Thaifood

Snake Head Fish Hot and Sour Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:30:00 +0000

Gaeng Som Pae Sa Pla Chon - Snake Head Fish hot and Sour Soup

Gaeng Som means sour soup/stew/curry - the word "Gaeng" (แกง) refers to the act of simmering ingredients in a soupy liquid - in English we would call curry, soup, and stew all what Thais call "Gaeng". Gaeng Som has three main types - one from the south which is a Yellow Curry soup and extremely spicy (one of the hottest dishes you can find in Thailand, along with "Kua Kling"), Southern Gaeng Som is usually made with sea bass, or shrims, with and green papaya, or bamboo. Sometimes it is also made with pineapple too. Then there is the reddish tomatoe-soup-like version of Gaeng Som used in Central Thailand, which is a lot milder, normally served with crispy fried catfish, shrimps, or or snakehead fish, and sometimes also with pork, or even tinned sardines or pilchards. This type is also often served with fried Cha-Om omelette

See my other post on the various kinds of Gaeng Som

Below Pic - Gaeng Som Pla Chon

Lastly there is the speciality of Gaeng Som Pae Sa Pla Chon (or Pla Krapong, Pla Tap Tim, and other fish - Pla means fish). This version is the recipe dealt with in this post. Pla Chon (ปลาช่อน) is the snake head fish, known as "striped snake-head fish" (Channidae - latin Name) in the West. The Pla Chon fish is a very hard skulled agressive fish, similar in appearance and family lineage to the Pla Duk (catfish) but has a much more agressive look to it as far as the head is concerned. Pla Chon can grow extremely large, which then gets a name change to "Pla Chon yaks" (ปลาช่อนยักษ์), meaning "Giant Pla Chon". The word Pla means fish, but the word "Chon" does not mean Snake Head - it is just a name for the fish.

Picture left; Pla Chon - Snake Head fish

The meat is more dry and tasty with less fat on it than Pla Duk, and is more expensive to buy. It tastes best fried to a crispy golden color and texture. Pla Chon Tord (fried Snakehead fish) is my favourite freshwater fish of all, and Ganeg Som Pae Sae is always my choice (and that ofmost Thais) when going out to a "Suan Aharn" (a suan aharn is an open air garden restaurant , of which there are thousands in Thailand - Suan Aharn is the preferred place for Thais to go when treating their family or loved ones to a meal, or socializing). A Thai suan aharn is not only wonderful atmosphere, but is also generally better food than any tourist orientated five star restaurant and serves Thai specialities which you will not find in Tourist orientated restaurants. These are served in an attractive and special manner.

Here is a video of a live example of the Pla Chon Yaks

Anyway back to Pla Chon Pae Sa Hot and Sour soup and how to make it;

Traditonally, Gaeng Som Pla Chon is served in a fish shaped hotpot placed on a clay coal fire, which is portable and served individually on the table. You can buy these in Thailand in any general store, and probably in Asian supermarkets close to where you live too. If not you will have to improvise and finde a decent alternative container and do it on the gas flame, which will also work, but it's not as fun to eat and also cannot refill the vegetables whilst it is simmeriing. This is due to the fact that the fish shaped container will be constantly cooking over the coals as you eat, and the act of adding more veg as replacement to that which you have already eaten will thicken the soup and give it an ever increasing tanginess as you go along!
I love to go for the fish whilst still crispy and keep adding veg which softens up as it cooks; The soup is ladled into small personal bowls and refilled time after time. The main vegetable used are "Pak Grached" ( ผักกระเฉด Water Mimosa) (click on link to read my article on this vegetable), White Chinese cabbage, carrots and cauliflower.

Ingredients and preparation method;

Pic Left - Gaang Som paste.
Ingredients;
One Snakehead fish big enough to fill the fish shaped container (about a 500 gram fish)
a few handfuls of Water Mimosa (you can substitute this for other veg such as celery, but i really recommend to use water mimosa if you can find it, as it is an essential part of the authentic Pae Sa soup), Some white Chinese cabbage, sliced carrot,and cauliflower, and perhaps some green beans. For the curry mixture; Tamarind paste (2 tbspn), 5 cups of water, 3 tbspn of Nam Pla (Thai Fish sauce), 1 tbspn of granulated sugar (or 1 tbspn palm sugar paste), 2 or 3 tablespoons of Gaeng Som curry paste (3 better). The you need some dried chillis (3 to 4), which you should then soak in water. 8 peppercorns, 5 shallots, 3 garlic cloves, some krachai root otherwise known as " Boesenbergia" (Scientific Name:Boesenbergia Rotunda).

If you cant get gaeng Som curry paste you can use red curry paste solong as you can find the Krachai root, but i have found the product already for you on amazon dot com (ad left)
In addition you need a tablespoon of "kapi" (Thai shrimp paste) which you can buy from amazon on below link. Shrimp paste is used in most Curry pastes in Thai cookery, so it is worth buying and keeping in stock. Actually if you have a pestle and mortar, you don't really need the curry paste as the above ingredients can be enough for your own home made curry paste.
If you take this option then mash the ingredients together with a pestle and mortar and use as the curry paste.
Pantainorasingh brand Thai Shrimp Paste - 13 oz

How to Cook;
I assume that you have the clay coal roaster and hot pot, if not then you will have to use a fondue pot or the like, which also works. A mongolian hotpot or sukiyaki plate is also adequate, as seen in the below pic. You will notice that in the below pic, the fish has been already sliced. It simply isnt as much fun as when eating in the Suan Aharn outdoor garden restaurant where everyone demolishes the whole fish. But in truth it tastes just as delicious either way.

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Gut and scale the fish, slice along the back fin and remove, then slice it along where the dorsal fin was, slice the sides of the fish diagonally (not too deep) and fry it until it is golden and crisp (you can rub salt on it and leave it for an hour first and it will be tastier).
Then take the shallots,krachai, garlic, tamarind paste, palm or granulated sugar and Nam Pla (fish seasoning sauce) and soaked chilis and mix them together, and put on the heat a little. Add the Gaeng Som, and/or shrimp past,e and mix water in (use a little stock cube if you wish, if not use salt) and bring to simmer.Add some kaffir lime juice. (lemon juice can also be used but it is a bit acrid)
In the below pic you can see that another vegtable has been used - Dork Kae (ดอกแค) , which is a flower.

Then pour the Gaeng Som soup into the hotpot or fish shaped tray on the clay coal roaster and place the fried fish in - the soup will then begin to simmer. place some of the ray water mimosa, chinese cabbage and other veg in the soup around the fish, and serve the rest of the vegetables on a plate for your guests to rip up and refill the soup as the veg gets cooked and eaten up. You will see how the vegetables take up a lot of space when still raw but as they steam in the soup, they reduce and submerge.

Squid Brand Fish Sauce

Suan Aharn (สวนอาหาร)- Open Air Garden restaurants are the best way to eat out in Thailand, and the place to get the best Gaeng Som Pae Sa Pla Chon!

Here is a pic of a typical arrray of dishes eaten by Thai people when out to dinner at a Suan Aharn

If you are in Thailand and wish to try this and other dishes like those in the pic above first hand in a "Suan Aharn Thai" then here are some adresses for you
Bangkok Nontaburi Suan Aharn Thai Isan (this is where the above pic came from)
31/123 Thanon Liang Mueang Nontaburi, Talad Khwan, Ampher Mueang Nontaburi.
31/123 ถ.เลี่ยงเมืองนนทบุรี ต.ตลาดขวัญ อ.เมือง จ.นนทบุรี

Ban Ton Sung

Adress for ban Ton Sung; 458 Soi Lad Praw 94 Thanon Lad Praw, Kwaeng Wang Tong Hlang bangkok 10310
458 ซอยลาดพร้าว 94 ถนนลาดพร้าว แขวงวังทองหลาง เขตวังทองหลาง กทม.10310 โทร 0-2530-4060-4

Duen Yee looks very nice and homely and has many different areas with varied atmospheres.

Duen Yee Garden restaurant (see menu here) (map to Duen Yee)

More Links;

Ban Chaan Krung restaurant

Country side home style;

Suan Aharn Klang Na
Proprietor - Kun Winay 089535 5836, 08 7066 087
Sapan Sung District, Bangkok
คุณวินัย 08-9535-5836, 08-7066-087
เขตสะพานสูง, BKK, Thailand
ถ้าไปไม่ถูกโทรสอบถามเส้นทางได้ที่ เบอร์ คุณวินัย 08-9535-5836, 08-7066-0873

Anywhere you are in Thailand will have a Suan Aharn nearby - love riding on my motorbike in the provinces and stopping by the wayside in the country and eating at the endless number of small country outdoor restaurants known as Suan Aharn - beautiful bouganville trees and flowers around you, to sit at a hand made wooden table made from tree stumps and eat real fresh home made classic Thai garden restaurant food.
You can't beat it.

Tom Pak Gaad Dong - Sour Mustard green soup

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:04:00 +0000

ต้มผักกาดดอง Preserved Sour green Mustard broth

Tom Pak Gaad Dong is normally made with Pork - belly pork (called Hmoo Saam Chan หมูสามชั้น in Thai, which means "three storied pork") or Pork Ribs (called See Krong Hmoo ซี่โครงหมู in Thai).It is a very tangy soup with a salty sour taste; easily paired with either boiled rice or rice soup (ข้าวต้ม). It is ideal for when you have a hangover too or a bad stomach (i.e. constipated) , as the sour taste will liven the taste buds of the person hung over and also loosens any food blocking the intestine. This soup is perhaps also an interesting alternative for those visiting Thailand who do not like spicy food. Thai food is in general very hot and spicy, but there are many recipes which are not spicy (not all Thai people like spicy food either, so even Thailand has mild food alternatives).It can also be made with mince, or as a vegetarian alternative with bamboo or bitter gourd.

Left pic; Mustard green in the Galamang.

Ingredients;
You can vary the ingredients according to taste
Pickled sour mustard greens 500 grams
Porkribs and belly pork 250 grams
Light soya sauce (3tbspn) or stock cube
Garlic cloves (5 cloves - optional)
Ground peppercorns (1 tbspn)
Sugar to taste(about 1 tbspn)
water (2 liters)

Methods of Preparation;
Tom Pak Gaad is very easy to make - the simplest methos uses just mustard green, light soya sauce, pork, sugar and water. The second variation uses stock cube, garlic and peppercorns too.

The Mustard Green; You can either buy this on the fresh markets where you will find it in plastic tubs (called "Galamang" - กะละมัง in Thai), or you can buy the more hygienic looking one packed in factory sealed plastic bags as seen in the below pic.

So, lets begin now to prepare the Soup; Take the mustard green and rinse it by putting it in a bowl of fresh water - repeat this twice in order to remove any eventual unwanted things (such as grit or small snails, don't forget this veg is like lettuce which sometimes gets little creatures stuck between the leaves).

Don't take any notice of the lemons on the side of the tray - they were used for another purpose (to make Nam Prik). Once you have cleaned the mustard green you can slice it into shreds.

In this recipe we will use both hmoo sam chan (belly pork), AND see krong (ribs); Arrange them in preparation for cooking.

Remember that the garlic and pepper in the previous pic or the onion in the above pic are optional - use them if you wish, or not if you don't wish to. I personally like to add the garlic and the pepper, but not the onion. Add the garlic and pepper at the same time as the pork meat if you wish to use these ingredients.

Bring the water to boil in a pan (add a stock cube if you wish to, if not then use three tablespoons of light soya sauce), and simmer the pork ribs first on a medium flame, until the meat becomes tight around the bone.

Then add the belly pork and simmer a little longer, lowering the flame.

