SEAFOOD TOM YAM

Ingredients:-

8 oz (250 g) shrimp/prawns, shelled and deveined, with shellsreserved

3 cups (24 fl oz/750 ml) water

2 garlic cloves (kratiem), minced

5 kaffir lime leaves (bai ma-good)

3 thin slices fresh or dried galangal (kha)

1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) fish sauce (nam pla)

2 stalks lemon grass/citronella (ta-krai), lower

1/3 portiononly, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) lengths

2 shallots, sliced1/2 cup sliced straw mushrooms

5 green Thai chili peppers (prik khee noo), optional

1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) lime juice1 teaspoon black chili paste (nam prik pow)

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro/coriander leaves (bai pak chee)

Preparation:-

Rinse the prawn shells and place them in a large pot with the water. Heat to boiling, strain the broth and discard the shells.

Add the garlic, lime leaves, galangal, fish sauce, lemon grass and shallots to the stock, then the mushrooms and chili peppers, if using. Cook gently for 2 minutes.

Add the shrimp to the soup, and reheat to boiling. When the shrimp are cooked, place the lime juice and black chili paste in a serving bowl. Pour the soup into the bowl, stir, garnish with the cilantro leaves, and serve.

Pad Thai

Ingredients:-

1 (12 ounce) package rice noodles
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/8 tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
3 green onions, chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preperation:-

Soak rice noodles in cold water 30 to 50 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside. Heat butter in a wok or large heavy skillet. Saute chicken until browned. Remove, and set aside. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into hot oil, and cook until firm. Stir in chicken, and cook for 5 minutes. Add softened noodles, and vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and red pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mix while cooking, until noodles are tender. Add bean sprouts, and mix for 3 minutes.

BASIL CHICKEN

This recipe is for one of the favorite dishes of the Thai people. They will make Basil Anything – substitute the chicken with pork, beef, squid, shrimp, seafood, . . . anything you like. This dish is often served at breakfast with a deep-fried egg, sunnyside up, on top. One of our particular favorites is to make it with ground pork and lots of Thai chillies. For pork, make sure you use Holy Basil (Bai Gkaprow), as it goes especially well with pork.

Ingredients:-

2-3 Tbs. peanut oil for stir-frying
10-12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with 1/2 cup sliced onion) – optional
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped, or cut into small bite-size pieces
12-20 Thai chillies (prik kee noo), cut into very thin rounds; or substitute 4-6 serrano, jalapeño or fresno peppers, cut into large slivers with seeds
2 small kaffir lime leaves (bai ma-gkrood), very finely slivered (optional)
2-3 tsp. black soy sauce (the semi-sweet kind), or to taste
2 Tbs. fish sauce (nam bplah), or to taste
1 cup fresh Thai holy basil (bai gka-prow), or Thai sweet basil (bai horapa) leaves and flower buds; or use 1/4 cup dried holy basil, soaked to soften plus 1/2 to 1 cup fresh Thai sweet basil (bai horapa)
Dash of ground white pepper

Preparation:-

Prepare the ingredients as instructed. Leave the fresh basil leaves whole; the flower buds may also be used. The dried holy basil will soften when soaked in tap water for about 10 to 15 minutes. Pull off and discard the hard stems. Drain.
Heat a wok until its surface is smoking hot. Swirl in the oil to coat the wok surface. Wait a few seconds for the oil to heat, then stir in the garlic, followed a few seconds later with the shallots or onion. Stir another 15 to 20 seconds before adding the chicken. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until most of the chicken has changed color on the outside and is no longer pink.
Toss in the chillies, slivered kaffir lime leaves (if using), and softened dried holy basil (if using). Sprinkle black soy sauce over the mixture and stir-fry for another 15 to 20 seconds. Season to taste with fish sauce, then stir in the fresh basil. Toss well. Stir-fry another 1/2 to 1 minute, or until the basil is wilted and the chicken cooked through. Sprinkle with white pepper. Stir and transfer to a serving dish, or spoon directly over individual plates of plain steamed rice.

