Recipe: Yam Khai Khem @ Thai Salted Egg Salad

Shell the salted eggs and cut them into bite pieces.

Slice bird's eye chillies, shallots, big onion, cilantro and tomatoes.

Mix equal amount of fish sauce and lime juice and add a dash of sugar(optional) to taste.

Throw in all the ingredients above in a bowl and mix well.

It's now ready to be enjoyed with all the other dishes you've planned to cook.

You can even replace the eggs with salted fish, as you like;)

p.s. No tomatoes were added in the one prepared in photo as I didn't have any in my fridge. I've also replaced cilantro with lettuce for the same reason;)

Recipe: Phad Thai

Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
100 gms rice noodle, pre-soaked in warm water until soft and drained
5 medium sized prawns, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup chive or green onion, cut into 3 cm pieces
1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tsp fish sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup bean sprout or cabbage
1 tbsp garlic (minced)
1 tbsp shallot (minced)
1/3 cup tofu extra firm cut in 1 cm strips
1 tbsp tamarind paste or white vinegar
1 tbsp pickled white radish, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground roasted peanut or ground roasted cashew nut
1 pinch dried red chili powder
1/2 lime

Method:
1. Heat the oil over low heat, add garlic and shallot and fry until fragrant
2. Add prawns, tofu, bean-sprout, chives and stir until prawns are cooked
3. Crack the egg straight into the wok, stir rapidly until it becomes scrambled and cooked.
4. Add noodles and season with fish sauce, palm sugar, ground roasted peanut, ground dried red chili powder, tamarind paste and pickled white radish. Mix everything together, and keep stirring.
5. When the noodles are softened and translucent, switch off the heat.
6. Sprinkle ground peanut and ground dried chili powder. Season to taste.

7. Squeeze the lime over the noodles and serve with fresh bean-sprout, chives or spring onion

Recipe: Tom Yam Kung

In the red cups are: fish sauce, Thai chili paste & lime juice
Place the first part of the ingredients in water or chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Use Thai chili paste instead of tom yam paste. It does make a difference in your soup!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup medium sized prawns, peeled and deviened
2 straw mushroom or any type of mushrooms, cut in halves
1 lemongrass, cut into 3-4 pieces
3 kaffir lime leaves, cut into pieces
10 sliced galangal ginger
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup water or chicken stock
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tomato cut in four or sliced thin
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbsp spring onions, chopped
1 bird's eye chili
1/2 tbsp Thai chili paste(namphrik pao)

Method:
1. Place lemongrass, galangal, kaffir leaves, mushrooms, bird's eye chili, tomato into water and bring to a boil.
2. Add the prawns and cook until tender.
3. Add lime juice, fish sauce and Thai chili paste.
4. Let it boil and add coconut milk.

5. Leave on high heat for about 3 minutes and scoop into serving dish.

Garnish with fresh coriander and spring onions and serve with hot Jasmine rice.

Serves 1-2

Note: If you prefer the clear soup style, then omit the chili paste and coconut milk.

It's not advisable to eat tom yam (even seafood) at non-halal restaurants as chicken or pork stock may be used. The same goes to steamed fish.

Fried fish with mango dressing

Fried fish with mango dressing

Ingredients:

½ cup fish sauce

¼ cup palm sugar
¼ cup lime juice
1 cup shredded young mango
¼ cup thinly sliced shallots
10 pcs sliced bird’s eye chilies
¼ cup mint leaves
¼ cup coriander leaves

Preparation:

1.Mix fish sauce and sugar together and heat on slow fire until it becomes thick and sticky. Turn off the fire. Let it cool slightly before adding lime juice in it. It must have a combination taste of salty, sour and sweet.

2. Place mango, onion, chili, mint leaves and coriander leaves in a bowl. Mix well and pour in the sauce.

3. Pour the mango dressing onto a hot and crispy fried fish. Serve with white rice.

Crispy Thai omelette - khai jiaw

Ingredients:
2 eggs
a few drops of lime or lemon juice
a dash of fish sauce or salt
1tbs of rice flour or corn flour
3/4 cup of vegetable oil for frying

Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over high heat.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and add a couple of drops of lime or lemon juice.
Beat the egg mixture with a fork or a small whisk until frothy.
Add in one tablespoon of rice flour or cornstarch and continue beating till the flour is completely interspersed with the egg mixture.
(Optional: You can add chopped or sliced yellow onion, chopped coriander spriggs or chopped chilies depending on your personal preference. Original Thai recipe does not contain any of these additionals.)
Once the oil in the wok starts smoking, pour the frothy egg mixture into the hot oil from about a foot or so above the wok. This will create jagged edges and layers. As a result, you'll get a crispy, mouth watering ommelette.
Let one side cook for about 1 minute and flip it once before removing it from the pan.
Served with hot Jasmine rice and enjoy it immediately.

p.s. It's very important to make sure that the oil is really hot before pouring in the mixture.
The right heat and the right amount of oil will not cause the omelette to be oily.

Yam Ma'muang @ Thai Mango Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

2 green mangoes

1/4 cup crushed fried anchovies or dried shrimp

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

3-4 shallots, sliced

handful of peanuts or cashews, crushed

1/3 cup fresh basil

fresh-cut green chili padi

Sauce

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

3-4 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice

2 Tbsp. (or more) sugar (to taste)

Preparation:

1. Peel the mangoes and discard the skin. The flesh of the mango should be firm and light yellow-orange.Using a medium to large-size grater, grate the flesh of the mangoes into a mixing bowl. Prepare the sauce by mixing together all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. It should taste sweet, sour, spicy and salty, but more sweet than sour. Set aside.