Whilst the meat is simmering, a froth will gather on the surface; clean this off with a skillet or spoon, as it doesn't look nice and will also make the soup bitter. Once the pork meat is cooked and tender, add the sour pickled mustard greens

Simmer for a while and taste the broth - it should be nice and salty, with a slightly oily film from the pork fat and the ribs, and have a slight sweetness too - now would be time to add a little sugar if needed.
Some people like to add some bacon meat to this dish whilst cooking (recommended) .
Now you can serve it. This soup is often used as a mild accompaniment to dry fried spicy dishes as a cooling agent and to balance out the dryness of fried food on rice.

If you have a hangover and can't taste your food it is a great remedy; the sourness and saltiness will give you a real zing on your tongue, and bring back your appetite. The sourness will help to get rid of the headache due to dehydration. The Chinese in Singapore and malaysia have a very similar dish to this called "Bakuteh" The origins of Tom Pak Gaad actually come from Thai Chinese too. This is the reason for its non spiciness, as Thai Chinese food is milder than Thai food in general. I hope to soon publish some more less spicy Thai Food recipes for those who wish to enjoy Thai food but cannot withstand the chilli.
Image source; nangkatik-club.com
Notes; Pak Gaad refers to many kinds of cabbage or lettuce, such as; Pak Gaad Khaw ( ผักกาดขาวChinese white cabbage), Pak Gaad Khaw Plee ( ผักกาดขาวปลี Pak Choi), Pak Gaad Khiaw Gwang Dtung ( ผักกาดกวางตุ้ง a sweet spinachy cabbage) and Pak Gaad Farang ( ผักกาดฝรั่ง lettuce)

Phad Thai noodles

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 10:39:00 +0000

Phad Thai Noodles are immensely popular with tourists in Thailand and is also a staple fastfood on the street with Thai people.
Traditionally, Phad Thai is served either with dried shrimp or fresh tiger prawns, but can also be served as a vegetarian dish or with meat or mixed seafood. The classic option is with rice flour band noodles, but it is also served as a speciality with glassnoodles, which has a wonderfully chewy texture. Phad Thai has a sweet taste and is garnished with beansprouts, spring onions and a slice of kaffir lime. Roasted ground peanuts are spriinkled on the top too as well as some sugar and chilli powder, which you then mix in yourself.

Ingredients for Phad Thai

red schallots (one tbspn)
crushed garlic (one tbspn)
vegetable oil
dried flat rice noodles (soak for five minutes in tepid water)
half cup of dried shrimps
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
3 tbspn of Nam Pla Thai Fish Sauce
1/4 cup of Tamarind juice or palm sugar
50 grams of fresh shrimps,mixed seafood, pork or chicken (depending on which type of ingredient you prefer)
3 tbspn shredded preserved chinese vegetable (Sai Po, or Tai Po)
a block of tofu chopped into small cubes
some chilli powder
a couple of handfuls of fresh beansprouts (about 250grams)

50 grams of Guy Chai (กุยช่าย) vegetable - this is a flowering stalk like vegetable - i know it also as "Dork Mai Gwaad" - meaning "Broom flower" - this is because a bushel of it looks like a traditional Thai sweeping broom. You can use chives instead if you like but use the dark green bases of the stems too, not just the tips.
Half a cup of roasted ground peanuts

also you will need some fresh crude vegetables for garnish, such as banana flower (Hua Plee), beansprouts, Land Lotus leaf, spring onion or chives, and some Kaffir Lime.

Left Pic; Phad Thai Wun Sen (glass noodle phad Thai).
Put the schallots and garlic in the skillet (wok) along with 3 tbspn of vegetable oil and sautee them until golden - then add the noodles which have been soaked already for a while,along with the little bit of water left in the bowl they soaked in, and fry until the water evaporates , and the noodles have softened. Add the sugar/ and tamarind juice, Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce), dry shrimps, and stir fry until it has a nice aroma.

Add 3 tbspn of oil once more, and add the meat, shrimps or vegetables (whichever you have chosen as your ingredient). add the egg and beat it lightly so that it is a half beaten omelette. Do not mix them in with the noodles, rather sautee them on one side of the pan until they are nearly cooked. The start to mix them together with the skillet whilst stir frying. Add the beansprouts and preserved shredded vegetable and mix them in whilst frying.

Please note that Phad Thai uses quite a bit of ooil, but that you should use your feel with it and make sure you dont over do it either.. This means that if you see that the noodles are frying without sticking and have a nice gloss to them without adding all the oil stated in the ingredients, then you dont have to add it all. If you add the oil whilst the noodles are still a little dry then you may get away with adding less oil. The fresh crude vegetables used as a side garnish serve to break down the oil, which will help digestion if you are sensitive to fatty foods.

Watch Video fromLobo Thai food products of How to Make Phad Thai.

Tom Kha Gai - Thai Coconut Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:47:00 +0000

Tom Kha Gai

(Thai Coconut and Galangal Soup with Chicken and Oyster mushrooms)

Ingredients;

2 Chicken legs with thigh attached
150 grams Oyster mushrooms
100 grams Dton Kha (Galangal)
3 Lemon grass stalks
2 bushels of Coriander (Cilantro)
2 coriander roots (use the root of the bushels)
5-6 Kaffir Lime leaves
3 or 4 Kaffir Limes
20 Prik Khee Hnuu (Thai chilies)
1 cup of Hua Kati (Coconut juice)
1 cup of Hang Gati (Coconut cream)

(NB some canned coconut juice had the cream and the watery part which means dont shake the can - if not then youll need fresh green coconut which you remove the water from and then liquidize the soft flesh for the cream - some Thai food stores will have Gati in sealed bags which has both parts in it. Alternatively you can use cream coconut and add water, stock, or milk instead).
a little fine grain sugar

1 Tbsp Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 cup of Water to dilute the coconut when cooking

Alternatives;
Some people like to add tomatoes to the soup too, which works quite well, giving a more acrid and acidic tinge to the taste of the coconut milk.
Instead of Oyster mushrooms, you could add Straw mushrooms or dried Chinese or Shiitake mushrooms to the soup instead. In such a case you must soak the dried mushroom in hot water for about 20 minutes first before adding them.

Image via Wikipedia

This soup works with Chicken, Fish and Seafood such as Crab, Squid or Shrimp (or even all three) too.
I suppose you can make it with Pork but i have never seen Thais use Pork for this recipe, nor Beef for that matter. White meats are of course milder which doesn't overpower the soft flavours of the Coconut and Galangal

Preparation Method;

Take the Chicken thighs, clean and chop them into smaller pieces on the bone (if you don't like Chicken on the bone you can fillet it, but Thai people prefer meat on the bone as it has more taste).

Clean the Oyster mushrooms and slice them coarsely, chop off the base of the stalks.

Listen to a Thai song as you read ;

ฟังวิทยุออนไลน์ ที่ izeemusic

Take the Galangal (Kha - ต้นข่า) and slice it into oval slices, pound the Coriander root (Raak Pak Chee - รากผักชี) a little to bruise it, which releases the flavour. The take the Kaffir Lime leaves and tear them in half, removing the thread in the middle, which is not needed.

Then take the Lemon Grass (Thakrai - ตะไคร้), and slice it diagonally, after pounding it slightly in the same way as the Coriander (Pak Chee - ผักชี).

Left pic - Product from Amazon.com
6 Fresh Lemon Grass stalks from tastepadthai
6 stalks medium size of fresh lemon grass guaranteed to arrive fresh
If you are not 100% satisfied with the product quality upon arrival, we will replace at no additional charge.
Fresh produce, premium quality products from TastePadThai.com
Price: $5.50

Slice the Coriander leaves into 1 centimeter sprigs.

Pour the Coconut milk into the saucepan and add the Coriander, along with 2 teaspoons of salt. Add one to two cups of water and bring slowly to the boil.

Buy now; Instant Coconut Soup (Tom Kha) Makes 4 Cups or 2 Bowls

Then lower the heat for it to simmer lightly. keep stirring all the time to prevent the Coconut milk from becoming lumpy. Once it has begun to simmer, add the Chicken meat and bring back to simmering point.

Then add the Hang Gati (rest of the coconut juice), and one or two cups more of water, and bring to boiliing point and simmer.
Taste the soup to check how salty it is, and add some Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla - น้ำปลา) to taste (perhaps one tablespoon might suffice).
Now is the time to add the Oyster mushrooms; Please check and taste the soup a few minutes after they have simmered a little in the soup, as Oyster mushrooms tend to release water when they are cooked, which may cause the soup to lose some saltiness. Add more fish sauce or salt if necessary if this is the case.

Oyster Mushrooms 8 oz. Buy Now!

Now add the Kaffir Lime leaves, Coriander, and some of the Coriander leaves, leaving some Coriander for decoration to sprinkle on the top at the end when the soup is ready. Close the lid of the pan and simmer.

Squeeze the kaffir Limes to extract the juice and keep in a aucer or small bowl with the chillies (point the chillies slightly in a pestle and mortar or with a meat hammer, or even the base of a cup if you don't have these things). Some people will add the Lime juice and chillies before closing the lid of the pan and simmer along with the soup, but those in the know will not do this as it will make the soup bitter and even separate the coconut juice from the milk. So i recommend that you keep thie juice and chillies aside till the end and add it slightly before serving the soup
here is what the soup should look like now; serve in a bowl and sprinkle some Coriander on the top as an aromatic and colorful decoration to your Tom Kha Gai!

.
Alternative versions;
Here are some pics of the various alternative styles with varied ingredients made by different cooks, so you can see that in Thai cookery, no two people make things exactly the same. So you shouldn't worry too much about recreating an identical copy as far as appearance is concerned. The version above is however, what i would call the classic reference model for Tom Kha Gai.

Tom Kha Pla Kapong - Coconut soup with Snapper fish

Tom Kha With tomatoes and spring onions added

Thick and creamy - use less water

Tom Kha Kung (Coconut soup with Giant Shrimps)

With Pla Salid Krob (Crispy Pla Salid fish)

Tom Kha Pla Salid (ต้มข่าปลาสลิด) again but different style

Tom Kha Tale (with mixed Seafood)

Thanks to; Krua Klai Baan and Thai Cook Mae Slim , Cooking by May for pics

Extra research info;
Pla Salid is called Damsel Fish or Snakeskin Gourami in English. In Thailand, we like to place the fish out to dry a few hours in the sun rubbed in salt, and then fry them. This fish is one of my favourites especially in "Yam Pla Salid" (Thai lemony salad with crispy fried Damsel Fish). I shall be posting this recipe with some mouthwatering pics in my next post soon.

Left Pic; Damsel Fish, or Snakeskin Gourami
(Trichogaster pectoralis)

PLA SALID (TRICHOGASTER PECTORALIS REGAN); A LIFE HISTORY AND MANUAL FOR CULTURE

Pla Salid Tord - Fried salted Damsel Fish

Pla Salid drying in the Sun

Interesting links;
Taxonomy link for Coriander
Taxonomy link for Lemon Grass

Fried country style Frog

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:07:00 +0000

ผัดเผ็ดกบ Pad Ped Gop (fried Frog country style with green peppercorns)

Phad Ped is one of my favourite dishes.. when i lived in Hua Hin i knew this place on a street hawker stall that made the best fried frog Phad Ped i have ever tatsed.. he wopuld fry the frog first to make it crispy before chopping it up and frying again with the mixture. The recipe below uses the traditional method of simple stir frying - this is classic game food - which we call "Aharn Pha" in Thailand (translates literally as "food jungle" - meaning "jungle food" or "forest food". This is because of the use of wild freshly caught game such as frog, wild chicken, squirrel or bird etc as main ingredient. The curry mixes will use also some ingredients which are or were originally found in the wild (such as grachaay and bai kaprao) and will have a mor defty taste and aroma than the regular curries. Prik Gaeng Pha (jungle curry) is almost like Prik Gaeng Ped (red curry paste), except it has what we might call a more wholegrain kind of mix to it. The red Prik gaeng Pha paste has visibly noticeable chilli seeds in it as well as a strong scent of grachaay, whereas the normal red curry paste will be smoother and milder. If you have never tried frog meat you are in for a treat it is something like chicken breast with a more delicate taste to it.

