Archive for the ‘: THAI’ Category
Thai Chicken & Potato Soup
My wife and niece make this soup often, and it is delicious! I was intrigued when I first saw this made as I have rarely seen Thais use potatoes. This is a basic non spicy soup made with fresh and common ingredients. This is normally served with rice on the side but can certainly be enjoyed as is.
Ingredients
- 2 quarts water
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 kilo chicken wing sticks, (drumettes), (2 lb)
- 1 cube chicken stock
- 4 potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
- 3 onions, peeled, cut into wedges
- 4-5 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon MSG, optional
- 2 tablespoons thin soy sauce, (light soy sauce)
- 2-3 bunches Chinese celery
- 2-3 spring onions
- hot cooked rice, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Prep the wings. These were cut from full wings.
- Prep the potatoes and onion.
- Prep the tomatoes, and more onions were prepped as well.
- Chinese celery is quite thin, the stalks and leaves are used. The celery has the roots in this photo on right, two bunches were used. The coriander underneath was used in another recipe.
- Cut the celery and spring onion (white and green parts) into 2 inch pieces.
- Add the water and garlic to a large pot, bring to a boil.
- After a few minutes, add the stock cube and the wing sticks. Let the pot come to boil, and occasionally skim any foam off the top. Cook until the wings are just cooked through.
- Now add the potatoes and let the pot come to a boil again, cook until the potatoes are just fork tender.
- Then add the onions and tomatoes, reduce heat to medium low and cook until the onion is tender.
- Once the onion is tender, add the salt, MSG (if using), and soy sauce, stir and taste, adding salt as desired. Then turn off the heat, leaving pot on the same burner, and add the celery and spring onion.
- Once the celery and spring onion is wilted, give the soup a stir.
- Ladle into serving bowls, enjoy. Serve as is or with rice on the side.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)
My wife made this for a side dish and it is excellent. This was my first experience with this vegetable, and it has a great flavor. The measurements are approximate as this is a make as much as you want, and to taste.
Ingredients
- 2-3 bunches Chinese broccoli
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- cooking oil
- salt
- fish sauce
- oyster sauce
Instructions
- Prep the Chinese broccoli bey using a vegetable peeler and peel the stem ends as the outer part can be hard.
- Heat a pot of water to boiling and add the broccoli, cook until tender, about 10 minutes or so. Drain.
- In a non stick pan heat about 1 tablespoon of oil, when hot, add half the garlic and cook until lightly browned. Remove from the pan to a bowl, leaving the oil in the pan.
- Add the remaining garlic to the pan, cook for 1 minute then add a pinch of salt, and about 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, about 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and about 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and stir together and heat. Taste and adjust the sauces as needed.
- Place the broccoli on a serving plate and pour sauce over, then sprinkle the garlic you cooked earlier. Serve as a side dish, enjoy.
Chicken Giblets, Chili, and Basil
This is a Thai dish and is quite easy to prepare. The spiciness for this comes from the judicious use of orange, yellow, and light green Bird's eye chilies and Thai basil.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken hearts, (1 lb)
- 500 grams chicken gizzards, (1 lb)
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- large handful Thai basil leaves
- handful fresh black peppercorns, leave on the stems
- handful orange Bird's Eye chilies, orange, yellow, and light green, about 60
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- Rinse the hearts and remove any visible blood, trim the tubes off if desired, and leave the fat on. Rinse the gizzards then slice them into smaller than bite size pieces. Remove the stems from the chilies and rinse. Rinse the basil and black pepper, and peel the garlic. This is a type of recipe that you want all the ingredients ready to go.
- Using a mortar and pestle, pound the chilies and garlic into a paste.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a non stick pan on medium heat. When hot, add the hearts and gizzards. These will release water and the fat on the hearts will also render. Saute until there is no pink visible, they will get fully cooked shortly. Pour the contents of the pan into a pot and return the pan to heat.
- Add the chili paste and cook and stir for a 1-2 minutes.
- Add the giblets and the liquid back to the pan. Mix everything together and let come to a boil.
- Add the peppercorns and mix into the giblets, continue to boil for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the basil and mix in. Cook until the basil is wilted, remove from heat.
