Thai Cabbage

1/2 head cabbage
2 to 3 tablespoons oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 egg

Slice cabbage into strips, about 1/2-inch wide.
Put oil, garlic, ginger and soy sauce into hot pan.
Add cabbage; stir and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Cover and cook over low heat until it is just tender, about 5 minutes more.
Beat egg and stir into cabbage.
Continue stirring until the egg is cooked.

Thai Noodles (Pad Thai)

Noodles
2/3 pound dried rice stick noodles, preferably medium width
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground chile paste, or to taste*
6 tablespoons catsup
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce*
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
3 cups bean sprouts
3 scallions, sliced into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

* Chile paste is a thick mixture of red chiles, including seeds, ground up with vinegar and garlic.
It is eaten throughout Southeast Asia.
It is sold in the condiment section of Asian grocery stores.

* Fish sauce (”nuoc mam” in Vietnam and “nam pla” in Thailand)’ is the soy sauce of those countries.
It adds a richness that isn’t fishy at all (although it is made from fermented anchovies).
Look for it in glass bottles (denoting higher quality) in the condiment section of Asian markets.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil.
Cook noodles for 2 minutes, then rinse extremely well under cold running water.
(This will ensure the noodles are clean and free of the pungent dried rice flour odor.) Drain noodles in colander and spread out to dry for at least 20 minutes.
The noodles will stick together, but don’t be alarmed.

Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large nonstick saucepan over moderate heat.
Add garlic, shallots and chile paste and allow to sizzle until golden, about 30 seconds.
Add catsup, sugar, fish sauce and salt and reduce slightly, about 1 minute.
Add 2/3 cup chicken stock and reduce heat.
Stirring frequently, simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove 2 tablespoons of the sauce and set aside.

Add noodles to wok and using chopsticks, gently separate the noodles.
Turn often and sauté until noodles absorb all the sauce and are cooked until just tender, about 5 minutes.
Add bean sprouts, scallions and peanuts and fold into the noodles. Remove from heat and set aside.

Topping
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small yellow onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 pound raw medium prawns, peeled and deveined
2 cups broccoli florets, blanched, shocked in ice water and drained
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock

Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in another nonstick pan over moderate heat.
Add yellow onion and garlic and sauté until soft and aromatic, about 1 minute.
Add the prawns.
Toss in pan until they turn opaque, about 2 minutes.
Add broccoli, reserved sauce and the 1/3 cup chicken stock.
Cover and cook until vegetables are thoroughly hot, another 2 minutes.

Garnishes
1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, optional
Fresh chopped cilantro
4 lemon wedges

To serve, portion noodles onto individual dinner plate and top with the prawns and broccoli stir-fry.
Garnish with peanuts, cilantro and lemon wedges.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 540 calories, 16 grams fat, 84 grams carbohydrates, 17 grams protein, 81 milligrams cholesterol, 1,556 milligrams sodium, 27 percent of calories from fat

Thai Chicken Curry

Posted by WingsFan91 8/27/2001 8:46 am

14 ounces Thai coconut milk
1 tablespoon Thai red curry base
1 pound cubed chicken
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons lemon kuice
1 tomato, diced
3 scallions, diced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow pepper, diced
2 teaspoons Thai garlic chili sauce
Fresh sweet basil

In a large saucepan, combine coconut milk with curry base over medium heat until oil appears on top.
Add chicken, seasoning sauce and lemon juice.
Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add remaining ingredients except mushrooms and garlic chili sauce.
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms and garlic chili sauce to taste.
Cover and simmer 2 minutes.

Serve hot over rice.
Garnish with sprigs of fresh sweet basil.

Red Thai Curry (Gaeng Peht Gai)

2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk, unshaken
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon red curry paste, or to taste
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken*, cut into chunks
1 small onion, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar or light brown sugar
Ginger (optional)**
Garlic (optional)**
Lemon grass (optional)**
Bamboo Shoots (optional)***
Eggplant (optional)***
Potato (optional)***
Sweet potato (optional)***
Green beans (optional)***
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (garnish)
Fresh lime juice (garnish)
Jasmine or sticky rice

Carefully open cans of coconut milk, spoon thick coconut cream from top and put into wok, frying pan or medium saucepan.
Heat over medium-high heat until bubbly.
Add curry paste and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until an oily sheen comes to the surface.
Optional additions: If adding garlic, ginger, and lemon grass to enhance the curry, add with curry paste.

Add chicken, stir to coat with curry paste, and fry 2 minutes over medium-high heat.
Add remaining coconut milk from cans, along with onion.
Optional additions: If adding other vegetables, add with coconut milk.

Simmer gently 15 minutes or until chicken and onion are cooked. Add fish sauce and palm sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in fresh basil leaves and lime juice to taste.
Serve with jasmine rice or sticky rice.
Yields 4 servings.

* To substitute for chicken use: 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, or 1 pound pork or beef, cut into thin slices; or 1 pound firm white fish, cut into serving-size pieces.

** Add one or more of the following herbs to curry paste and stir-fry: 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 slices ginger, crushed; 1 stalk lemon grass, peeled and sliced diagonally, using lower third of stalk only.
Remove whole spices before serving.

*** Add one or more vegetables to curry with coconut milk just before simmering: One 8-ounce can drained, sliced bamboo shoots; 1 small eggplant, diced; one potato or sweet potato, parboiled and cut into chunks; fresh green beans.