◊ Frog Meat
◊ Makhuea Bro (green baby eggplant)
◊ Grachaay (Boesenbergia Rotunda)
◊ Prik Thai Awn (green peppercorns)
◊ Dry Chillis
◊ Hom Daeng (Schallots)
◊ Takrai (Lemon Grass)
◊ Bai makrud (Kaffir Lime Leaves)
◊ Gratiam (Garlic)
◊ Bai Kapraw (Hot Basil)

Preparation Method

Pound the chillis first along, lemongrass, schallots and garlic.

Mince the frog meat before you start to fry this and keep it handy on the side.

Slice the kaffir lime leaves finely, leave the green peppercorns as they are; just separate the seeds from the twig and place aside with the remaining vegetables.

Put the chillis in the grata (wok), and fry them.

Add seasoning to taste (msg, fish sauce, sugar if you like it sweeter).

put the frogmeat in and sautee until cooked through.

add the eggplant, grachaay, green peppercorns, kaffir lime leaves and hot basil, and lower the heat, stirring whilst frying.

Here's what the finished product should look like;

thanks to Chef Bonita and Kruaglaibaan website for pics.

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Myriads of Som Tam

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Som Tam - a world in itself
Pic Left; Som Tam Thai
Som Tam (papaya salad), is a dish that has come to be known and loved by people all over the world. Although most Westerners who didn't get further than their local Thai restaurant in their countries, or the Bungalow/resort restaurant where they stayed whilst in Thailand will perhaps not have seen any of the myriad variations of Som Tam that are to be found in existence. Most tourism orientated establishments only serve Som Tam Thai, which is a sweet tasting concoction using green papaya, carrot, chili, tomato and peanuts with some cane syrup, dried shrimps, fish sauce, msg, lime juice, green beans and schallots. This is the easiest and most universal type of som tam available, as well as the most palatable to general tatses. But for the more adventurous, and most definitely Thai people, there are many other versions which are mostly preferred by the locals in Thailand. The number one preference must be i thing Som Tam Phu Kem Pla Ra (either both Phu Kem and Pla Ra, or sometimes just Phu Kem for those who cannot manage the pungent taste of Pla Ra). Phu kem means salted preserved freshwater crab, and Pla Ra is a kind of salted fermented raw fish, which is placed in salt water in a pot called a "Hai" for a period of up to 2 years to ferment.

Pic left; Pla Ra fermented fish in the Hai
The Pla Ra is then bashed into the Som Tam using the pestle and mortar. Isan people(Northeast Thailand) tend to love Pla Ra the most whereas central Thais cannot stomach it. I myself can't live without it and ask for a few pieces to be put into the som tam so i can chew on the salty raw fish (mmm its sooo good). Many people just ask for the juice from the Hai pot where the fish are preserved in as this in itself has a very pungent and spicy/salty taste. In isan country many people (if in familiar company) will not call it Pla ra, rather "Pla daek", but you shouldn't use this term unless you are with your closest family or intimate friends who can take the coarse speech. Daek means fooder, which is the verb for feeding used solely for animals and not for humans, but although central Thais will scold you for using this term, it is still actually used in general in intimate company or when joking by many Thai people. Not practising what is preached is anyway the norm in the land of smiles (??), so take your scoldings with a pinch of salt.

Picture left; Som Tam Phu Ma
One of my other favourites is Som Tam Phu Ma (Papaya salad with raw blue crab). Phu means crab and Ma means horse.. so; som tam with horse crabs it is. The meat of the horse crab is so fresh and the use of sweet sugar cane paste in the som tam serves to increase the juicy texture of the crab meat. the variations you will find with every single som tam recipe is perhaps as many as the amount of stalls in Thailand, due to the fact that every "Mae Krua" (cook) makes it a ddifferent way according to personal taste. In any case, in Thailand the person ordering always has the right to define exactly which "Soot" they want (soot means "formula"). So you can ask to drop a certain ingredient or exchange it for another. There are therefore almost limitless variations on the way you can have your som tam (sweet, sour, spicy, salty..) as well as the different ingredients which can be added.

Tam Sua
I believe 'Tam Sua" (som tam with "Khanom Jeen" ) to be the favourite with the ladies, and you don't see men eat it so often. Khanom jeen is the fresh white string noodles which can be seen eaten early mornings with thin curry sauce and fresh vegetables. The papaya, tomato, green beans, pla ra chilis, nam tan beeb (cane sugar) etc are loosely mixed together with the fresh noodles and served with a slice of lime. This is really a staple snack for Thai ladies of the Northeastern provinces, and perhaps the staple diet of Thailand's "ladies of the Night".

Below Pic; Tam Sua (real hardcore style with lots of Pla Ra juice)

Personally i am unable to eat anything without rice or sticky rice, although central Thais eat som tam just on it's own, the real eater of Isan food should not go without sticky rice. I can put about 3 5 baht bags of it away to one plate of som tam, which i usually order with "laap" or "Hmoo nam tok" as an added dish ( i shall be presenting those dishes in a separate post).

Tam Pha (hunter/jungle style/wild style)

Tam Pha is a real rustical style using natural ingredients (aharn Pha in Thai means rustical or plucked from the wild - wild game is also Aharn Pha; such as cooked hare, wild bird or wild chicken, squirrel, wild boar meat etc) The one above has "Hnor Mai bai ya nang" in it (bamboo marinated in Bai Ya Nang leaf juice). This is a pretty earthy, gamy tasting kind of som tam and for hardcore style only. Not for the delicate palate. I love bai ya nang anyway with hnor mai, which can be eaten as a soup and with sticky rice

Below pic; Som Tam Phu Suk

Here are some more variations of som tam for you to relish visually

Som Tam Mua (Tam Mua)

Som Tam Pla Ra

Som TamPhu kem (this is visibly a good one! no holding back on the ingredients here! )

Som Tam Thai Pla Ra

Som Tam Thai Phu Ma

Nam Prik Long Ruea

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Nam prik Long Ruea - น้ำพริกลงเรือ (dip sauce with raw and cooked veg, and/or fried rice)

Nam Prik Long Ruea (meaning "nam Prik dip in the Boat)has many variations depending on the cook and the taste of the person ordering. The basis of the recipe of course, is the "nam prik" (dip sauce), used to either flavour the fried rice or to be the main dip sauce in the case of no rice being used in the recipe. As a dip sauce with fresh crunchy vegetables it is a classic summer dish with a refreshing and healthy aspect. The various fresh vegetables are fascinating to test out mixed with the taste of the nam prik, because each of the different vegetables maintains it's own taste, giving a different result when eaten with the dip sauce. My favourite thing to dip in the nam prik is "Camin" (fresh cumin root), which has an amazing perfumed aroma to it, and a juicy crunchy texture in the mouth. The crunchiness of the vegetables balances perfectly with the smushy smooth dip sauce leaving your taste buds in heaven as you ascend through the realms of flavour sensations and the taste in your mouth gets hotter from the fresh chilies as you munch.

below pic - Madan (Garcinia schomberciana)

Ingredients for the recipe in the version shown in the pic above

dried shrimps ponded to a mash, 20 small Thai garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons of kapi (shrimp paste). Half a cup of Madan (Garcinia schomberciana see pic left), or grated green mango, 5 finely sliced "ma-erg" (hairy eggplant, Solanum ferox)
2 tablespoons of lime or lemon juice
25 small "Prik Khee Hnoo" Thai chilies
4-5 tablespoons of "nam Tan beeb" (sugar cane paste)
half a cup of "Hmoo Hwaan" (sweet pork)
one salted egg (called "khai Khem"), 5 Rakam fruits (see below pic)

half a cup of "Pla Duk foo Krop" (crispy fluffed shredded catfish meat - this is made by frying the finely shredded fishmeat, sometimes with breadcrumbs). One tablespoon of vegetable oil or sunflower oil. 3 or 4 lettuce leaves for decoration on the plate. You can choose whichever vegetables you want as your preferred dipping stuff; some good examples are fresh baby bamboo shoots, green beans, white eggplant, boiled okra, baby sweetcorn cobs, carrot and cucumber, and coriander leaves.

Method
mash the garlic, shrimp paste together to a fine paste, add the finely sliced Madan (Garcinia schomberciana) and mix it finely together - add the "rakam" fruit and the "ma-erg" and mix it with your hand or a pestle and mortar to a fine mash.

Below pic; "Ma-Erg" (hairy eggplant, Solanum ferox)

Mix it all finely again and add the chilies and bash them in the mortar just enough for them to break up a little bit. Add the sugar cane puree and the lime juice.
Put the oil into the "grata" (frying wok), and bring it to a high heat. Add the Nam prik mixture and sautee it, adding the dried shrimps, and sweet pork. Stir whilst frying until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Test the mixture constantly to make sure there remain 3 different flavours separated. Then put the Nam Prik into a bowl, break the salty egg into smaller pieces and place them on top of the bowl of Nam Prik, and sprinke the sweet pork and crispy shredded catfish on the side on the plate . Serve with fresh crude vegetables such as cucumber, cauliflower, carrot, cabbage, baby corn cobs, bamboo shoots, dok kae flowers, , string beans, boiled okra....

Khaw Nam Prik Long Ruea (Special fried rice with nam prik and dipping ingredients)

Another way often seen served in restaurants is "Khaw nam prik Long Ruea"
This can be served using the rather complex classic traditional version of nam prik shown above, or oyu can simly buy some of the wonderful and varied versions of "nam Prik" seen in Thai markets in a bag for 10 baht or so (see below pic), and use that to save time..

these dips are delicious and hand made so are in mo means inferior to your own fresh made version, except that when you make it yourself perhaps you might add more of your favourite ingredients such as shrimps etc, than you might get in the purchased nam prik. The Nam Prik in the pic with the vegetables below is with a simple "Nam prik Num" (young green chili dip) which you can buy in most fresh markets. Easy to make simply grill some young chilies with garlic and lemon some msg powder fish sauce (nam pla) and presto! The Nam Prik Num is not too spicy so people who are a little averse to spicy hot sauces will be able to join you in eating this dish if you use nam prik num. The young chilies are not yet hot, rather have a mild flavour. the garlic lends a really tasty appetizing taste to this one, which i love to eat on it's own with just sticky rice even. i often buy it in 5 or ten baht bags on the markets and sit on the street dipping my sticky rice in the bag.

Here are some pics to instill you with ideas of how to vary the ways you can serve this dish

Thanks to
www.eebah.com
www.kruaklaibaan.com

Ginger fried Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:58:00 +0000

Gai Pad Khing - ไก่ผัดขิง

Gai Pad Khing is a tremendously popular dish with Thai people. It is a dish which is just as avidly eaten with both "khaw Suay" (boiled rice) and also "Khaw Thom" (rice soup). It has a very aromatic perfumed taste to it,

It has many healing qualities and is used as " aharn samun prai - อาหารสมุนไพร", meaning herbal remedy. It is good for both liver and kidneys, stomachache, and also wind problems. In addition it is helpful to remedy high acidity, ulcers, and gall bladder problems.
It is often also used in diet programs for the weight losing qualities of ginger.

