Author Archive
Spicy Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
There is as many ways to make Som Tam as there is shades of white paint. This is a base recipe only but should get you in the ballpark of what Som Tam is and how it is made. My mother in law makes Som Tam her way, my wife makes it her way, and my daughter can make it her way, all three will be slightly different, and none of them share their secrets.
Ingredients
- 2 cups green papaya, shredded
- 1 plum tomato, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, use real lime juice from a lime
- 1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar
- 15 Bird's Eye Chilis, this is really up to you, go with 2-3 for less spicy
- 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
- 3 tablespoons dried shrimp
- 2-3 small freshwater crabs, optional
Instructions
- Peel the papaya, cut in half, remove seeds, and shred. Set aside.
- Chop the garlic, and chilies, add to a mortar and pound well. Then add the dried shrimp and pound until soft, then add the roasted peanuts and gently pound. Add chopped tomatoes and gently crush those then use a spoon to mix everything together. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar. Add this to a large mixing bowl, then add the shredded papaya and the mixture from the mortar, and mix together. Spoon onto a plate and serve with sliced cucumber and sticky rice.
Notes
This is low cost and for rural areas, rarely bought prepared as nearly everyone grows papayas and chilies.
For the freshwater crabs, these are the small purple ones that are normally preserved in soy sauce or fish sauce, add these to the mortar and simple pound them to break the main shell slightly.
Basic recipe.
Smoked Sausage Corn Dogs
I really like the sound of this, I cannot find any good hotdogs here, but I have located smoked sausage, which are excellent. My next run to Makro I will be getting extra smoked sausage to try this out. The smoked sausage scraps would be ideal as well. This can be an appetizer or a main dish. I foresee myself doubling this recipe. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams smoked sausage
- long wood skewers, as needed
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour, divided
- 1 1/2 cups corn meal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 cup dill pickle juice
Instructions
- My experience with smoked sausage (spicy smoked sausage as it is labeled but not spicy) at Makro is 4 to 5 links which is 500 grams. I would simple cut each link in half, so you would have 8 pieces for 4 links or 10 pieces for 5 links. Once you have the sausage cut into pieces, cook on the stove top in a hot pan to warm them through, remove from the pan and insert the skewers or chopsticks in each one.
- Spread 1/4 cup of the flour in a dish and roll each sausage in the flour to lightly coat, then set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, mix the remaining flour (1/2 cup), corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, ground red pepper, eggs, buttermilk, and dill pickle juice until the batter is smooth.
- Heat the oil in a deep heavy skillet or a deep fryer to 190 C. Using a pan, you want the oil 1-3 inches deep. Deeper the oil you can cook each sausage at one time, shallow oil you just turn to keep cooking until the sausage is golden brown.
- Dip each skewered sausage into the batter and carefully insert into the hot oil and cook 1-2 minutes until golden brown, if the oil is shallow, just turn the sausage part way through to cook the whole thing to golden brown. Cool on a paper towel to drain excess oil, and serve with your favorite dip, like mustard, spicy mustard, or ketchup.
Notes
The sausage is about 100 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings this is about 74 cents per serving. When I go to Makro again I will get more accurate up to date pricing as well.
Shortcut: Buttermilk.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Whitefish Cakes
Sounds really good, Pangasius or any whitefish can be used for this. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams Pangasius fillets
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
- 2 1/2 cups buttery crackers, think Ritz or Magic crackers
- 1 egg
- 1 cup oil, for frying, type of oil is up to you
- tartar sauce, for dipping, optional, OR make from a shortcut
Instructions
- Boil or steam the fillets until the fish easily flakes with a fork, drain and mash up the fish. Add the remaining ingredients except the oil and mix until well blended.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pan on medium high heat. Form the fish mixture into patties and fry in the hot oil until golden brown on each side, drain on paper towels, serve. This can be an appetizer with tartar sauce for dipping or even a light main dish if served with a salad.
