Awesome Thai Food

Thai red chicken curry

Serves: 4
 
Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

• 1tbsp groundnut oil
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 small red onions, cut into thin wedges
• 3tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 2 x 400ml cans coconut milk (you can choose the low-fat version if preferred)
• 250g (9oz) fine green beans, trimmed
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 2tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 8tbsp chopped fresh coriander

 Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan, add the chicken and cook for 5 mins until golden. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins until the chicken is cooked through and the onion is tender. Add the curry paste and cook for just 2 mins.
2. Pour in the coconut milk, bring almost to the boil and then simmer for 10 mins.
3. Add the beans and simmer for 5 mins until just tender. Add the lime zest and juice, fish sauce and coriander just before you're ready to serve. Perfect with hot, sticky rice and a bottle of cool lager.

 

Tom Yum Kung - Thai Hot and Sour Prawn/King Prawn or Shrimp Soup

Portions:- 4 to 6


Ingredients:-


6 cups of stock
1 to 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, Thai if possible
4 Kaffir lime leaves or a tablespoon of lime zest
1 White part of Lemongrass stalk crushed
2 pieces of galangal or ginger, cut very thin
2 cloves of garlic crushed
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds of king prawns, prawns or shrimps
Half a bunch of spring onions/scallions chopped
1 cup of your preferred mushrooms ( I use straw )
2 Limes, juice only
1/2 bunch coriander/cilantro leaves
2 or 3 Thai chillies seeded or unseeded chopped into rounds


Method:-


1. Add the fish sauce, lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, salt and pepper to the stock in a large pot and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and then simmer for for between 15 and 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for another 10 minutes so the ingredients can infuse. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids that are left over.
2. Return the mixture to simmer over a medium heat to low heat and add the spring onions, prawns and mushrooms, continue to simmer on medium to low heat for about 5 or 6 minutes until the prawns are cooked through.
3. Stir in the lime juice, chillies and coriander, then season to your taste and serve.


Notes:- 


For Tom Yum Ghai substitute chicken for prawns
For Tom Yum Pla  substitute any fish for prawns
For Tom Yum Moo substitute pork for prawns
The shells of the prawns are sometimes added to the stock before sieving




Enjoy

Papaya Pok Pok - Sweet and Sour Salad

Portions:- 4 


Ingredients:-
1 or 2 birds' eye chillies, chopped and seeded ( I have known Thai people use 10 unseeded! )
1 tablespoon of dried shrimps ( they use small whole crabs sometimes in Thailand )
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
450g papaya
2 tablespoons fish sauce preferably Thai
2 tablespoons of lemon/lime juice
1 tablespoon of brown sugar ( Thais use palm sugar )
1 tablespoon of roasted peanuts
100g of cooked/raw green beans cut into 4 to 6 cm lengths
2 roughly diced tomatoes


Method:-


1. Crush the chillies, garlic and shrimps in a blender. ( Thais use pestle and mortar. )
2. Cut the papaya in half and remove the seeds, scoop out the flesh and cut into fine diced cubes.       ( The Thais always shred their papaya. ) Place the papaya in a bowl and mix in the chillies, garlic and dried shrimps. Then add the Lemon or Lime juice, sugar and fish sauce and mix together well.
Put the beans, peanuts and beans into the mixture and toss all the ingredients together so that all are distributed evenly.


Notes:-
Palm sugar can be found in most East Asian stores if it is in hard form you will need to grate it.
Dried shrimps can also be found in East Asian stores and it is recommended that rinsed with hot boiling water before use.


Enjoy!