Ingredients;

1 cup of chicken meat (you can choose yourself if to use on the bone or off the bone)
1/2 a cup of Mouse ear mushrooms, 1/2 a cup of shredded fresh ginger (khing - ขิง)
One large fresh onion, peeled, and one large red peepper, chili or bell pepper is ok 0 sliced into medium long strips.
1 tablespoon of diced garlic, 2 spring onions, 2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of yellowbean sauce (Thao Jiaw - เต้าเจี้ยว)
one tablespoon of maggi seasoning sauce, or knorr seasoning sauce
1 tablespoon Nam Pla (fish sauce - น้ำปลา), 2 tablespoons of vegetable or sunflower oil.

Method;
Clean and dice the chicken into pieces. Take the mouse ear mushrooms and remove the hard and woody pieces. lean and slice the onion into thin slices - the spring onions should be sliced longways into long thin strips to keep their natural shape visible.

put the "Grata" (Thai wok type pan) on the gas and heat the vegetable oil (use a medium flame). Sautee the garlic until it has a golden color and sweet aroma. Add the chicken and fry it thoroughly, stirring constantly.

When it is cooked, add the mouse ear mushrooms, Thao Jiaw yelllowbean sauce, ginger, and sliced onions, and fry lightly - don't overfry these ingredients, as they should have some crispness and bite to them. Now add the maggi or knorr seasoning sauce, nam pla and sugar. There should be a light sweetness and saltiness to this dish so test the flavour and add more sugar and nam pla or seasoning sauce (go easy on the maggi) if necessary. sprinkle the fine shredded spring onion and red pepper over the dish once you have it on the serving plate. You can vary the dish by adding thinly sliced carrot or even pineapple chunks if you like a more sweet taste. some people also use tomatoe but i dont think that the acidity fits with the ginger.

Serve immediately with either boiled jasmine rice or rice soup.

Links;
Kruaklaibaan

Pad Sathor - Kung

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:22:00 +0000

ผัดสะตอกุ้ง - Pad Sathor - Kung - Fried

Sathor is a pod-seed fruit that is grown and eaten in the South of Thailand - it has a rather oily and acrid taste and aroma. Some variations off the fruit have a spicy hot taste to them. The smell of these beans is inimitable, some ffinding it too acrid to be attractive to the tastebuds. The sathor beans grow in pds on a tree which can reach up to 90 feet in height. the pods are normally cut down using a bamboo pole with a machete stuck at a 90 degree angle in the top of the pole to cut the pods down.

I love Sathor when fried with shrimps, or even chicken and Southern Yellow curry paste. This recipe with shrimps is a more mild tasting one which uses lemon and garlic to milden the acrid aroma of the sathor beans.

Ingredients:

8 Fresh Giant Shrimps, 1/2 a cup of pork mince, 2 cups of peeled sathor beans, 15 small red chillies, 10 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of Kapi (shrimp paste), 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of Nam Pla (fish sauce), and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil for frying.

Preparation Method

wash and clean the giant shrimps, removing the shell, and also the black vein along the spine of the shrimp's back, and place to one side for the moment.
wash the sathor beans and split them into halves (the sides are marked with a line - you can split them along it with your fingernail or a knife).
clean, and then pound the chillies along with the Kapi and the garlic in a pestle and mortar (called "krok" - ครก in Thai). if you like spicy, then you can put more chillies in if you like. - I personally like to add some yellow curry paste too or at leaste pund some cumin root into the past in the krok, as well as some black peppercorns too.. the next picture below shows what the finished dish looks like if you do this.

heat the oil in a "grata" (name for the Thai "wok-like" frying pan), and add the pounded paste of chillies and garlic and shrimp paste and sautee it until it gives off a fine aroma.
After this, add the shrimps and pork mince and fry it until cooked through.

Now is the time to add the sathor beans, adding the sugar, nam pla and lemon. test the flavour and add more sweet, sour or salty as you wish (sugar for sweet, nam pla for salty and lemon for sour).

Remove from the pan and serve with hot jasmin rice immediately.

About Sathor

Taxonomy
Current name: Parkia speciosa
Authority: Hassk.
Family: Fabaceae - Mimosoideae
Synonyms
Parkia harbesonii Elmer.
Common names
(Filipino) : u’pang
(Indonesian) : petai papan, pete, peuteuy
(Javanese) : pete
(Malay) : chou dou, cong dou, nyiring, patag, patai, petah, petai
(Thai) : sataw, sator, sator dan, sator kow, to dan, to khao

Botanic description
Parkia speciosa is a tree up to 15-40 m in height and 50-100 cm in diameter. Branchlets are hairy. Leaves bipinnate on 2-6 cm long stalks with gland 7-15 mm above stalk base. Pinnae 10-19 pairs, 5-9 cm long, each with 31-38 pairs of opposite linear leaflets, 5-9 mm long and about 2 mm wide, with rounded tip and small pointed lobe or ear at base. Flowers small and creamy white, found in densely crowded heads. Pods large, 35-55 cm long and 3-5 cm wide, straight or more commonly twisted; dangling in small bundles, green becoming black. Each pod contains 10-18 large seeds. Valves swollen over seeds. Testa soft. Robert Brown described the genus Parkia in 1826. He named it after Mungo Park, a Scot who made 2 remarkable journeys of exploration into the interior of West Africa in 1795-97 and 1805. The specific name, ‘speciosa’ is Latin for beautiful, showy.

Ingredients:
1. สะตอ มีมากใส่มาก มีน้อยใส่น้อย ไม่มีไม่ได้นะจ๊ะ จะผ่าครึ่ง หรือจะซอยก้อได้ เพราะจะได้สุกทั่วกัน ไม่เหม็นเขียว หรือชอบเคี้ยวเม็ดโตๆ ก้อต้องผัดให้นานหน่อยนะ
2. กุ้ง เยอะหน่อยก้ออร่อยมากหน่อย
3. หมูสับ ใส่ในกรณีกุ้งไม่ค่อยมี ถ้ากุ้งเยอะแล้ว ไม่ใส่เลยก้อไม่มีปัญหา
4. พริกขี้หนู แล้วแต่ความชอบ ถ้าชอบเผ็ดมาก ก้อใส่มาก ไม่ชอบเผ็ดก้อใส่นิดเดียว ไม่ใส่เลย จะไม่อร่อยนะ
5. กระเทียม ปริมาณให้สมดุลกับพริกนะจ๊ะ ที่สำคัญ เอาหัวเล็กนะ กระเทียมกรีบโตๆหน่ะ ไม่เหมาะ เพราะไม่หอม ไม่เผ็ด แล้วก้อเค้าเอาไว้ใส่กับผัดผักนะ
6. น้ำตาลปึก ไม่มีน้ำตาลปี๊ปก้อได้
7. น้ำปลานิดหน่อย (นิดหน่อยจริง)
8. กะปิ
9. น้ำมัน
10. น้ำต้มสุก

Directions:
1. โขลกกระเทียม กับพริกขี้หนูรวมกัน ให้แหลกๆ แล้วผสมกะปิลงไปเล็กน้อย อย่าใส่เยอะ เพราะจะเค็ม ที่ใส่กะปิเพราะเวลาผัดแล้วจะทำให้หอม
2. เตรียมกระทะตั้งไฟ ใส่น้ำมันพืช รอให้ร้อน
3. ใส่พริกกับกระเทียมโขลกลงผัด ขณะเดียวกัน เอาน้ำตาลปึกใส่ในครก ตามด้วยน้ำปลา หรือถ้าไม่ชอบเค็ม ใส่น้ำต้มสุกลงในครกก้อได้ เป็นการล้างครกด้วยในตัว ละลายน้ำตาลกับน้ำสุกหรือน้ำปลาให้เข้ากัน ตาก้ออย่าลืมมองกระทะด้วยนะ เด๋วจะไหม้ ผสมเข้ากันดี ล้างๆครกไปด้วย แล้วก้อใส่ลงในกระทะเลย
4. เมื่อกระเทียม พริก น้ำตาล น้ำปลา เข้ากันดี ก้อใส่กุ้ง และ/หรือ หมูสับลงผัด ให้พอสุกและเข้ากันดี
5. นำสะตอลงผัด คลุกเคล้าให้เข้ากัน ถ้าใส่ทั้งเม็ดไม่ได้ผ่าหรือซอย ต้องใช้เวลาผัดนานนิดหน่อย และเพื่อให้ส่วนผสมเข้าเนื้อสะตอดี จะได้อร่อยไง
6. พอสะตอสุกดีแล้วตักขึ้นเสริ์ฟ ทานพร้อมข้าวสวย

Info source;
World Agro Forestry centre
Other links;
Wikipedia - Parkia_speciosa | Migrants in Korea |

Monkeys Pot Sweets ขนม หมอแกงลิง

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Khanom Hmor Gaeng Ling ขนม หม้อแกงลิง

The finished recipe looks like this; crispy outside,soft and creamy inside.

Thanks to Koh Lanta Ko Lanta dot com for this Recipe

MorGaeng Ling (Or Mor Gaeng Mor Khang in Lanta island terminology) is a carnivourous plant that eats insects by trapping them in it’s jug-like protuberances. It is to be found on Koh Lanta ever more rarely.It was a traditional sweet that previous generations on Lanta island ate often.Before the advent of tourism, the locals of Koh Lanta (or Ko Lanta as an alternative spelling),did not have many shops on the island to buy premade products, such as cookies etc.Instead they made their specialities from the things they found from the natural enviroment around them.Mr. Baw, best friend of the author of kohlantakolanta.com, is a perfect example of how a Kohlanta-islander survives without the need for money exchanging hands too often.Trade and barter is a common occurence, and many tasks are completed using the things one has at hand from Mother Nature.”Khanom Mor Ling Mor Khang” is a wonderful example of how simple Thai people are able to make luxurious and enjoyable things to consume without the need to go to great expense. The simple people of Kohlanta can teach us how a quality lifestyle can be lived without the need for unthriftiness. Khanom Morling Morkhang (Or Mor Ganeg Ling to be more precise according to general terminology off the island), is the name given to the sweetmeat that is made from this carnivourous plant that is still being collected prepared and eaten by Mr. Baw and his family (including the author of this website - this sweet is so delicious it is unimaginable that anyone might not like it).A type of “Khanom” (meaning “sweets”), made from freshly grated coconut flesh and coconut-milk made by passing the inside of a half-nut over a round shaped grinding machine.The machine scrapes the flesh off the inside wall of the shell leaving itextremely finely grated.
This is then simmered with sugar and mixed with sticky rice, which is stuffed into the inside of the jug-like like nodule of the plant.Lots of coconut milk is poured into each one till full to the brim.Then the sweets are steamed slowly, until the soft chewy coconut-cream tasting sticky rice filling, and crispy light green-yellow container wrapping the sticky rice is ready to be eaten.
The plants found for the Photos in this article were found and prepared by Mr. Baw and his family.
Please read Mr. Baw’s diary elsewhere on this website.

Picture left - Preparing the Morling Morkhang by filling the plant with sticky rice, coconut milk (กะทิ), and grated coconut flesh.

Fotos by Spencer Littlewood - cook in fotos “Ree” (Mr. Baw’s wife).

