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.