- Serve with hot cooked rice, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Pork Rib Curry III
This is a spicy Thai dish and different regions prepare this different ways with varying ingredients, including this version. For those in the US, Canada, and Europe, you may find it rather difficult to locate one ingredient used in this version, sataw or commonly known as "stinky bean". The typical Thai measurement is handful.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo pork ribs
- 3-4 tablespoons red chili paste, heaping
- 3-4 tablespoons shrimp paste, heaping
- 1 bunch sataw, seeds removed and split in half
- 1 large handful giant Thai basil leaves
- 1 large handful fresh black peppercorns
- 1 large handful Chinese eggplant, quartered
- 1 large handful young kaffir lime leaves, torn
For Serving
- small cucumbers, ends trimmed
- Chinese eggplant, ends trimmed
- sataw, pods simply trimmed and cut in half
- cooked rice
Instructions
- Rinse the ribs then cut between each bone and add to a pot. Add water to cover by about 2-3 inches. Set on high heat and bring to a boil.
- While waiting on the ribs to come to a boil, prep the remaining ingredients.
- Then prep the For Serving items.
- Once the ribs are at a boil, add the red chili paste, continue to boil until the ribs are nice and tender.
- When the ribs are tender, add the shrimp paste and stir that in, then add the peppercorns, giant basil, eggplant, and sataw seeds and mix those in, still on a boil, cook for another 5 minutes or so.
- Add the lime leaves, keep in mind, these are young, these are meant to be eaten, unlike the older ones that have tough parts to them. Young leaves are bright green and quite tender as well.
- Stir in the lime leaves, cook for another 2-3 minutes, then turn off heat, and cover until ready to serve.
- Serve with cooked rice and the vegetables on the side you prepped as well. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Made by my wife, Rrayada Thayer and niece Fone.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Asian Rice Noodle Soup
Generic name as this does not pertain to any Asian country, rather this is a type of soup made all over Asia in various ways, this soup is just one way, and the bonus is, you can add anything you like to this soup. This recipe assumes you have hard boiled eggs on hand already, if not there is shortcuts listed.
Ingredients
- 220 grams dry flat rice noodles, (about 8 oz)
- 3 quarts water
- 2 tablespoons pork seasoning powder
- 300 grams fresh Shiitake mushrooms, (about 10 oz)
- 150 grams fresh white crab mushrooms, (about 5 oz)
- 2-3 spring onions, chopped, or 3-4 chives
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 slices fresh ginger
- salt and white pepper, as desired
- 4 hard boiled eggs, Shortcuts
- 8 Arabiki sausages
Instructions
- First thing we are going to do make the stock. Add 2 quarts of water to a medium sized pot and stir in the pork flavoring and bring to a simmer. While that is coming up to a simmer, lay the Arabiki sausages on a cutting board and prick each sausage with a fork along the length of each sausage, this prevents them from bursting open and releases some of the fat to also flavor the stock.
- After the water comes to a simmer, add the sausage. Simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Set the sausage aside.
- While the sausage is simmering, prep the remaining ingredients. For the Shiitake mushrooms, I used a Japanese cutting technique called Sogigiri, which is an angle slicing cut - remove the stems, quickly rinse the caps, place the caps stem side down, then slice each cap at a 45 degree angle, the purpose of this is to give a large surface area to provide even cooking. For the White Crab mushrooms, simple cut the root section off, quickly rinse, then chop the bundle into 3 sections.
- After the sausage comes out of the pot, another quart of water, bring the stock to a boil and add the garlic and ginger slices. Boil for about 3-5 minutes then add the rice noodles and reduce the heat slightly as they will foam up. I used flat rice noodles, these are not known as wide noodles, just flat, wide rice noodles can be 1/2 to 1 inch wide and those are normally bought fresh, not dry.
- When the noodle are about half cooked, you will see them expand in width and thickness, go ahead and add the mushrooms.
- When the noodles are tender, stir in the spring onion or chives and simmer for another 2 minutes then remove from heat.
- Cut the Arabiki sausages in half at an angle, and slice the eggs in half lengthwise.
- Ladle soup into bowls, place 4 sausage pieces on the side (2 links), and place 2 pieces of egg, cut side up, on the side as well. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Steamed Eggs (Rice Cooker), Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
My own creation from seeing hundreds of soups made. Lee Thayer, Thailand.
Crab Omelet
For this, I will use imitation crab meat, it is just fish, and I like it. This is based somewhat on Filipino and Thai Omelets. Some Filipino omelets cook the filling first and later added, and many Thai omelets are just flat with fillings added with the eggs, not folded, so let's combine these methods.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup imitation crab, slice at an angle, about ¼ inch thick slices
- ½ onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons spring onion, sliced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 eggs, whisked
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Prep the crab meat, onion, and spring onion. Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk.