Fried Snapper fish in "red sauce"

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:05:00 +0000

ปลากะพงน้ำแดง

Red sauce is a "pour-over" sauce, used to enhance the flavour of the fis, and is quite a common preference in Thailand to use this with fish recipes. You can vary thespicyness of this sauce, depending on your taste and tolerance. For those who dont like a strong taste of fish, a little more chilli will reduce the effect bof fishiness.For my tatses, snapper is a very non fishy tasting kind of fish, and has such a clean fine wonderful white flaky flesh to it that the mouth just waters thinking about it. A bit like haddock maybe.This dish can be served with boiled rice, or on its own as an hor d'hoevre too, even with plain rice soup it is delicious.

Ingredients;
Snapper fish - 500gm, belly pork - 100gm, 3 dried wood mushrooms, 300gms of Morning Glory plant (leaves not flowers), grated ginger (1/2 a cup). Finely sliced red chillies (or capsicum if you dont like spicy), 1 tablespoon of diced garlic, 1 tablesp[oon of sugar, 2 teblespoons of oyster sauce, 1 teblespoon og maggi or golden mountain seasoning sauce.
2 tablespoons of cornflour or flour, white pepper (1/2 teaspoon), 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and one cup of stock water. (also of course some vegetable oil for frying).

Preparation Method;\
rub the white pepper and salt over the fishmeatdip in the oil and flour and put on one side to marinate.
Slice the belly pork into thin slices. Take the morning glory, and select the youngest freshest sprigs, and wash them well. As for the wood mushrooms; soak them in tepid water until they swell and become soft to the middle when you squeeze them, and then slice them into small slices too. Cut the skin off the ginger root, wash it and slice it into thin fine slices (as if grated - you can grate it if you like but it will become mushy). Put the wok on the stove and heat the oil until it smokes a little. Add the fish and fry until it attains a golden color and looks crispy.The take the fish out and put to the side (you can use some kitchen paper to remove the extra fat if you like to slim). Fry the morning glory in the same oil and place on a plate to one side too. Add the garlic and fry till it is golden and has a wonderful aroma, add the belly pork, mushrooms, and fry unitl they are cooked - add the stock.

Add the oyster sauce, seasoning sauce, and sugar, fry until they all mix together - taste it to see if it has the right flavour (it should be slightly sweet/salty), and the cornflour should be well dissolved in the gravy.
Stir fry a little more to bring to the boiling point - once bubbling, pour it over the piece of fish and morning glory, and sprinkle the ginger, and red pepper/chilli/capsicum, anmd serve immediately whilst still sizzling!

Bittergourd and spare rib soup

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:58:00 +0000

มะระตุ๋นกระดูกหมู

This Chinese influenced Thai soup recipe should use the soft, gristle pieces of bone from the pig, so that when it is well boiled, the bones will be soft and chewable.The harder pieces opf bone on the spare rib serve to add flavourto the stock.

If you don't like bittergourd, then you can use pumpkin or courgette, or even fresh bamboo shoot if you like.the bittergourd should be soake preferably in rock sugar not table sugar, because it will have a bore even balanced flavour to the soup broth.

The other essential ingredient to this soup is "hed Horm" (chinese wood mushrooms), which lend a superior aroma to the broth, permeating it with a wholesome savoury flavour.

Ingredients;

Pork Bones (preferably spare ribs with the cartilage still connected - 500g.
Bittergourd 1kg, or 2 medium ones
6 dried Chinese wood mushrooms
4 coriander roots, one Tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of salt, 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of "Gao Gii" (เก๋ากี้)
and some water for soaking.

Preparation method;

Take the dried mushrooms and soak in tepid water until they swell open (unless you are using fresh ones, in which case you can clean them straight away).After this, take the bittergourd, slice it longways in half and remove the pith from the middle.Cut it then into relatively large chunks.Bring the water to boil in a pan, and add one tablespoon of salt to it adding the bittergourd once the water is boiling.the water should cover the bittergourd; you should not put a lid on the pan.Let the bittergourd boin for about 20 minutes, and remove the water from the pan - then pour fresh cool water on the bittergourd and put the vegetable on a plate to wait for the next stage.

Next, bring a new pan of water to the boil, add the coriander root, pork ribs, 1 tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of rock sugar. Whilst the soup is simmering, carefully remove the foam from the bone that builds on the surface of the broth. after maybe 20 minutes, you can add the bittergourd and the mushrooms to the broth, and simmer until both the bittergourd and the bones are soft. Add the soy sauce, and test to see if the flavour is to one's taste, adding more soysauce if necessary (or sugar if you feel it should be sweeter).
Serve in a steaming bowl.

Khi Hlek

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:16:00 +0000

Gaeng Khi Hlek Nuea Yaang
แกงขี้เหล็กเนื้อย่าง
(Khi Hlek means "Rust" so "Rust tree" - actually literally tranlsated it means "iron shit" but the word shit is used to accentuate many other words, and does not only refer to excement - the real word for rust is "Sanim", in Thai).
I love Gaeng Khee Hlek i- it has a slightly bitter taste which is complemented by the creamy sweet coconut milk ad the juicy Roasted Beef (Nuea Yaang means barbecued beef). This is not to be found in Farang Restaurants or resorts, as the muddy brown look of it is perhaps disagreeable to many first time visitors to Thailand.. I myself remember years ago riding a bus to Surat thani my first day in Thailand and we stopped at a roadside canteen.. i remember seeing wehat then looked like a load of murky looking curries with seemingly dubious things in them. I now thrive on the less aestheastically pleasing to the eye dishes, as i find, after having tried them, that they are amongst the tastiest of all! Tha's why you often see the Thais on the street eating things you can't imagine what have in them, and would be afraid to try. Many of these recipes look uninviting but blow your tastebuds off if you dare to go for it!Gaeng Khi Hlek is one of these recipes.

Ingredients;

Seasoning Mix;
500 gms Beef
4 cups of Khi Hlek leaves (Cassod tree, Siamese senna, Thai copperpod, Siamese cassia)
Coconut milk 1 kilogram, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 4 tablespoons of Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce)

Curry Mixture;
7 Large dried chilies and 20 Small "Khi Hnuu" chilies - 4 tablesoons of Lemon Grass
1 tablespoon of white Pepper and 4 tablespoons of Garlic cloves - 10 disc shaped slices of fresh cumin root, 2 tablespoons of red Thai schallot onions, 2 tablespoons of Galangal root in slices
a tablespoon or so of finely shredded Kaffir lime leaves, some "Gabpi" (กะปิ hai shrimp paste), and some salt.

Preparation method;

1.Pound the "Prik Gaeng" (seasoning) ingredients together preferably in a mortar and pestle (This is called a "Krok" in Thai; you can buy Krok Thai on this site through amazon), until a paste is formed).
2.Boil the Khi Hlek leaves until they lose their bitterness, then leave them to soak in the water.
3. Take the coconut and "Kan" it (คัน - a machine is used to grate the coconut flesh ending up with the milk, and cream as 2 separate products) - resulting in 4 cups of coconut cream/milk and some coconut flesh too. You can use maybe 4 small cartons of coconut milk or a mix milk and cream 60/40 .. available in most asian stores in your area or if not can use one of the links on this blog to order from amazon.com.
4. Take the beef which you have hopefully already grilled to a juicy texture and appearance, and slice it into bite sized slices. Take the thick cream off the coconut milk and simmer it in the pan until the fat breaks, and add the Prik gaeng (curry seasoning paste which you made in the 'Krok"), sauteeing it lightly until a fine aroma is produced.At this point you should add the roast/grilled/barbecued beef and stir fry for a minute or so..
Add the thin part of the coconut milk (called "Haang Gati" - หางกะทิิ), and bring to the boil, and add the Khi Hlek leaves. Then add the thin part of the coconut milk (called "Haang Gati" - หางกะทิิ), and bring to the boil gently simmering for a while.
Then add the thick creamy part of the coconut milk (called "Hua Gati" - หัวกะทิ); once the Gaeng is boilingfor a few minutes, add the sugar and Nam Pla (fish sauce - น้ำปลา) - test it to check if it
is salty-sweet enough (gaeng Khi Hlek should have a savoury, salty taste with a sweetness to it in the sauce)

Serve!

Khi Hlek tree has been proven to have a negative effect on the liver in casers of Hepatitis sufferers, so please eat in moderation if you have a bad liver. Khi Hlek is reputed to help ypou to sleep if eat and follow down with some warm water before sleeping. Also good for if you have a stuffed somach and constipated.
Below are some links to sites that have info on Khi Hlek, and it's availability

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SESI3

Important Documents on the medicinal properties of Bai Khi Hlek

1. Thongsaard W, Dedachapunya C, Showpittapornchai U. Effects of subacute administration of barakol on liver and kidney function in rats. The 3rd World Congress on Medicinal Plant and Aromatic Plants for Human Welfare, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 3-7 Feb 2003.

2. Murakami A, Kondo A, Nakamura Y, Ohigashi H, Koshimizu K. Possible anti-tumor promoting properties of edible plants from Thailand, and identification of an active constituent, cardamonin, of Boesenbergia pandurata. Biosci Biotech Biochem 1993; 57(11):1971-3.

3. Permtermsin C, Chaichanthipyuth C, Lipipun V, et al. Evaluation of cytotoxic effect of barakol on P19 embryonal carcinoma cell. Thai J Pharm Sci 2002;Vol 26(suppl.):29.

Khee Lek can also be made with a variety ofm other ingredients such as fish or pork.

เครื่องปรุง

แกงขี้เหล็กใส่เนื้อย่าง
ใบอ่อนและดอกขี้เหล็กต้มสุก 2 ถ้วย
เนื้อวัวติดมันนิดหน่อย 2 ขีด
มะพร้าวขูด 1/2 กิโลกรัม
หัวกะทิ 1 ถ้วย
หางกะทิ 2 ถ้วย
น้ำปลาร้าต้มสุก 1/4 ถ้วย
น้ำตาลปีบ 1 ช้อนโต๊ะ
น้ำปลา 3 ช้อนโต๊ะ
น้ำพริกแกงคั่ว 3 ช้อนโต๊ะ

หมายเหตุ เนื้อวัวที่ใช้ให้เอามาย่างแบบน้ำตกแล้วหั่นชิ้นพอคำ

วิธีทำ

1. ผัดหัวกะทิครึ่งถ้วยให้แตกมัน แล้วใส่น้ำพริกแกงคั่ว ผัดให้หอมและแตกมันอีกครั้ง
2. ค่อยๆ ใส่หางกะทิ เอาน้ำปลาร้าใส่ พอเดือดใส่ใบและดอกขี้เหล็ก
3. เคี่ยวจนผักนุ่ม ปรุงรสด้วยน้ำตาลปีบ น้ำปลา ใส่เนื้อย่าง หัวกะทิที่เหลือคนให้เข้ากัน ตักใส่ถ้วย เสิร์ฟ

Khao Soi - Northern Thailand Noodle Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:35:00 +0000

Khao Soi
Many travellers to Thailand's Northern Provinces aquire a taste for the seemingly defty thick noodle soup known as "Khao Soi". Khao Soi is a thick, reddish-orange opaque soup with noodles and chicken. It has an extremely tangy zing to it, and one of the high points is the sprinkling of additional fresh raw vegetables, pickles and spices to the dish yourself after being served.
Many Farang i meet in bangkok who are fresh out of Chiang Mai ask me where they can get some "Khao Soi",and mention thaqt they will miss it when they return home.
So i thought i should publish the recipe for all of you who are away from Thailand and need a dose of Khao Soi!

