Northern Thai Grill Chicken

A very popular in north and northeast Thailand is BBQ or grill chicken - gai yang. It is marinated in spices and sauces, grilled and dip into sweet and sour chilli sauce. It is usually eaten with glutinous (sticky) coconut rice and papaya salad. In central Thailand, it is served as a dish eaten with steamed long grain jasmine rice.

Fine Thai Food - Yum Pla Dok Fu or Crispy Fluffy Fish Salad

A Royal Thai cuisine that is challenging to produce. A test of the chef's skilful control of oil temperature and moulding the right consistency of the steamed fish paste. The collagen binds the fish floss as it expands upon heating and turns out crispy. Be sure to drain off excess oil. We requested for the the tangy and spicy fish sauce dip to be put at the side so that the crispy fish does not turn soggy by the time we tuck in.

Thai cashew nut chicken

Traditionally, each ingredient is fried separately. Raw cashew nuts are roasted to impart fragrance into the cooking oil and frying pan before stir frying the sauces and chicken, followed by chilli and spring onions. Sometimes brown onion slices are added at the beginning of the cooking with garlic slices.

An essential seasoning of this all time favourite dish is sweet and sour roast chilli paste.

View this blog post : http://thaieasyrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/11/thai-roast-chilli-sauce.html

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Special acknowledgement to chef coachAcharn Phim for teaching me this dish.

Thai Chinese Cuisine

Thai cuisine has evolved in the last few hundred years from simple boiled fresh vegetables and fish to incorporating rich assortment of spices from the South America, Persia and India. The most sophisticated culinary skills are demanded of chefs preparing royal or palace cuisine. Though the Chinese Thais only make up less than 10 per cent of the Thai population, their influence in Central Thailand is strongly felt in the economy and cuisines. Many Chinese dishes have become favourites on the Thai menu for daily home cooking, street food and banquets. Traditionally, the Thais eat with their hands but the Chinese and Europeans introduced utensils such as chopsticks and spoons. Most foreigners who love Thai cuisine probably do not know that some their favourite foods are Chinese in origin -- noodles, canapés and seafood dishes. Most ethnic Chinese living in Thailand are Teochew who originated from Shantou (Swatow) in Guangzhou have shaped the tastes of Chinese Thai cooking. However, you would also notice influences from Hainan, Hakka and Cantonese cooking. A safe guess is that if the dish is not spicy, curry or grilled, it is probably Chinese in origin. Did you know these are Thai Chinese dishes?

Thai Chinese CuisineAppetizers

Porpiah Tod (deep fried spring roll)

Hoy Chor (hey chou in Teochew, minced meat and prawn wrapped in soy skin and deep fried)

Chicken, peanut and coconut in a bundle (also named “money bag”)

Chicken wrapped with pandan leaf (kai hor bai toey)

Tod Mun Pla (spicy fried fish cake)

Tod Mun Goong (chilli prawn cake)

Noodle SoupTom chuet wunsen (glass noodle soup)

Rad Na (the same as Chao Hor fun - fried flat rice noodle with sweet soy sauce, meat, seafood, kailan and topped with thick gravy)

Phad See Ewe (Stir fry noodle, derived from the Teochew word for soy sauce)

Kway Teow Soup (flat rice noodle in chicken or beef soup)

Neua Dun (double boiled beef soup with herbs) can be used as a base for noodle (similar to pho)

SeafoodPeh Sar (generic term for cooking seafood on a steamer with lighted candle at the table)

Pla nueng manao - steamed fish with sour plum and spicy lime juice dressing.

Pla Nung Khing Sai Het - Steam fish with ginger and mushroom slices

Krapow Pla Nam - Fish maw soup

Yen To Foo – stuffed tofu with fish paste dipped in red sweet sauce

PoultryGai phat met mamuang (Chicken stir fry with cashew nut in roast chilli sauce)

Kung Pao Chicken (chicken stir fry with dried chicken and peppercorn)

Kai phat khing - chicken stir-fried with sliced ginger.

Rice Dishes

Khao Mun Gai (steamed chicken rice)

Kao Pad Nahm Liap : Black Olive and Minced Pork Fried Rice

Khao Phat : Fried Rice with Egg and Chicken

Khanom Jeen (Chinese rice noodles, i.e., fresh round rice noodles normally use in cooking laksa)

Khanom (a generic term for many types of steam dumplings, small buns and cakes) – most with savoury filling are Chinese.

Chok (rice congee that has been boiled for long hours)

Khao Thom – soupy rice porridge either boiled with meat or plain and eaten with dishes.

Vegetables

Phak bung fai daeng: fried water spinach / morning-glory / kangkong

Phak khana mu krop - khana (gailan) stir fried with crispy pork.