- Heat the butter in a nonstick pan on medium high heat, when hot, add the onion, saute until almost soft.
- Add the crab meat and spring onion, stir to mix together.
- Pour in the whisked eggs to cover the pan and contents.
- Cook for a few minutes to set the bottom, lift the sides to check and move the pan around. When the eggs are set, flip the omelet and cook the other side until golden brown.
- Slide to a plate, serve with rice or toast, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
Chicken & Rice Noodle Soup
Asian soups are very easy to prepare and I come up with this soup on a whim. Not only is it good, the family loved it! And it is healthy.
Ingredients
- 1 quart bean broth, (4 cups)
- 1 quart water
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 package baby corn, chopped, about 8-9 ears
- 1 package fresh Shimeji mushrooms, roots removed, separated
- 2-3 spring onions, chopped 1/2 inch pieces, white and green
- 1-2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 package dry wide rice noodles, 220 gram package
- white pepper, as desired
- hard boiled eggs, as needed, for serving, 1 per bowl
- fried wonton skins, for garnish, as desired
Instructions
- This is the rice noodle brand I used for this, Chuan Chim brand, blue pack, which is the wide noodles. This is a Thai product available at Tesco. Excellent noodles.
- Heat the broth and water in a pot until boiling, add the chicken and reduce heat to a simmer. Skim any foam from the broth.
- Simmer for about 5 minutes then add the carrot and corn. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the carrot is just tender.
- Add the rice noodles. The noodles are white in the package, when you add them to the hot broth, first they will look like spaghetti, give the noodles a stir to get them separated.
- As the noodles cook, they will swell, turn white again, and they take on the flavor of the broth. Continue to simmer until the noodles are just barely tender.
- Add the mushrooms, spring onion, and cilantro, simmer until the noodles are tender, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- The completed soup, the noodles are tender and flavorful, the chicken is tender and juicy. Perfect.
- Ladle soup into bowls, add a hard boiled egg, sliced in half, yolks up, and add 2-3 fried wonton skins on the side of the soup as garnish as desired, serve hot. Enjoy.
Notes
The noodles are 35 Baht for a pack of 220 grams, the chicken is 57 Baht/kilo, for 2 breasts I will say 50 Baht max. For 4 servings this is about 70 cents per serving.
Created on a whim using common soup making principles in Thailand, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
German Meat Salad II
This is a Thai version of what is called Fleischsalat but I am not using German Bologna, just regular bologna from Tesco, and adding some items that my Thai step daughter would like. There is two dressings listed as well, a Thai dressing and mayo, use either one per your preference.
Ingredients
- 115 grams bologna, (~4 oz), German Bologna if you have it
- 85 grams Swiss cheese, (~3 oz)
- 85 grams Vietnamese sausage, cha lua (plain) or cha hue (pepper and garlic), (~3 oz)
- 85 grams smoked ham, (~3 oz)
- 85 grams imitation crab sticks, (~3 oz)
For the Thai Dressing
- light soy sauce, as needed
- lime juice, as needed
For the Mayo Dressing
- mayo, as needed
Instructions
- Stack the bologna and ham, slice into 1/4 inch wide strips. Slice the cheese into long thin slices, then stack and slice those into 1/4 inch wide strips. Slice the pickles, you guessed it, into 1/4 inch wide pieces. Remove the casings on the crab sticks and Vietnamese sausage, slice into 1/4 inch strips.
- Place the sliced items into a mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of lime juice, toss to mix together, adjust the soy sauce and lime juice as needed to fully coat everything.
- Or place the sliced items into a mixing bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons mayo, toss to coat, adding more as needed, goal is coated, not dripping in mayo.
- Cover and place in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours.
- Serve as is or on a bed of lettuce. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Inspired from an internet recipe.
Stir Fry Fixings in a Bag
The advantages to buying these from the local markets is that the vegetables you need for a stir fry is already cut up, so instead of buying a whole cabbage and only needing part of it for a stir fry, the bag has the correct amount you need. Possibly less waste, and no room in the fridge needed as these are a buy on the day your are going to prepare. All you need is one bag, a few sauces, and a good arm. This can be a side dish or add some meat and you have a main dish. Each bag is only 25 Baht (78 cents) and you have 4 or 5 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 bag stir fry fixings
- oyster sauce, as desired
- mushroom sauce, as desired
- light soy sauce, as desired
- extra light olive oil, as needed
- water, as needed
Instructions
- A typical stir fry fixings in a bag will have chopped broccoli, cabbage, carrot, baby corn, and a few types of mushrooms, oyster and ear wood are common types used. Need a larger amount of stir fry when family is visiting? Use two bags and a larger pan or a wok would be preferred. Simply add the contents of the bag to a colander and give it a quick rinse.