Ingredients
400 grams of chicken breast
1 pack of egg noodles (Sen Mee - เส้นหมี่่)
1 sachet/can pickled mustard green
2 Tablespoons of red curry paste
1 Tablespoon of curry paste
2 Tablespoons of thin soy sauce, or fish sauce (Nam Pla)
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1/4 cup of ginger
1/4 cup of sliced shallot onions (Hua Horm Daeng)
1 sprig Coriander
1 can coconut cream
3 cups of water
1/2 cup of soya oil for deep-frying
2 Tablespoon of oil for stir-frying

Preparation for the stock
Slice and wash the chicken breast, clean and dice the ginger root, cut into small pieces and grind it up in the mortar with the pestle (pestle and mortar are called "Saak" and "Krok" respectively in that order). Add the red curry paste to the Krok (ครก), and grind it in with the ginger root until well mixed.

Heat oil (for stir-frying) in athe "Gata" (wok) on medium heat. When the oil is hot and smoking, add the "Prik gaeng" (paste you made in the mortar), and stir whilst frying until an aroma is present. Add the chicken breast slices, stirring constantly, add some curry powder, and stir thoroughly.

Divide about 1/4 cup coconut cream (top portion of a can) in a small bowl. Add coconut milk about 1/4 cup at a time in curry paste, stir constantly until chicken breast is cooked, then add the rest of coconut milk.

Let the mixture simmer about 10 minutes, add water, season with thin soy sauce (or fish sauce), and sugar. Bring the mixture to boil and remove from heat.
Preparation for curry sauce: Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, add water, season, bring to boil and remove from heat

Preparation for side serving
Peel shallot, wash dirt, and cut into small dices. For pickled mustard, rinse, and slice into small pieces

Pour 3 cups water in a pot, bring to boil on high heat, then add pickled mustard, and let it boil about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, place in a bowl, add about 1 Tbsp white vinegar, and mix thoroughly.
Preparation for side serving: Boil water, add pickled mustard, boil for 10 minutes, drain, rinse in cold water, add 1 Tbsp white vinegar and mix thoroughly

Pour 5 cups water in a pot, bring to boil on high heat, separate egg noodle loosely then add into boiled water, and boil until the noodles cook. Drain and rinse in cold water. Then add about 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, and mix thoroughly so they don't stick together.
Preparation for side serving: Boil water, separate the egg noodles loosely then add into boiled water until cook. Drain and rinse in cold water. Then add about 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, and mix thoroughly

Heat oil about 3 Tbsp in a wok on medium heat. When oil is hot, add 1 Tbsp grounded red chillies, and fry about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preparation for side serving: Heat oil, add 1 Tbsp grounded red chillies, and fry about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside
Heat oil about 1/2 cup in a wok on medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add about 1/2 ball of egg noodles (disentangle them first), and deep-fry until golden brown and crisp. Remove from heat and drain on paper towel.

Heat divided coconut cream in a microwave about 1 minute. Wash coriander, and chop the leavesfinely for sprinkling over the soup when serving..

Serving
Put the egg noodles in a bowl, pour curry sauce, add sliced pickled mustard and diced shallots, top with crispy egg noodles, coriander, and coconut cream. Serve hot with a piece of lime and chilli oil.

Links;
www.ucancookthai.com

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Tom Kloeng Pla Grorb - Crispy fish soup

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:13:00 +0000

ต้มโคล้งปลากรอบ
Tom Kloeng Pla Grorb - Spicy Sour soup with crispy fish.
I thought i would introduce one of the lesser known recipes now that the blog is beginning to take shape

Tom Kloeng Pla Grorb is a spicy, sour-tasting soup, some recipes prefer to use young tamarind leaf, others use the flower of the Tamarind tree.This assists in lending a more sour taste and special aroma to the soup.Th crispy fish adds a sweet taste and a smoky aroma to the dish. If you cant find Pla Grorb (a kind of fried or smoked dried fish), you can use some other kind of fish if you like. ( i recommend a smoked fish as this is part of the taste of the soup.
Ingredients;
Pla Grorb 8 units (8 dried fish)
6 Tomatoes
6 hom daeng (red small Thai shallots)
200gms straw mushrooms
3 lemongrass stalks
6 Kaffir lime leaves
4 pieces of Galangal root, sliced into oval slices
8 small dried chillies
1/2 a cup of fresh coriander leaves
1 teaspoon of sugar
4 tablespoons of lemon juice (lime juice if you can)
6 tablespoons of Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce)
3 cups of stock
save some coriander for decoration when serving.

Preparation method;

1.Roast the pla grorb on the stove for a few minutes to give them aroma, and place to one side.(you can roast them in a dry fryingpan/wok, or even grill or in the oven. In Thailand, most households have an earthen barbeque pot for making charcoal barbeque with.This is what is used to roast the fish with.
2.wash and chop the tomatoes, likewise wash the straw mushrooms thoroughly and slice into halves
3.take the shallots and dried chillies and dry-roast them in the "grata" (grata is the name for the wok-like frying pan used) with a little salt, and place to one side for the moment.
4.put the stock in a saucepan along with the Kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal root, chillies and hom daeng shallots, mushrooms and coriander.
5. once boiling, add the pla grorb and tomatoes, sugar, fish sauce. Switch the heat of and add the lemon/lime juice, whilst stirring continually to make sure the mixture binds.
Serve with some fresh coriander to garnish.
(if you don't like coriander leaf, then you can use parsley as a substitute).

Mama! The world of Instant Noodles

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:07:00 +0000

Thai Instant Noodles

Mamais the colloquial phrase used to mean instant noodles. In fact, "Mama" is the name of maybe the most successful brand of instant noodle in Thailand, and has become such an institution here, that people say "Mama", even if they mean "Wai Wai" or "Quik" brand! - whatever the case, instant noodles are as common as Coca Cola here. I must admit that i spent the first few years here only tryuing the "Mama" brand, thinking that they must be the best, as they seemed so popular and well known. These days, i have different brands for different recipes that i like.If i want to eat white vermicelli (bamee sen Mee) in clear soup, then i go for the Mama brand, but if i wish to eat "Phad Chaa" ( a dry noodle, with chili and basil leaf, quite spicy), then i go for Wai Wai Noodles

Mama brand Thai instant chan clear soup - 10 packs

The importance of Instant Noodles in Southeast Asia

When flooding is rife, when people are stuck on an island because boats can't take the people off in the storm, when poverty strikes - so many situations depend on the existence of "Mama" noodles, as well as a few other not so important seeming, but equally necessary for survival items (such as "Pla Grapong - tinned mackerel). When no fresh food is available for whatever reason, instant noodles are distributed to the affected parties , along with of course fresh water, candles, lighters and tinned fish (Canned mackerel in tomatoe sauce), rice.I myself have experienced poverty here ( i lived for ten days with 300 baht once which is less than 10 dollars!). If there were no instant noodles, i could not have lived so cheaply. A packet of instant noodles here costs only 6 baht (written July 2008). so in principle if you aren't too fat (i am slim), you can live on 3 bowls a day, which adds up to 18 baht! Poor people in the country rely on these products to fill their bellies every day. if you have 2 dollars a day to live on then you aren't going to spend it on one mean in an "Aharn Dtam Sang" shop (food made to order street restaurant), where it will cost you anything from 20 to 50 baht, depending on how you order.

Apart from the Cultural and economical facets of the story of Instant noodles in Thailand, and the fact that they are so dirt cheap, it is also true to say that instant noodles are absolutely delicious! There are so many different flavours now, maybe 100 or more - and about 5 main brand names. In this article i shall try to cover all the pssible brands and flavours i can find over the next weeks - meaning that you must return to this post to see the new info i add as i go along (as i do with most posts actually.)

Buy Instant Noodles Online Now!

Mama Clear soup Vermicelli! this has a real authentic texture to the noodle, they are almost the same as fresh noodles! the clear soup is a porky taste and apart from the stock powder provided, has garlic oil in the sachets inside the packet, which add a really fantastic tang to the taste of the soup. It also has some white pepper in the mixture, so be prepared for a peppery taste, but it isn't so hot that you break out in a sweat.This is one of my favourites when i am a bit low on power and feel a little ill, this clear soup really boosts my energy when i feel weak, and helps me to get my appetite back. Mama Sen Mee Nam sai(clear soup vermicelli) , is a meal that you can eat Instant noodles are quick and easy to make, and are perfect for that in-between-meal snack to keep you going until dinner time,. without leaving you so full that you can't eat later. The massive array of flavours and brands available boggles the mind, leaving one indecisive about which of them one should eat this time !

Phad Thai Thai Kitchen Noodle Cart, Pad Thai, 2.25-Ounces (Pack of 12)
Ingredients
Rice Noodles (Rice, Water), Seasoning Packet (Pure Cane Sugar, Tamarind, Soybean Sauce (Dried) [Water, Soybeans, Salt, Corn Starch, Maltodextrin], Shallot (Dried), Salt, Onion Flavor (Dried) [Onion, Soybean Oil], Silicon Dioxide [to Prevent Caking], Green Onions (Dried), Chili (Dried), Garlic (Dried), Paprika, Pepper, Oil Packet (Soybean Oi).

List Price: $27.12

Price: $20.86 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

You Save: $6.26 (23%)

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Another of my favourite flavours is "Namtok" flavour. Namtok means "waterfall" in Thai, but actually is used to refer to noodle recipe, and also a grilled meat recipe from Isan country (Northeast). "Namtok" noodles, if freshly made, get some fresh blood poured into the soup at he end to lend a brownish colour to the soup, and add an amazingly tangy flavour to the dish. In the West, some people have an aversion to blood, but actually it gets cooked in the first seconds that it is poured into the boiling soup, and has a fantastic flavor and aroma! The instant Namtok noodle variety has an amazingly similar taste to the authentic fresh variety. If you have some mint leaves at home then you can garnish the soup with a couple of leaves, this will add a wonderful aroma to the soup, and increase the authenticity of the flavor. I often buy the "look chin" (fish or meatballs) and add them to the soup to make it a bit more "beefed up" - just adding on ore two of your favourite ingrediants makes the soup so much more luxurious. you can add a spoon of mincemeat or some fine shreds of chicken whatever you like, a few shrimps in the tom yam kung makes the dish come to life. But even if you just go for the purist way and eat them as they are, they are delicious.

Gaeng Som - Sour Curry - many styles

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:41:00 +0000

Pic Left; "Gaeng Som Dork Kae" - Sour Curry with Dork Kae Flowers.
Sour Curry, or "Gaeng Som" as the Thais call it, is one of my favourite recipes.Some people call it yellow curry, but actually if you buy yellow curry paste it is more like the indian curry powder taste than that of gaeng som. Ganeg Som is made from an "orange" paste that can be bought in most markets, or as in some of the recipes below, be made freshly oneself. As I was new to Thailand, i found it hard to stomach Gaeng Som, (which was difficult at that time, as i got my food from the factory next door and ate free with the workers - we were in the South, in Surat Thani, and Gaeng Som was on the menu about 4 times a week). But strangely, after a while of being fed it often enough, i develped an aquired taste for it, and sometimes even moaned when we hadn't had Gaeng Som for a few days already.