Thai Pork and Pineapple (Ma Ho)

“Ma Ho” means “galloping horses.”

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground pork
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, minced
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
1 small pineapple, pared, cored and
cut into slices
Snipped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in wok or 10-inch skillet until hot.
Stir-fry garlic until light brown.
Add pork; stir-fry until brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Spoon off fat.
Add peppers, sugar and fish sauce; stir-fry 2 minutes.
Add peanuts and 2 tablespoons cilantro; stir-fry 1 minute. Spoon pork mixture onto pineapple slices.
Sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with hot cooked rice.

Yields 4 servings.

Thai Chile Beef

1 round steak (or stew meat)
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup oil
1 tablespoon hot pepper
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup young baby corn
1 onion
1/2 cup water or beef broth
1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Slice the steak into paper thin slices (if it is frozen partly or very cold this is easier.) Cut into slices 2 x 1-inch thick. Marinate for 1 hour in the ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder and flour.

Stir-fry in the oil for 2 minutes the hot pepper, bell pepper, mushrooms, corn and onion.

Add the water and cover and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the sauces.
Toss lightly and serve over rice.

Makes 2 servings.

Thai Bananas in Sticky Rice (Khao Tom Mad)

1 2/3 cup sweet (glutinous) rice
2 cups coconut cream
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
8 ounces dried black beans (optional)
4 small bananas, halved
8 pieces banana leaf or aluminum foil, 6 x 10 inches

Soak the glutinous rice in water overnight, then drain.
If you want to include the black beans soak them overnight also and boil until soft.

Combine coconut cream, sugar and salt in a separate bowl and stir until ingredients absorbed.
Put all of the drained rice in a nonstick pan on low heat, and very slowly add the coconut cream mixture while stirring with a wooden spoon.
Keep stirring over simmering heat until the rice is tender and all of the coconut milk is absorbed.
This may take up to one hour, be patient and make sure the coconut milk is absorbed.
Let cool.

Put a small amount of rice on a banana leaf and mix with black beans.
Place a banana on top, cover with more rice and beans, the fold up the leaf and tie securely.
Repeat until all bananas are used up.
Steam 15 minutes; cool, unwrap and serve.

Kaeng Som Kai Wan (Sweet and Sour Chicken Soup)

Posted by WingsFan91 11/14/2001 7:09 pm

This is a variant of kaeng som, which is a popular fish soup that is quite common in Thailand.
Keang som is quite sour, and this dish has been given a degree of sweetness in keeping with making it from chicken.

If you can’t find krachai (lesser ginger) then use ordinary ginger.

About 1 1/2 pound chicken, skinned, filleted,
and cut into bite-size pieces.
4 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger, freshly ground
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
3 tablespoons krachai (lesser ginger), thinly sliced
3 tablespoons mixed red and green prik chi fa (jalapenos), thinly sliced or julienned
1 teaspoon kapi (shrimp paste)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup tamarind juice
1 to 2 tablespoons palm sugar (to taste)
2 cups very coarsely chopped green vegetables
1 cup pineapple chunks (preferably fresh, not tinned)

Prepare the chicken and then add three tablespoons of sesame oil and one tablespoon of freshly ground ginger, mix, and leave to marinade or one hour.

Heat a wok, and then stir fry the chicken in the marinade until it just starts to change color.

Heat the stock to simmering point, and add all the ingredients except the chicken and pineapple, and return it to the boil.

Add the chicken, and the marinade and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the pineapple, bring to the boil and then serve.

This dish can be eaten as a soup course, but as I have remarked before in Thailand soups are normally eaten with the other dishes of the dinner, rather than before them.
Therefore you should use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and serve it in individual bowls to the diners, the soup liquor is then placed in a large serving bowl, from where they can help themselves (you can use a fire pot or fondue cooker to keep it hot if you wish).

note that this can also be prepared as a stir fry still dish (whence it becomes pad som kai wan) by simply omitting the chicken stock.
(If it is a little dry, then add a couple of tablespoons of stock to the wok.)

Special thanks to - Muoi Khuntilanont.

Quick Thai Eggplant Soup

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms (caps only,) or use white mushrooms
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, stemmed and cut into 1-inch squares
1 envelope Coconut Ginger Soup Mix (a Taste of Thai brand)
2 chopped plum tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
4 sprigs fresh cilantro, stems included
8 ounces chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

In a medium-size pot, heat chicken broth over medium heat.
Add eggplant and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.

Add onion, bell pepper, soup mix, tomatoes, coconut milk and cilantro, and return to a simmer.
Add chicken and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Serve hot as a soup or over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: Cal 379 (56% fat) Fat 24 g (20 g sat) Fiber 5 g Chol 50 mg Sodium 242 mg Carb 19 g Calcium 51 mg

Taro Balls in Coconut Cream (Bua Loi Phuak) Thailand

1 cup cooked taro, mashed
2 cups glutinous rice flour
1 cup corn flour
4 cups coconut milk
1 cup palm sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 to 8 teaspoons water

Put the glutinous rice and flour and the corn flour in a bowl. Add the mashed taro and knead to a soft dough.
Add the mashed taro and knead well.

Roll into tiny balls and set aside.

Dissolve the palm sugar and salt in the coconut milk over a low heat, stirring constantly.
Bring to the boil and add the taro balls.
When they are cooked, remove from the heat.
Serve hot.

Yields 4 servings.