- In a large non stick pan, or wok, heat 1-2 tablespoons of extra light olive oil, when hot, add the fixings (I used 2 bags), and stir fry...
- And stir fry, add a dash of each of the sauces, does not hurt to go heavy handed with the oyster sauce, and taste, if needed more salt, add another dash or so of light soy sauce.
- If the pan is drying out, add a bit of water, and keep stir frying, the water will help steam the veggies as well. When the carrot and broccoli are tender, and the liquid more or less evaporated, pour onto a serving tray and serve as a side with any meal.
To Add Meat
- Meat used is typically chicken or pork where I live, but beef can certainly be used. To prepare the meat, just slice into strips.
- Add the strips to the pan first and stir fry until just no longer pink, a bit of pink visible, no problem!
- Then just add the bag of fixings and continue as stated above.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Commonly used throughout Thailand and Asia.
Photo of finished dish provided by my daughter, Samantha Thayer.
Thailand.
Photo of finished dish provided by my daughter, Samantha Thayer.
Thailand.
King Oyster Mushroom Spring Rolls
This original recipe is from my daughter, Samantha. We had some extra King Oyster mushrooms so Samantha suggested spring rolls, and here it is. A lot of time involved with making spring rolls is the prep work making the filling. These are excellent spring rolls.
Ingredients
- 2 cups King Oyster mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup spring onions, sliced, white and green parts
- ⅔ cup carrot, shredded
- 80 grams dry bean vermicelli, cooked, chopped, (2¾ oz)
- 1-2 dashes oyster sauce
- 1-2 dashes light soy sauce
- handful fresh Thai Basil leaves, chopped
- salt, to taste
- extra light olive oil, as needed
- vegetable oil, as needed
- spring roll wrappers, as needed, about 20-22, thawed,
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1-2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Prep the mushrooms, spring onions, carrot, and heat a pot of water to boiling, add the noodles and cook until tender. Drain the noodles and chop. Here, everything is prepped. Now you can take your spring roll wrappers out of the freezer to thaw on the counter.
- Heat about a tablespoon of extra light olive oil in a non stick pan, when hot, add the carrot. Saute until soft, just a few minutes.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Goal is to soften the mushrooms, this type of mushroom does not release a lot of water so add a bit of extra light olive oil as needed. Saute for a few minutes to soften the mushrooms.
- Add the Thai basil and stir in, saute for a minute or two. The basil adds a depth of flavor and is not overpowering.
- When the basil is nicely wilted, add the spring onion and mix in. Add 1-2 dashes of soy sauce and oyster sauce and mix in, saute for just a minute or two. Remove from heat.
- Add the chopped vermicelli noodles to a large bowl or pot. Add mixture from the pan and mix together, taste and season with salt as desired. Set this aside to let it cool to room temp, about 1 hour.
- When you are ready to roll the spring rolls, open the package of spring roll wrappers, if working by yourself, you need to keep them covered with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out. Ideally, two people would be perfect. One person to pull off each wrapper and one to fill. If the sheets dry out, they will tear when pulling them apart. There is two textures on a sheet, one side is smooth, the other side is a more rough texture.
- Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, this is your glue.
- Pull off one sheet and place smooth side down on a clean counter with one corner of the sheet facing you. Place a tablespoon or so of filling near the corner closest to you.
- Fold the bottom (the corner closest to you) up over the filling.
- Tightly roll away from you, the filling will spread some, that is fine. When the roll is just before the widest part of the pastry (left and right corners will be on the sides of the roll). Use your fingers and apply some glue to the two sides that are away from you, then fold the left and right sides towards the center. The roll should be about 5 inches long, and should look like an envelope.
- Continue to roll away from you and just pat the seam down with your fingers. There, you just made a spring roll. Repeat this process until all the filling is used.
- To fry these, heat about ½ inch of vegetable oil in a pan. When hot, add 5-6 spring rolls at a time and fry, turn often, until golden brown, These cook fast so keep an eye on them. Remove to paper towels to drain and fry the remaining rolls. Perfect color.
- Let cool for a few minutes then serve hot with a dipping sauce of your choice.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