Notes
Pangasius will cost about 65 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings, this is about 48 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Old Bay Seasoning, Tartar Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Whitefish in Tomato Sauce
This is excellent, served over pasta it is basically fish pasta, excellent flavor. I made this on 27 Nov 2016 and even my Thai wife gave this two thumbs up. The original recipe called for baking this, this is easily done in a skillet on the stove top and is how this is written now. Pangasius or any whitefish can be used. Recipe modified by my findings. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 Pangasius fillets, cut into large pieces, about 750 grams of fillets
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce, OR make from a shortcut
- olive oil, as needed
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- paprika, to taste
- white pepper, to taste
- ground nutmeg, to taste
- all purpose flour, as needed
- fresh basil, chopped, for the sauce and for garnish
Instructions
- Add the fillet pieces to a large bowl, season to your liking with the salt, black pepper, white pepper, paprika, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a small pot, heat a splash of olive oil and add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce and some fresh basil. Cook until the sauce to soften the tomatoes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Take the fish pieces and roll them in some flour to coat them all, add these to a large skillet heated to medium low with a splash of olive oil and brown both sides until the fish is just cooked through. Fish was cooked in 3 batches.
- When the fish is done, reduce heat to a low simmer and pour in the tomato sauce and mix the fish pieces gently into the sauce, simmer to heat through. This is after all the fish had been returned to the pan and the sauce just pour over them.
- Garnish fresh chopped basil if desired and serve over pasta of your choice or with potatoes and butter on the side.
Notes
Pangasius fillets will cost about 112 Baht/kilo. For 4 servings, this is about 82 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Whitefish Fillets with Garlic
Pangasius or any whitefish fillets can be used. Sounds really good. This is a starter recipe and the fillets are seasoned to your taste. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- Pangasius fillets, amount is up to you
- 4-6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced, if a lot of fillets, use more garlic
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- salt, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
- butter, as needed
- fresh parsley, chopped, as needed
Instructions
- Cut each fillet in half, then rub the fillets with salt, cayenne pepper, and the garlic, place in a bowl and coat well with olive oil, place in the fridge for an hour.
- Heat a large pan on medium low heat with the oil from the fillets, when hot, add the fillets and pour in the remaining oil from the bowl. Cook for 3-5 minutes then flip the fillets and continue cooking until the fish is no longer translucent and cooked through, checked by easily flaking with a fork.
- Serve with a pat of butter on each piece and sprinkled with fresh parsley. A salad would make this a good meal.
Notes
I bought 3 Pangasius fillets a week ago at Tesco for 65 Baht, 4 fillets may cost 100 Baht, max. Feel free to use Giant Sea Perch as well but you will have to fillet yourself unless bought from a market, and the price is higher as well. For 4 fillets, figuring 4 servings, the cost is about 74 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Fish Patties
This involves grinding fish, sounds odd I am sure, but this is a way to use fish with a lot of Y bones, fish that may otherwise be discarded. As long as the fish is filleted with skin off, there is no need to remove Y bones, just run through the medium grind plate on your grinder two times. I would NEVER recommend doing this Pangasius or Barramundi, but this does sound reasonable for Tilapia, Featherbacks (maybe), and some ocean fish.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo white fish fillets, ground with medium plate
For each kilo of fish, mix this in by hand
- 1 cup saltine crackers, crushed
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 small onion, finely diced
Instructions
- Grind the fish fillets using the medium plate on your hand or electric grinder, for every 1 kilo of ground fish, add the ingredients listed and mix in by hand. Form into patties and pan fry in a large skillet, cast iron would be a good choice, with a combination of olive oil and butter. Serve with sides of your choice.
- Or you can pack this into a loaf pan or two, spread some ketchup on the top and bake at 180 C until the cooked through then serve slices as you would the patties.
- You can also make a large batch of this, form into patties and freeze for later use.
Notes
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Fabulous Fish II
Now I cannot vouch for the 'fabulous' part of the recipe name until I make this but it does sound very good. This is a separate recipe due to the major change in spice used. Pangasius is listed here, which are boneless and skinless fillets but any white fish will work.
Ingredients
- 4 Pangasius fillets
- butter, as needed
- soy sauce, as needed
- garlic powder, to taste
- dried rosemary, to taste
- 3-4 plum tomatoes, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pan, cast iron would be ideal, heat a generous amount of butter on low heat. Season the fillets on both sides with garlic powder and rosemary to your taste, then add to the pan, cook for a few minutes, then flip and add the soy sauce (about 3-4 tablespoons) and the tomatoes, cover and simmer for a few minutes until the fish flakes easily. Serve with a mixed vegetable on the side or even some easy mac & cheese.