If you can manage to keep at it, or if you like sour stuff anyway, then give Gaeng Som sour curry soup a few tries and see if you get the bug.
There are many different variations, not all of which everybody likes, which is the problem. It may take a few tries of the different variations before you find the one that is your special favourite.
Gaeng Som Kung Dork Kae - Shrimp Sour Curry soup with Dork Kae flowers

Ingredients
Shrimps - 1/2 Kilo
Canned Fish (in tomatoe sauce) - 1 can (155 gram pla yim brand)
Dry Chilli (big size) - 5 chillies
Dry Chilli (small size) - 10 chillies
pumpkin or gourd vegetable - 1/2 a fruit.
Tamarind Syrup 4 ladlefuls/cups
Galangal Root (sliced in diagonal thin slices - this root is a natural medicine, good for bladder, liver and kidneys - also good for stomach problems and bad digestion).
Lemongrass (this is also a medicinal herb - good for everything including colds and hangovers)
Dork Kae (Sesbania grandiflora - a kind of flowering plant in Thailand) , preferably with pollen.
(dork kae is easily planted and is used on roadsides and in fields to regenerate the nutritional values of the earth)
Shrimp Paste - one soup spoon

Seasoning;
Fresh Orange juice (of the choo variety)
Fish sauce (Nam Pla)
Sugar

Gaeng Som Cha-Om Tord - Sour Curry with fried Cha-Om

Another version is to use the rather smelly but extremely tasty (in the same way that garlic is smelly and tasty - it hangs on your breath), "Cha-Om".
Cha Om is a fern-like plant that grows on the roadsides and forms the hedgerow of many a rural farmhouse.
Cha - Om is a fern-like plant that grows easily all over Thailand. In the North, the Thais prefer to eat Cha-Om in the dry season, as they believe that in the monsoon, Cha-Om takes on a smelly, rancid, sour taste to it, whereas in the dry season it has more of a toasted aroma, when fried. Cha-Om is usuall eaten fried with omelette and shrimp paste dip (Nam Prik Gapi), as it is seen to have been prepared prior to having been added to this Sour Curry soup too.
Gang Som Kung Cha-Om Tord (sour shrimp curry with fried Cha-Om) is a real super-tasty suop which we might refer to as a "Hot and Sour Soup".
Tangy is definitely the word for this recipe..

Links;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesbania_grandiflora
Cha-Om (Acacia pennata subsp. insuavis)
is one of thirteen Acacia species native to Thailand. This thorny multipurpose shrub or small tree up to 5 m tall grows extensively throughout the country in homestead. However, small plantations for commercial harvest of edible leaves can be also found.
http://www.acacia-world.net/html/a_pennata.html

Gaeng Som Chaom Khai Het Khaem Tong

Sour Curry with Goldneedle mushrooms, egg and Cha-Om
This is a real special kind of Ganeg som - the reason i didn't explain the method for preparing the gaeng Som Kung Cha-Om tord above this is because the method is almost the same as the one i am about to explain below.

Preparation Method;

Clean, prepare and lay out all your ingredients first. You will need;
Ingredients -
Cha-Om - one large bushel (it is sold in bushels), or 2 smaller bushels
Goldneedle mushrooms 100 grams
3 chicken eggs
Shrimps - 200 grams
Fish (for mixing in the curry paste) - one fish (you can substitute the fishmeat for 10 shrimps instead if no fish available).
Dry chillies (BIG SIZE) - 8-10 pieces
Thai schallots - 8-10
tamarind paste one tablespoon or more
shrimp paste, one tablespoon
salt 1/2 teaspoon
cane sugar paste
fish seasoning sauce (nam pla)
oil for frying the cha-om omellete.

Step one; Soak the chillies a bit first to release the aroma. Whilst the chillies are softening up, you can set a small saucepan on the stove and boil a bit of water in it, this is for the fish to cook the meat, which will later be separated from the bones and skin etc, and mixed in to the "Prik Gaeng (พริกแกง - curry paste). The prik gaeng is the heart and soul of any Thai curry, whose making methods should be learnt in order to master the art of Thai Currymaking. The other essential thing to have well practised is the use of the pestle and mortar to bash the seasoning ingredients together into pastes and mixtures.
This is called "Tham" (the act of hitting the mortar with the pestle to grind up things with.Tham means to grind, basically. If you make the pastes with the "krok" (mortar), then you will achieve the authentic Thai touch that so often is missing when eating out in Thai restaurants in the Western world.

simply boil the fish in the saucepan until it is cooked thoroughly.

Whilst the fish is boiling, we can use the time to just zip over here for a minute, and see to the dried chillies (that aren't so dry anymore).We have to do that movement now with the pestle and mortar and grind the chillies and salt into a paste. Throw the chillies into the mortar along with some salt, and start grinding with a spiralling sideways movement.

The salt helps to liquidize the chillies, which are now softened from the soaking in water.Add the Hua Horm red shallot onions and grind into the mixture.

As you can see in the picture, the chillies have now become a thick paste, due to the roasting and grinding with salt.You should then add some "Gapi" - salted shrimp paste and mix it in until you get a creamy texture.After this, the fish should be cooked already. We can then take the fish and remove all the bones and inedible parts out and separate the fine flaky fishmeat. This also added to the "Prik Gaeng". Once pounded into a fine, creamy paste, the prik gaeng takes on a lovely warm orangey-saffron colour - which is, of course what lends the name of "Gaeng Som" to the dish ("som" means orange). I find it strange how we call it sour yellow curry, and not "orange curry". It is more orange than yellow, after all.

Once the fish is mixed into the paste it takes on a really thick bright orange texture and colour .

Follow the pictures, which leave no explanation necessary, and i shall continue to explain when we get a bit further down the page.

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Add the Prik Gaeng to the water in the pan and bring to the boil.

Then take the tamarind sauce that you already placed to one side.....

And add it to the simmering soup.

Then add the following....

Fish Sauce (Nam Pla) - i recomment Tipros (tiparosa) or Pla Muek brand (squid brand). The brand with the chef carrying a giant shrimp is not to be recommended..it is mainly salted water, and has little fish taste to it.

Add the palm sugar, and simmer the soup for 5 minutes
The soup will have taken on a thicker consistency and an more opaque - this is part of what makes a gaeng som so tasty - the reducing of liquid along with the fish meat mixed into the prik gaeng paste makes this soup a very defty dish. A well known secret is that gaeng som tastes better after it has been left for some hours, or even on the next morning (yes, gaeng som is one of the few curries that do not go putrid quickly in Thailand - coconut milk ones last only half a day unless you reboil them constantly)
Take the Cha-Om leaf......................and beaten eggs

And mix them together

Heat some oil in the "Grata", and fry the chaom with egg, as if it was an omelette.
Once fried to a crispy consistency, the Cha-Om is then cut up into square dice-shaped pieces, and should look like the picture below.

Take the shrimps and add them to the soup - let it boil for 3 -5 minutes

Add the golden needle mushrooms and stir.......

Add the crispy cubes of Cha-Om Tord Khai, and the gaeng Som is Ready to serve!

Cha-Om Tord Khai is a recipe that can be eaten alone too. Normally with "Nam Prik Gapi" (shrimp paste dip), and "Pla Tu" (a kind of fish, the word covering several species), normally steamed in baskets.

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Water Mimosa - Grached

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:26:00 +0000

ผักกระเฉด Krachet (Water Mimosa)

Known in English as Water Mimosa, a popular Thai vegetable. Often cooked in spicy salads or fried with meats. It is particularly delicious in Gaeng Som bpae sa soup (with snakefish).
Also popular is to fry with yellow bean sauce and crispy pork

creative commons image rights

foto; clay irving

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayirving/2412085067/in/photostream/

Pad Thai & How to make it

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:42:00 +0000

Pad Thai (ผัดไท)- fried rice noodles with peanuts, egg, tofu and beansprouts. A slice of Lime is served alongside this, perhaps the most beloved dish of all Thai food recipes with "Farang" visitors to Thailand. The noodles are fried with dried shrimps, egg and tofu (you can add meat if you like, or leave it vegetarian); - the fresh crunchy raw beansprouts are then added to it at the end, along with the slice of Lime, which lends a succulent contrast to the sweetness of the ground peanuts and sugar added to the wok (called "Grata" in Thai) whilst stir-frying.
There are about as many different versions and ways of making Pad Thai, as there are noodle stalls in Thailand; Each and every cook seems to have his or her own particular method. The most delicious Pad Thai I personally have ever eaten, was in Ban Thai village on Koh Pangan Island in the Gulf of Thailand, close by to the now massive Package tourist destination, Koh Samui. The owner of the shop was calle "Oe", and she used Thao Hu Yee to lend a red colour to the sticky-sweet red noodles that she would serve rolled up in a spiral on the plate with cucumber slices, banana flower, spring onion shoots, and a slice of fresh Lime to squeeze over the noodles and balance out that sticky-sweetness. The "Special" version of Pad Thai is "Pad Thai Hor Khai (ผัดไทห่อไข่).

Pad Thai Hor Khai - ผัดไทยห่อไข่

Recipe No.1 Pad Thai Kung Sodh - fresh shrimp Pad Thai

Ingredients;
flat white rice noodles (454 grams, one sachet.) ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเส้นเล็ก (454 กรัม) 1 ห่อ
Fresh Prawns (10) กุ้งสด 10 ตัวDried Shrimp - 1/2 Cup กุ้งแห้ง ½ ถ้วย
roasted peanuts (home roasted in the Grata) - 1/2 Cup ถั่วลิสงคั่ว ½ ถ้วย
4 Eggs ไข่ไก่ 4 ฟอง
Solid Tofu chopped into cubes - 1 Cup เต้าหู้แข็งหั่นชิ้นเล็ก 1 ถ้วย
1 red Schalotte onion หัวหอมแดง 1 หัว
1/4 Cup of Salted Hua Chai Poe (หัวไชโป๊เค็ม)
3 cloves of Garlic กระเทียม 3 กลีบ
Fresh Beansprouts - 300 grams ถั่วงอกสด 300 กรัม
Guy Chay leaf - 200 grams ใบกุ่ยช่าย 200 กรัม
1/4 Cup vegetable oil/Soya oil น้ำมันสำหรับทอด 1/3 ถ้วย
1 Cup of the flavouring sauce - น้ำซอสปรุงรส 1 ถ้วย
Flavouring Sauce;
Tamarind juice - 6 tablespoons น้ำมะขามเปียก 6 ช้อนโต๊ะ
Tomato sauce - 4 tablespoons ซอสมะเขือเทศ 4 ช้อนโต๊ะ
Light Soya sauce - 2 tablespoons ซีอิ้วขาว 2 ช้อนโต๊ะ
Sugar - 2 tablespoons น้ำตาลทราย 2 ช้อนโต๊ะ
Raw sugar paste 3 tablespoons น้ำตาลปี๊ป 3 ช้อนโต๊ะ
1/2 teaspoon salt เกลือป่น ½ ช้อนชา
dried chilli powder - 1 teaspoon พริกป่น 1 ช้อนชา

Below is a video of how to make pad thai in english

Joy's Thai Food

Different Noodle Varieties

Pad Thai can be made using any of the many variations of Noodles that come in all shapes, textures and sizes in Thailand;

Food as you wish - Aharn dtam sang

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Fri, 23 May 2008 20:54:00 +0000

Aharn dtam sang - อาหารตามสั่ง

it is a great pity for non-Thai speakers that Thai roadside restaurants and quick walk in walk out food markets have a myriad of fascinating concoctions that they can cook up for you, basically exactly according to your taste many of which are not included/translated into the much smaller english menus that some places have.
There are a quantity of basic recipes which you can then embellish whilst ordering by indicating extra ingredients or how much of what to put in there.
For example we could order "Pad kapraow" (fried chili and basil leaf)
then we could say with chicken or fish or beef, crispy pork, porkmince, liver etc, adding that we would like a shot of black dark soya sauce in it and a lot of sugar.We can order it spicy or mild, sweet or salty.
It's a matter of what you can invent with what they have in stock, and they make it for you.
Some of the main fryups recipe names are;
Pad Kapraow, Pad Prik Gaeng, Pad Prik Pao, Pad Phed, Pad See Iw, Pad Kanaa, Khaw Pad.