2. In a another bowl, combine and toss the shredded mango, coriander, sliced shallots and fresh-cut chilies.

3. Add the sauce and toss again. Add more fish sauce if necessary. If you prefer it sweeter, add a little more sugar. If you prefer more spice, add more chili. If too salty or sweet, add more lime juice.

4. Place on a serving platter. Sprinkle the nuts and anchovies over top plus the basil.

Vegetable Thai green curry recipe

Ingredients:
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp each shrimp paste (belacan)

1 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, chopped
5cm piece fresh galangal, chopped
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 lemongrass stalk, outer layer discarded and finely chopped
5 green chilies(cili padi), deseeded and chopped (add more to your preference)

3-4 kaffir lime leaves, stems removed
A bunch of fresh coriander, roots and stalks washed and chopped

Preparing Thai green curry paste:
1. Dry-fry cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a small non-stick frying pan until aromatic.
2. Transfer the seeds to a food processor along with shrimp paste and salt, garlic cloves, fresh galangal, palm sugar, lemongrass stalk, the green chilies, kaffir lime leaves, a bunch of fresh coriander , and blend together to a paste....or pound all of these ingredients till you get a fine paste.

Cooking vegetable Thai green curry:

Ingredients:

Green curry paste (prepared as above)

1 cup of coconut milk

vegetables of your choice

a bunch of basil and corriander leaves
3-4 pieces of kaffir lime leaves

Salt to taste

1. Sautee the paste in a little oil until fragrant.
2.Add the coconut milk. Leave it to boil while stirring gently.

or

1.Heat the coconut milk in a pan until the oil surfaces.

2. Add the curry paste.

3. Add vegetables of your choice e.g. eggplant, french beans, long beans, mushroom, cabbage.

4. Add salt if necessary.

5. Finish your curry by sprinkling the fresh basil and kaffir lime leaves over, or by gently folding it in at the last minute. Additional fresh coriander can also be sprinkled over.

p.s.
a. You can also add sliced beef or chicken together with the oconut milk.

b.The green curry paste can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for use later. Paste will last 2 weeks (or longer), as the spices help to preserve it. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Phad kaprao bhai neua - stir fried beef with sweet basil

Ingredients:

1 small bowl of beef: thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic

4 bird's eye chilies (cili padi), add more as prefered -

oyster sauce

fish sauce

black soya sauce

distilled vinegar

palm sugar

pepper

a bunch of sweet basil leaves

Heat oil in pan. Pound together garlic and chilies. Sautee the garlic and chili paste till fragrant.

Add in the sliced beef and add some water to it. Stir till the meat changes colour. Add the other ingredients to taste. Finally, throw in the sweet basil leaves, stir and leave for about 2 minutes. Take pan away from heat and serve immediately with steamed hom mali (jasmine) rice.

Clear Tom Yum Goong

This recipe is specially requested by Ghaz who's residing in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. This is called pak chee farang. Don't know the name in English or Malay as I couldn't find it in markets in Malaysia. It is one of the herbs used in preparing tom yum in Thailand. It gives the taste and aroma of tom yum besides kaffir lime and coriander sprigs. I didn't include this herb in the recipe below as it's optional since it's not easily available else where.

Coriander sprigs, cherry tomatoes and straw mushrooms.

Freshwater prawns

Herbs in boiling chicken broth.

Ready to be slurpped!!!!

Ingredients:
2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 1" pieces and smashed a bit
6 kaffir lime leaves(daun limau purut);torn with center vein removed
2 tablespoons galangal;thinly sliced
1 tablespoon coriander roots, about 2 roots
2 shallots;pounded
1 big onion;sliced
5 cherry tomatoes (any kinds of tomatoes);halved
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup mushrooms; any kinds of mushroom that you like
3 thai chilies (cili padi) smashed (add more for more spicy)
3 thai chilies; roasted *optional: to be used if adding milk
6 freshwater prawns; whole or halved
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tablespoon lime juice (or more to taste)
salt to taste
3 tablespoons fresh milk *optional
1 tablespoon coriander springs;chopped

Clean the prawns by peeling off the backs and snapping off the top part of the heads, but leave the fat on at the base of the head. This is very important, as that fat imparts a signature flavour into Tom Yum Goong. Set aside.

Boil the broth on high until it comes to a boil.
Add the lime leaves, shallots,lemongrass, coriander root, galangal and tomato. Boil for 4-5 minutes . If you’re using fresh ingredients, 4-5 minutes should be enough.
Add the prawns, mushrooms and sliced big onion to the soup. Cook until prawns turn pink, about a minute.
Add the fish sauce and remove from heat.
Add lime juice, smashed fresh chilies and salt.

If you choose the version with milk: Add the milk and dried chilies. You may need to add a bit more lime juice and fish sauce as the milk tames it down a bit. Add about a teaspoon more of each.
Add coriander sprigs and serve while it's still hot.

Recipe: Som Tum (papaya salad)

Shredded young papaya


Palm sugar

Cherry tomatoes

Kra thiem (garlic), fresh and roasted prik Thai

Steamed shrimps

All ingredients are mixed in the mortar.

A plate of delicious, healthy som tum

Som tum is one of my favourite Thai dishes. It's delicious and takes a few minutes only to prepare.

Ingredients:
1 medium dark green papaya, peeled and shredded
4 garlic cloves
4 fresh or roasted Thai chilies (cili padi);add more if you like it spicy and vice versa
2 cherry tomatoes, diced or halved
1/2 cup chopped long beans, in 1inch pieces

Shrimps, steamed
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon dried shrimps, roasted
1/2 teaspoon palm sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanut

1. In a mortar, crush the garlic cloves, dried shrimps and chilies into chunks.
2. Add in papaya and the remaining ingredients and gently combine them with pestle and spoon.
3. Place the dish on a plate and sprinkle the chopped peanut on it.

Serve immediately.