup celery cut into 3cm (1 inch) lenghts
1 red spur chili sliced lenghtwise,
1 cup thinly sliced onion.

Preparation
1) Wash the squid or cutllefish, remove the eyes and other inedible parts, if using squid, skin them. Score the bodies in a crisscross pattern and then cut into 6cm (1,1/2 inch) pieces,
2) Scald the squid or cuttlefish in boiled water for just a short time. Overly long scalding will make them tough..
3) Toss together with the squid or cuttlefish the onion, ginger, celery, and dressing. Tast and adjust the seasonginh as required.
4) Transfer to a bed of mint arranged upon a plate and sprinkle with red chili,
5) Dressing: pound the 2-3 hot chilies and 2 table spoons sliced garlic until finely ground and then mix with 1/4 cup lime juice and 3-4 table spoons fish sauce.

Yam Pla Thu

Yam Pla Thu

Spicy Mackerel salad
5 large short bodied mackerels,
10-15 broken hot chilies,
7 finely sliced shallots,
1/2 cup shredded young ginger,
5 finely slice lemon grass stems,
2 table spoons finely sliced kaffir lime leaves,
1 cup horapha sweet basil leaves,
2 table spoons ground roasted peanuts,
2-3 table spoons lime juice,
2 table spoons fish sauce,
fresh Chinese cabbage, yard-long beans, cabbage, spring onions, corlander greens.

Preparation

1) Fry the mackerel golden brown and remove the meat.
2) Toss with the meat the lemon grass, ginger, shallot, chilies, kaffir lime leaf, sweet basil leaves, fish sauce, and lime juice.
3) Just before serving, sprinkle with the ground peanut, and serve with the fresh vegetable.

Phad Thai Sai Khai

Phad Thai Sai Khai

Fried Noodles traditional Thai style.

300 grams narrow rice noodle,
1/2 kilogram bean sprouts,
3 chicken eggs,
50 grams pork, cut into small slivers,
50 grams chopped pickled white radish,
1 cake soybean curd, cut into small slivers,
1/2 cup ground roasted peanuts,
1 tea spoon ground dried chilies,
1 table spoon chopped shallots.

Preparation
Heat 3 table spoons of oil in a frying pan and saute garlic and shallots. When yellowed, add noodles with just enough water to soften them and fry, turning constantly with spatula to prevent sticking (anti sticking pan is adviced). Then move the noodles to the side of the pan or remove them from the pan.
Put 3 table spoons of oil into the pan. When hot, fry the pork, pickled white radish, bean curd, and dried chilies and then return the noodles, mix thoroughly, and move to the side of the pan or remove it from the pan.
Put 2 table spoons oil into the pan. When heated, break the eggs into the pan and scramble with an spatula, spreading eg in a thin layer over the pan. Then set, return the noodles and mix together. Add half the bean sprouts and the Chinese leek leaves and turn to mix together. Spoon onto plates and sprinkle with ground peanut. Serve with bean sprouts, banana flower, Chinese leek, and Indian pennywort.

Phad Thai (Thai fried noodles) requires a lot of oil; however, it is possible to use less than indicated above by adding small amounts from time to time to keep the noodles from drying instead of adding all the oil at once.