Soupy like ones are;
Tom Yam (lemongrass soup), Gaeng Som (yellow curry-soup), Gaeng Phed (red curry), Gaeng Khiaw Hwaan (green curry), Tom Kha (Galangal and coconut cream soup/curry).

links;

http://www.samui-center.com/samuiforum/aspboard_QuestionView.asp?GID=266&catid=5

http://www.pantown.com/board.php?id=9908&area=4&name=board6&topic=360&action=view

Crispy Belly Pork - หมูกรอบ

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:41:00 +0000

Crispy Belly Pork (Hmoo Grorb - หมูกรอบ).

Hmoo Grorb is my favourite ingredient in many Thai food recipes.

Especially with made to order fastfood ("Aharn dtaam sang" - อาหารตามสั่ง), in the street restaurants.

Hmoo Grorb is a cut of belly pork that has been passed through 3 stages of preparation - boiling frying and marinating.

The end result of the preparation method is a golden sheet of ultra light and crispy pork with three textures (chewy meat, juicy fat and crispy/dry skin).

It is indeed called "three story pork" in Thai (Hmoo Saam Chan - หมูสามชั้น)

it is used in very many recipes and stir frys; hmoo grorb is prepared separately in advance to opening the restaurant. Most people eat out to enjopy this delicacy, due to the fact that the preparation is time consuming and one must use a rather large piece of pork for the technique to work properly.

Preparation method;

Ingredients:-
Three story pork (choose some that has thick layers of lean meat with a little fat).

Cut into three inch wide pieces. Take 2 to three cloves of Garlic, and some Thai Coriander.
2 teaspoons of pepper and one teaspoon of salt.
(put another teaspoon of salt in the water when you are boiling the pork).
One tablespoon of light soya sauce (dek somboon is good brand, they have with wood mushroom flavour too),a tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of maggi flavouring (Golden Mount brand have a better tasting alternative).
Take a fork and stab holes all over the pork (except for the skin which is too tough to stab).

Some of the classic recipes for Hmoo Grorb are;

Pad Kapraow

Pad Prik Gaeng

Pad Prik Paow

Kanaa Hmoo Grorb

Khaw Hmoo Daeng Hmoo Grorb

links:
febie at bloggang
http://www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id=febie/&month=04-2008&date=08&group=5&gblog=23

kruaglaiban
http://www.kruaklaibaan.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1628

วิธีทำหมูกรอบ

เครื่องปรุง

◊ หมูสามชั้น(เลือกที่มีเนื้อเยอะๆ)หั่นเส้นยาวหนาประมาณ ๑ นิ้ว ๓ ชิ้น

◊ กระเทียม ๒-๓ กลีบใหญ่ (๑ หัวเล็ก)◊ รากผักชี(ก้านผักชี)

◊ พริกไทย ๒ ช้อนชา◊ เกลือ ๑ ช้อนชา(ไว้ใส่ตอนต้มอีก ๒ช้อนโต๊ะ)

◊ ซีอิ๊วขาว ๒ ช้อนโต๊ะ◊ ซอสปรุงรส ๑ ช้อนโต๊ะ◊ น้ำตาลทราย ๑ ช้อนโต๊ะ

เอาส้อมมาจิ้มหมูให้เป็นรูๆ (ยกเว้นตรงหนังจิ้มไม่เข้า)

Fried Chilli & Basil - an all time classic

noreply@blogger.com (Jack Sparrow 007) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:54:00 +0000

Fried Chilli & Basil ผัดกระเพา
Thaifood Recipes for Thailand Cookery enthusiasts

It is a common Thai saying that when you don't know what to order then you always go for "Pad Kapraow" (meaning fried hot basil leaf).
This recipe is probably the most ordered and eaten in Thailand, and is a beloved dish with both locals and foreigners.
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This Thaifood recipe can be used for all manner of ingredients apart from that it doesn't seem to work with vegetarian ingredients - the bitter Kapraow leaf doesnt complement the recipe if there is no meat of fish/seafood in it.
I find that it doesn't work with squid, as it tastes too bitter (matter of opinion, as some people swear by "Pad Kapraow Bplaa Hmueg "fried chilli and basil with squid").
Decide for yourself, i personally recommend fried chilli and basil to be made with beef, pork, minced chicken, shrimp, or. "Hmuu Grorb" - crispy belly pork (especially recommended).

Pic left; kapraow Gung (shrimps with hot basil leaf). This is i believe to be more delicious with baby corn cobs than with green beans, due to the fact that most street restaurants throw the green beans in to boost the size of your meal, I have become rather bored with green beans.
I prefer to have less on my plate and more quality of taste.

I did once go crazy on the fresh green beans here, because in Europe these days you cant get fresh beans anymore.But now the years of green bean fever have worn off and prefer to eat other things.
To make a successful "Pad Kapraow" (fried chilli & basil as it is called in hotels and resorts), you need to know one special secret first, that not even that many Thai cooks know;
You need to add a tiny amount of black soya sauce (there is a light and a thick dark version, i mean the thick dark molasses-like one).

If you don't add this even if a drop or two, then the color and aroma of the Pad kapraow will never have that authentic "Kick" that you always remember from your favourite roadside restaurant.
Below, i explain the preparation method for fried chilli and basil.

There are many different recipes and ways that people make Pad Kapraow - here are some of the most popular ones, and a few rare ones too.

FRIED CHICKEN WITH CHILLI AND BASIL
Serves 2 People
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 large red chilli
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 x 200 g (7 oz) skinless chicken breasts, sliced on the diagonal
• 300 g (10 1/2 oz) snake beans or green beans, cut into 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) lengths on the diagonal
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (Nam Bplaa - น้ำปลา)
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 large red chillies, cut lengthways, seeds removed, extra
• 15 g (1/2 cup) Hot basil leave, or regular basil
TO SERVE steamed jasmine rice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roughly chop the garlic and chilli. Place in a mortar and pestle with the salt and stamp it into a coarse paste.

If you don't have a mortar and pestle, place the garlic and chilli on a chopping board, sprinkle with salt and finely mince with a knife, using the side of the knife to crush the cloves into a paste.

Place a wok or frying pan (called "Gata" - กะทะ in Thai) over a high heat for 1 minute.
Heat the oil until it is nearly smoking and add the garlic chilli paste. Stir-fry for about 15 seconds until lightly golden with a toasted aroma.
At this point you should add the basil leaves, some),
Add the minced meat (pork or chicken or even beef if you like) and beans (you can swop thie beans for baby sweetcorn or your other favourite vegetables - straw mushrooms or champignons or shitaake work well too).
Fry the mixture in the gata, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes at a relatively high heat.
When the meat is nearly cooked, you should add the fish sauce (Nam Bplaa), soy sauce (See Iw - สีอิ๊ว), sugar, and chilli and some "Pong Choo Ros" (monosodium glutamate - you can drop this if you don't wish to consume it.
Optionally you can add a little oyster sauce too if you wish (i recommmend it).
Then turn up the heat and stirfry for about 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat .
Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice

สูตรทำผัดกะเพรา ภาษาไทย

ลองแบบนี้นะคะน้ำมันเจียวกระเทียมจนหอมใส่หมู หรือ ไก่

ผัดจนสุกใส่พริกขี้หนูบุบพอแตกผัดต่อเร็วๆเติมน้ำปลา น้ำตาลเล็กน้อย

แล้วจึงใส่ใบกระเพราผัดเร็วอีกแล้ว

ใช้ไฟแรงด้วยนะคับ

จากนั้นจึงใส่ข้าวสวยลงไปข้าวที่ผัดดีน่าจะเป็นข้าวเย็นที่หุงทิ้งไว้นานจนกินเป็นข้าวเปล่า

ไม่อร่อยแล้วนั่นแหละคลุกกันจนทั่ว ยกลง ตักใส่จาน รับประทานกับน้ำปลาพริก

ไข่ดาวอยากหรูทอดใบกระเพราให้กรอบโรยหน้าเล็กน้อยแถมแกงจืดสักถ้วยก็ได้สังเกต...

สูตรนี้ไม่ใช้น้ำมันหอยหรือซอสปรุงสำเร็จใดๆเพราะเวลารับประทานมันจะเอียนน่ะค่ะ

สูตร 2

ใส่กระเทียมและพริกตำในครก ตั้งน้ำมันไฟแรงค่ะใส่กระเทียมกับพริกตำเจียวซักพักให้เริ่มเหลืองนิดเดียว ใส่หมูผัดจนสุกใส่น้ำมันหอยนิดหนึง ใส่ซอสภูเขาทองนิด ซีอิ้วขาวหน่อย น้ำตาลแค่ปลายช้อน ผงปรุงรสรสหมู น้ำปลา ชิมรสตามแต่ชอบ ใส่ใบกระเพรา ปิดไฟ เน้นว่าต้องไฟแรงค่ะ

สูตร 3

เตรียม กระเทียม+พริกสด โขลกหยาบๆ พักไว้ เด็ดใบกระเพรา พักไว้ หมูสับ ประมาณ 30 บาท(จานนี้) แล้วก็ซอสภูเขาทอง,ซอสหอยนางรม,ซีอิ๊วดำนิดหน่อย, น้ำตาล 1.ตั้งน้ำมันให้ร้อนๆ ใส่พพริก+กระเทียมลงไป ผัดๆให้เหลืองๆ 2.ใส่หมูลงไป ผัดๆนิดหน่อย แล้วก็ใส่ซอสภูเขา 2 ชต.+ซอสหอยฯ 3 ชต.+น้ำตาล 1/2 ชต. + ซีอิ๊วดำนิดหน่อยเพิ่มสีสัน (ไม่ได้ตวงหรอกค่ะ กะๆๆเอา) ผัดๆให้สุกดี แล้วชิมดูนะคะ ใส่ใบกระเพราะ คลุกๆพอผักสลดก็พอ

เห็ดเข็มทองทอดกะเพรากรอบ

เห็ดเข็มทอง 300 กรัม หมูสับ 100 กรัม แป้งประกอบอาหาร โกกิ 1 ถุง พริกขี้หนูบุบ 10 เม็ด กระเทียมสับ 5 กลีบ น้ำตาล 1 ช้อนชา น้ำมันหอย 3 ช้อนโต๊ะ ซีอิ้วขาว 1 ช้อนโต๊ะ น้ำซุป 1/4 ถ้วย ใบกะเพรา 1/4 ถ้วย ใบกะเพราทอดกรอบ น้ำมันพืช

1. ในชามผสมใส่แป้งประกอบอาหาร โกกิ ลงไป เทน้ำเปล่าลงไปผสมให้เข้ากัน พักไว้ 2. นำกระทะตั้งไฟใส่น้ำมันลงไป ตั้งไฟให้ร้อน นำเห็ดเข็มทองลงชุบแป้งให้ทั่ว แล้วนำไปทอด จนเหลืองกรอบ ตักขึ้นสะเด็ดน้ำมัน 3. ในกระทะเดียวกัน เทน้ำมันออกเหลือไว้ประมาณ 2 ช้อนโต๊ะ ใส่กระเทียมลงไปผัดพอหอม 4. ใส่หมูสับลงผัดให้ทั่ว ปรุงรสด้วยพริกขี้หนูบุบ น้ำตาล น้ำมันหอย ซีอิ้วขาว และน้ำซุป ผัดให้ เข้ากัน ชิมรสตามชอบ 5. ก่อนยกลงจากเตาใส่ใบกะเพราลงไปผัดเร็ว ๆ ยกลงจากเตา 6. จัดเห็ดเข็มทองที่ทอดแล้วใส่จานเสิร์ฟ ตักผัดกะเพราหมูราดลงไป โรยหน้าด้วยใบกะเพรา ทอดกรอบ ยกเสิร์ฟร้อน ๆ