Notes
I bought 3 Pangasius fillets a week ago at Tesco for 65 Baht, 4 fillets may cost 100 Baht, max. Feel free to use Giant Sea Perch as well but you will have to fillet yourself unless bought from a market, and the price is higher as well. For 4 fillets, figuring 4 servings, the cost is about 74 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Fabulous Fish I
Now I cannot vouch for the 'fabulous' part of the recipe name until I make this but it does sound very good. Pangasius is listed here, which are boneless and skinless fillets but any white fish will work.
Ingredients
- 4 Pangasius fillets
- olive oil, as needed
- butter, as needed
- soy sauce, as needed
- black pepper, to taste
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- 3-4 plum tomatoes, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pan, cast iron would be ideal, heat a generous amount of butter and olive oil on low heat. Season the fillets on both sides with pepper and cayenne pepper to your taste, then add to the pan, cook for a few minutes, then flip and add the soy sauce (about 3-4 tablespoons) and the tomatoes, cover and simmer for a few minutes until the fish flakes easily. Serve with a mixed vegetable on the side or even some easy mac & cheese.
Notes
I bought 3 Pangasius fillets a week ago at Tesco for 65 Baht, 4 fillets may cost 100 Baht, max. Feel free to use Giant Sea Perch as well but you will have to fillet yourself unless bought from a market, and the price is higher as well. For 4 fillets, figuring 4 servings, the cost is about 74 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken
Sounds really good, there is also two shortcuts you can make as well for additional savings. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo chicken thighs, boneless and skinless OR use breasts
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 packet dry Italian salad dressing mix, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 125 grams Cream cheese, this is 1/2 of a standard block, cubed
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Add the soup and dressing mix to your slow cooker and mix, slowly whisk in the water and mix until little to no lumps are present then stir in the bell pepper. Add the chicken, cover and cook on Low setting for 6-8 hours or on High setting for 3-5 hours. Check the tenderness of the chicken at the first time shown.
- When the chicken is tender, add the Cream cheese and the Parmesan cheese and cook for another 30 minutes, covered. Stir the sauce to ensure the Cream cheese is fully blended in. Serve over rice or pasta.
Notes
Chicken thighs (you would have to debone them and remove the skin) runs about 73 Baht/kilo, breasts would run about 61 Baht/kilo. The Cream cheese would be about 60 Baht for a 1/2 block, and the Parmesan would be about 50 Baht. For 4 servings this is about $1.35 per serving, less for 6 servings. Make the shortcuts for greater savings.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Dry Italian Dressing Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Mac & Cheese
Sounds really good! Since 3 types of cheese is used, this is not a low cost dish.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry pasta, macaroni, spirals, any bite size pasta will work
For the Topping
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
For the Sauce
- 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 block of 227 gram butter
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 4 1/2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon chicken stock powder
- 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
- 3/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until just tender, drain and rinse with cold water, set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 190 C.
- In a large oven proof pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, then add in the panko bread crumbs and stir to coat and cook until golden brown, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the corn starch and 1/2 cup of the milk, whisk until lump free, set aside.
- Using the same pan you made the bread crumbs in, melt the 1/4 cup of butter on medium and add the garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes, whisk in the flour and whisk continuously, and cook for about 2 minutes then reduce heat to low and whisk in 4 cups of the milk, about 1/2 cup at a time. Bring this to a boil until beginning to thicken. Add the corn starch mixture and stir into the sauce to thicken it completely, season with salt and pepper to your taste and then stir in the chicken stock powder.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, and the Mozzarella cheese. Stir until all the cheese is melted into the sauce, then add the pasta and mix until completely coated with the sauce. At this point if you are using an oven safe pan, top with the panko bread crumbs and the remaining Parmesan cheese and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until bubbly. If you do not have a oven safe pan, spread the mac and cheese into a baking dish, then top with the panko bread crumbs and the remaining Parmesan cheese and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until bubbly.
- Cool for 5 minutes and serve.
Notes
Cheddar cheese would cost about 70 Baht for just under half a 250 gram block, Parmesan would run about 150 Baht, and Mozzarella about 70 Baht for half a block of 200 grams. For 6 servings, this is about $1.42 per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
