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Mung Bean Noodles Spicy Salad

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Mung Bean Noodles Spicy Salad (yum wun-sen)

This is a Thai salad that uses mung bean noodles (wun sen) and minced pork. In Thai it is called "yum wun-sen". You can also add fresh shrimp but we didn't have any in stock. You might find this a little spicy but it is up to you how many chillies you add. In the ingredients pictured below, you can see chopped onion, red chilli, lime, roasted peanuts, mung bean noodles, cooked minced pork, spring onion and chopped tomatoes in the middle.


You need to prepare the noodles by first soaking them in cold water for ten minutes and then briefly dipping them into boiling water. Then back to the cold water. Then drain them. Mix the noodles together with the minced pork that has already been well cooked. Add some crushed red chillies. Season with an equal combination of fish sauce and lemon juice. Taste it first and then add sugar for the desired amount. Sprinkle on top the spring onion and roasted peanuts.

Stir-fried Bitter Gourd and Egg

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Stir-fried Bitter Gourd and Egg (pad ma-ra sai khai)

Today we are cooking a stir-fried dish with bitter gourd and egg. In Thai it is called "pad ma-ra sai khai". It is another one of those simple dishes that doesn't take long to prepare or cook. In the ingredients shown below, you can see two eggs and sliced bitter gourd.


You need to prepare the bitter gourd first by washing it and then slicing it in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the insides and then cut into slices like in the picture above. Heat some oil in the work and then add the sliced bitter gourd. Cook until it becomes tender. Season with light soy sauce and oyster sauce. I only had normal soy sauce so hence the darker look. Finish by breaking the eggs into the wok. Give it a good stir until the egg is cooked through.

Stir-fried Beans and Mushrooms

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Stir-fried Beans and Mushrooms (thua khaek pat het)

It is good to have some vegetarian dishes every now and then. This is another good example that is also not spicy. It is Stir-fried beans and mushrooms or "thua khaek pat het" in Thai. As you can see in the ingredients below, there are two different kinds of mushrooms. Starting from the top, you have rice-straw mushrooms, carrots, bean curd skin, green beans and shiitake mushrooms in the center.


There are a few things you need to do first to prepare for this dish before you can start cooking. Firstly, you need to soak the shiitake mushrooms in water overnight in order to soften them. The bean curd skin is often bought dried so you need to soak this in water for about thirty minutes. Once you are all ready, heat some oil in the wok and when it is hot enough, add the mushrooms, beans, carrots and bean curd skin. You will also need to add some water so that it doesn't dry out. Season with sugar and soy sauce.

Fried Shrimp with Basil Leaves

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Fried Shrimp with Basil Leaves


Fried Shrimp with Basil Leaves (pad grapao goong)

Some people might find the dish this week a bit too spicy, but it is not unbearable. It is Fried Shrimp with basil leaves or "pad grapao goong" in Thai. You could also cook it with chicken if you like. In the ingredients pictured below, you can see holy basil leaves and shrimp on the left and bird's eye chillies and garlic cloves on the right.


You need to prepare the chilli and garlic cloves first by pounding them with a mortar and pestle. Heat some oil in a wok and when it is hot, add the chilli mixture. When it becomes fragrant add the shrimps that have already been prepared. Stir well so that everything is well combined. Season with fish sauce and sugar. You could use oyster sauce if you like. Don't cook for too long. At the end, add the basil leaves and give a good stir.

Fried Battered Mushrooms

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Fried Battered Mushrooms (het naang fah chub bpaeng tod)

Today we have a simple dish called Fried Battered Mushrooms or "het naang fah chub bpaeng tod" in Thai. As you can see in the picture below, there are only two basic ingredients. On the left there is a pack of tempura flour and on the right oyster mushrooms.


Cooking is of course very simple. Wash the mushrooms then set them aside to drain. Mix the flour with an equal amount of water. Some people also add an egg. Dip the mushrooms into the batter one at a time and then fry them in hot oil until golden brown. This is best served with chilli sauce.

Chu Chee Tofu

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Chu Chee Tofu (chu chee tao-hoo)

Today we have another vegetarian dish. It is Chu Chee Tofu or "chu chee tao-hoo" in Thai. As you probably know, tofu is often used as a meat substitute in many Thai dishes. In many cases, the finished product looks like the "real thing". In the ingredients below you can see the red curry paste and coconut milk at the top, white tofu on the right and red chilli, palm sugar and kaffir lime leaves on the left. You can use yellow tofu if you like which you will find to be a little saltier.


Cut the tofu into slices much like you do for a cake. Fry this in a pan of oil. Next, heat some coconut cream in a pan until the oil surfaces. Add the red curry paste. Stir it well. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk in order to make a smooth paste. Season it with light soy sauce and palm sugar. Next, add the fried tofu and some more coconut milk. If it is too salty then add some more sugar and coconut milk. I haven't said how much seasoning as it is normal to adjust to your own taste. Finish by adding the kaffir lime leaves and spur chilli. We pre-fried the kaffir lime leaves but you don't need to do that.

Crispy Egg Salad

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Crispy Egg Salad (yum khai foo)

This week we have a crispy egg salad for you which is called "yum khai foo" in Thai. In the ingredients pictured below, you have on the left onion, bird eye chilli, palm sugar, tomatoes and two eggs. On the right you can see carrots, lime, Chinese celery and blanched ground pork. You can also add some garlic.


To cook you need to fry the egg first until crispy. Take it out and drain on some tissue before cutting into bite-sized pieces. Mix together bird eye chillies, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar. Lightly crush it with the flat blade of the knife. Next add the blanched ground pork, sliced onions, tomatoes and carrots and mix it well. Finally add the sliced egg and chopped Chinese celery. We will have another Thai Food Recipe for you

Tom Yum Mushroom Soup

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Tom Yum Mushroom Soup




There are many different kinds of "tom yum" though for me I prefer "tom yum kung" which comes with fresh shrimp. This one is called "tom yum het sot" which is the sour and spicy soup with three kinds of mushrooms. In the ingredients pictured below, you can see, from the top, lemon grass, galangal, Chinese celery, shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, rice-straw mushrooms and kaffir lime leaves. I cook tom yum nearly every week as it is supposed to be good for your health. I normally use chicken and one kind of mushroom. Lately I have been cooking "egg noodle tom yum" a lot which I will share with you later.
 


Put some water in a pot and add the sliced galangal, lemon grass, kaffir limes leaves and chillies. You need to tear the kaffir limes leaves and not cut them. Once it comes to the boil add the three kinds of mushrooms. Season with sugar and light soy sauce. Once everything is cooked, add the celery and turn off the heat. Finally add the lime juice. You need to taste it to make sure that you have a good balance.

Khao Tom Mad

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Khao Tom Mad

 

On the first day of every month, we have the Paknam Food Festival in our town down by the river. During the recent event they promoted the sale of traditional Thai food. One of my favourites is this glutinous rice dessert that contains a banana and black eye peas. In Thai it is called "khao tom mad" or sometimes "khao tom pad". Other ingredients include thick coconut cream, salt and sugar. It is wrapped in banana leaves and tied together with thin strips of bamboo. Everything is natural and certainly beats the modern practice of using foam boxes as containers.

 

Here is a brief outline on how to cook. Wash the long grain glutinous rice and then soak in water for three hours. In the meantime, mix thick coconut cream, salt and sugar together and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add this to the rice. Next put this mixture into a pot over a low heat and stir until it dries out. Next, put some mixture onto a sheet of banana leaves. Place on top some black eye peas and the ripe banana. Then add some more rice mixture. Wrap this up in the banana leaves. Tie two of these packages together. Finally, steam them for two hours.