GREEN CURRY PASTE (KRUNG GAENG KEO WAN)

Ingredients:-

3 pieces dried Laos (Ka), chopped or teaspoon Laos powder

1 teaspoon dried lesser ginger (Krachai) or 1 teaspoon powdered lesser ginger

1 teaspoon caraway seeds or 1 teaspoon ground caraway

12 black peppercorns or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

4 whole cloves or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 whole nutmeg pod or 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 stalks lemon grass, minced

2 tablespoons coriander roots, chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons shallots, chopped

1 teaspoon lime zest, mince, or 1/2 teaspoon dried Kaffir lime rind, soak in hot water until soft, then mince

8 whole green Serrano chilies, stemmed, and minced

1 teaspoon shrimp paste (Kapee)

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation:-

Place the whole, dries spices (Laos, lesser ginger, coriander, caraway, peppercorns, cloves and nutmeg) in a mortar and pound or grind to a smooth, somewhat stringy, powder. (Or if you'd like to use a spice grinder, because of its size this will require repeated steps.) Omit this step if ground spices are used. Empty the powder into a food processor; if not available, continue with the mortar and pestle. Add the remaining ingredients, including oil, and process or pound to a smooth, even paste.

GREEN CHICKEN CURRY (GAENG KEO WAN GAI)

Ingredients:-

2 1/2 to 3 pounds frying chicken, boned, skinned and cut into small chunks

2 cups "Thick" coconut milk

2 tablespoons fish sauce (Nam Pla)

3 pieces dried Laos (Ka)

3 tablespoons green curry paste

2 cups "Thin" coconut milk

1/2 cup fresh sweet basil leaves

6 to 8 young citrus leaves

1/3 cup green peas (optional)

6 green Serrano chilies

Preparation:-

In a wok, boil together the chicken, "Thick" coconut mile, fish sauce and Laos until the meat is tender. Remove the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon and continue boiling until the milk thickens and becomes oily. Add the curry paste and continue cooking, stiffing to help mix the paste, for a few more minutes. Return the chicken to the wok when the mixture is smooth and the paste has released its aroma. Pour in the "Thin" coconut milk and return to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the basil and citrus leaves, peas, and chilies. Increase heat and boil again for 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Black Glutinous Rice

Ingredients:-

1 2/3 cups water
1 pandan leaf
3/4 cup black glutinous rice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups coconut milk

Preparation:-

In a saucepan bring water and pandan leaf to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove pandan leaf and stir in brown sugar and white sugar. Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and remove from heat.

Red Bean Soup

Ingredients:-

1 cup red beans
5 cups water
1 strip dried tangerine peel or fresh orange peel
1/4 cup canned lotus seeds
1/3 - 1/2 cup brown sugar, as desired

PREPARATION:

Soak the red beans in water for several hours to soften them (it's easiest to soak them overnight). Drain. In a medium saucepan, bring the 5 cups of water with the tangerine peel to a boil. Turn the heat down, add the red beans and lotus seeds and simmer, partially covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are softened to the point where they are just beginning to break apart.

Onde onde

This is one of the all time favourite Malay dessert. It is fantastic when you bring them along for a picnic.

Ingredients:-

14 oz glutinous rice flour
10 oz sweet potatoes
3 tbsp pandan juice [screwpine leaves]
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp water
4 oz gula Melaka [Malaccan sugar]
2 cups fresh grated coconut

Preparation:-

Break up the gula Melaka [Malaccan sugar] into small pieces. Peel, cook and mash sweet potatoes. Sieve glutinous flour into a large bowl
Add mashed sweet potatoes and pandan juice. Mix well to combine and knead into a dough. Form dough into small balls, about 1 inch diameter
Make a hole in the center of the ball and fill with a small piece of gula Melaka. Roll again to make it into a small ball. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the dough balls. When they float to the surface of the water, remove and place on a draining tray or sieve. Add salt to the fresh grated coconut. Mix well. Roll the cooked glutinous balls over the coconut. Best served warm - pops in your mouth with a sweet sensation of oozing gula Melaka [Malaccan sugar] syrup!