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.