Suki - a Thai variant of the Chinese / Japanese hot pot.

Thai NoodlesLad Na - Rice noodle with a meat and brocoli sauce poured on top. (Fried hor fun in egg and starchy gravy)

Pad Sieu - Thick Rice noodle colored by sweet black soy sauce with egg, brocoli and meat.

Ba Mee Moo Daeng - Egg noodle with Chinese red pork.

Ba Mee Loog Chin - Egg noodle with meat balls.

Goui Thieu Loog Chin - Rice noodle with meat ball, either with sauce or broth.

Guoi Thieu Lod - Rolled rice noodle with meat and broth.

Pad Thai - Fried rice noodles with shrimp, chives, tofu, salty radish, egg, beansprouts, sprinkled with ground peanut & chilli.

Lad Na Neua Sup - Rice noodle with spicy stewed beef soup

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Thai Roast Chilli Sauce

Thai Roast Chilli Sauce are an important seasoning for Thai cooking.

To make from scratch : Directions

Fry shallots, garlic till light golden colour. Remove from heat.

Soak dried red chilli in warm water, cut into smaller pieces and grind finely.

Fry dried shrimp (rinsed and drained) for a couple of minutes.

Blend fried ingredients (shallot, garlic, dried shrimp) into a paste.

Add ground chilli to the mixture and pulse.

Boil the ground mixture in a pot with palm sugar, shrimp paste and tamarind puree.


Bottled sauces are very convenient.
Mae Pranom
Pantai Norasing


Uses :
- Cashew Nut Chicken stir fry
- Thom Yum soup flavouring

All About Thai Curries

You'll be amazed by the varieties of Thai curries which open a whole new world to adventurous tastebuds.

Before the advent of Portugese traders who brought spices and chillies to Southeast Asia, Thai cuisine was not as flavoursome as it is today.

Green Curry (gaeng kaew wan) : the most popular among the curries. It is spicier than the red curry despite the deceptive name, literally translated into "green sweet curry". The paste comprise mainly green chillies, small onion, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, shrimp paste. Tastes best when cooked with chicken and fish ball. Addition of two types of small round egg plant gives the dish a slight bitter taste, a good balance to the hot, salty and sweet flavour of the curry. Garnish with basil leaves and kaffir lime leaves.

Red Curry (gaeng kaeng phet) : a popular and versatile curry which is sometimes used as a base for other Thai dishes. The paste is made from pounded dried red chillies, small red chillies, lemon grass, galangal, kaffir lime skin, garlic, shallots, coriander roots, shrimp paste and pepper. My favourite is red curry with roast duck, tomato and lychee.

Massaman Curry (khreuang gaeng matsaman) : a southern Thai curry, the name was derived from the word "muslim". Tastes very similar to Malaysian rendang. Made from dried chillies, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallot, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, coriander and shrimp paste. Usually meat is used in this dish, simmered in tamarind puree.

Yellow Curry (khrueang gaeng leuang) : another curry from the southern region using dried spices - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried chillies, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, tumeric and shrimp paste. Panaeng Curry : a dry Penang influenced curry paste that is a cross between massaman and yellow curry but with the addition of nutmeg.

Chiang Mai Curry (gaeng hang laey) has a strong Burmese / Indian influence. Usually cooked with pork or chicken, it has a heavier taste than curries in central Thailand.

Jungle Curry (gaeng paa) : a very hot and fiery curry that is commonly eaten in the countryside particularly in the northern region. It is traditionally made with catfish or prawns but goes well with meat and fresh vegetables as well. Pound as many bird's eye chillies as one can tolerate, green peppercorns, Thai krachai ginger, galangal, lemongrass, shallots and garlic. Interestingly, this curry does not use any coconut milk, unlike all the other curries.

Sour Curry (gaeng som) : usually cooked with fish fillet and water spinach, boiled in tamarind puree with a curry paste of small bird's eye chillies, garlic, shallot, galangal, tumeric and shrimp paste.

Pineapple Curry (gaeng kung) : tastes better with seafood. Add red curry paste, pineapple, kaffir lime leaves and fresh red chillies to coconut milk, fish sauce, coconut milk and tamarind puree.

Most Thai children learn to cook at a young age by helping their parents or grandparents in the kitchen. First by observing, washing, cutting vegetables, and gradually they master the art of Thai cooking.

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* Tip : If possible, don't use canned coconut milk as they tend to taste a bit off and sometimes rancid. Tetrapak coconut cream or milk taste closer to the real thing (freshly squeezed from grated coconut).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZqkEQOv0Ys

Melon Babies

They are not edible but are a symbol of fertility - a boy and a girl.