Bangkok Flood

And just like that, we're down to half our stash of water.  We're not yet ready to kiss Bangkok good bye, as most Bangkokians have, and are still blessed to live in dry territory.  Over the past few weeks, I've visited over 5 to 8 supermarkets at night after work, stocking up on milk and diapers, taking whatever was in store.  Most shelves have been emptied for the past 2 weeks and everyone has panic bought almost everything!

Let's continue to pray for Thailand as it embraces the worse flood it's seen in the last 60 years.

Pandan Water

Insanely refreshing and tasty, this is a good alternative to cold caffeinated tea drinks.  All you need to do is tie the pandan leaves together into a knot.  Place in a pot with water.  Bring to a boil then simmer until the leaves and water change color.  Like so...

Then add coconut sugar to taste.  Strain and serve in a glass with ice cubes.  It was so good, I forgot to take a photo.

iPhone photos.  Bear with me please.

Green Chicken Curry, Thai-style

By far one of my favorite Thai dishes, this dish is so easy to prepare.  This is best served with Jasmine Rice.


You will need:
3/4 cup Coconut Cream
1-2 Tablespoon Green Curry Paste
250 grams Chicken, cut into cubes or strips
2 cups thin Coconut Milk
4 Thai Eggplants / Aubergines
3 Kaffir Lime leaves, sliced into thin strips
1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar
Fish Sauce, to taste
1 Red Thai Chilli
25 leaves Sweet Thai Basil

In a hot wok, place the coconut cream and once it boils, add the green curry paste, mixing well.  Do not cover with a lid.  This will make the coconut cream or milk curdle.

 Add the chicken and turn to medium heat.  Continue to fry the chicken pieces until it changes color.

Add the thin coconut milk, eggplants, fish sauce, coconut sugar, and kaffir lime leaves.  Bring to a boil then simmer.

 Once the chicken pieces are tender, add the red chilli and basil leaves.  Serve hot.

Green Curry Paste

Each Thai family takes pride in their own recipe for curry paste/s.  Flavors are built on several layers of ingredients and with almost anything that is cooked, a proper balance of ingredients is key.  Some use anywhere between 8 to 18 ingredients for their paste.

You will be needing:

Equal amounts of Cumin seeds and Coriander seeds, that has been dry-roasted in a wok (this means, no oil, for about 2-3 minutes until aromas are released).

Equal amounts of lemongrass root, galangal, and kaffir lime rind.

2 teaspoons Shallots

7 cloves Garlic, skin removed

Turmeric

8 cm Ginza, skin removed (you can substitute this with dried ginger)

7 Sweet Thai Basil leaves

2 Red Thai Chillies

10 Green Thai Chillies

Salt, to taste

2 teaspoons Shrimp Paste

Simply put, place all the ingredients in a mortar and pestle.  Pound away until you can't tell one ingredient from the other.

Lazy intentions?  You can keep this paste in the refrigerator for a week or 3 months in the freezer.  Just remember, store portion-controlled quantities so you need not thaw the entire batch.

Chicken with Cashew Nuts

Thus far, the most unappetizing photo in my blog, don't be fooled.  I had to endure taking photos with my iPhone for a week.  Uncool I know.  But the flavors made up for it, big time.


You'll be needing:

Soya bean oil, for cooking
5 to 6 Garlic cloves, crushed and chopped with the skin on (yes, skin on!)
300 grams Chicken fillets, sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
1.5 Tablespoons Soya Sauce, the saltier, the better
1 teaspoon White Sugar, or add as needed
1 Onion, sliced
5 Spring Onions, cut into strips
3 large Sun-dried Thai Chilies, cut into strips
20 Cashew Nuts, roasted


In a hot wok with soya bean oil, saute the garlic.  Once fragrant, add the chicken pieces and once cooked, add all the ingredients except the cashew nuts, which will be added right before serving.  Season to taste.  Serve with Jasmine rice.

Masaman Curry Chicken

First things first, stomach the iPhone photography.  I have yet to find the perfect camera for traveling (Leica or Lumix are on my wish list this christmas!).


Right.  Massaman curry.  This comes from the South where most of the muslims in Thailand live, so it's rare to see this cooked with Pork.  You'll need:

Soya Bean Oil, for cooking
1 to 2 Tablespoon Masaman Curry Paste (click here)
250 grams Chicken fillets (or duck, lamb, beef)
2 Potatoes, cubed
1 onion, sliced
3/4 cup Coconut cream
Salt, to taste
Coconut Sugar, to taste
Fish Sauce, to taste
5 Tablespoons, Peanuts, ground and roasted
1-2 cups Coconut Milk
3 Tablespoons Tamarind Paste


What's the difference with coconut cream and coconut milk?  The first press is cream and the second press, usually mixed with water, is the coconut milk.

In a hot wok with soya bean oil, fry the curry paste until fragrant.  Add the chicken, potatoes, and onions.  Then pour the coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut sugar, fish sauce, peanuts, and salt.  Bring to a boil then simmer until chicken pieces are tender.

Then add the tamarind paste.  Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or so.  Serve with rice.


It might be good to note, that there is a proper way of eating curries here in Thailand.  You must place the rice in the middle of the plate.  The curry can be placed on one side, and the other stir-fired dish on the other side.  The rice acts as a barrier, keeping the flavors intact.  Like so...

Massaman Curry Paste

,

Built with several flavors inspired by Indian and Thai curries, this Southern Thai dish should be a staple for cool weather.  It can be very spicy, as most red curries are, so incorporating the right amount is usually done trial by error.  


You'll need:

Black Peppercorns

Cumin Seeds

Coriander Seeds

Cloves

Cinnamon

Cardamon

Salt

3 sun-dried Thai chillies, soaked in water, seeds removed

1/2 teaspoon Ginza (or dried ginger), skin removed, sliced thinly

Lemongrass, sliced

Garlic, peeled and chopped

Shallots, chopped finely

Coriander root, chopped

Shrimp Paste

Roast dry ingredients in a hot pan or wok for a few minutes.  This will release all the flavors you'll need.  Remember, that massaman curry is built by layers of flavors, so allow the spices to take enough time in the pan or wok.  This usually takes 2 to 4 minutes.  Switch off the heat once the aromas are released.

Then place all the dry ingredients in a mortar and pestle.  Pound along with all the other ingredients.

Lazy intentions?  You can make a bigger batch and store in an air-tight container, submerged in soya bean oil.  Don't refrigerate as this will make the flavors dull and lessen it's intensity.  This will keep for about 2 months.

Pad Thai

Patience required, iPhone photography

Easy to prepare, and takes less than ten minutes in the wok, this dish is a must try even for the novice cook.  Try to use a wok when cooking this dish because it gives that nice smoky flavor.


You'll need:

Patience required, iPhone photography.

3 Tablespoons Vegetable oil (although they prefer to use Soya Bean Oil here in Thailand)
4 cloves Garlic, chopped
6 pieces Prawns, peeled and deveined
70 grams Tofu, diced or sliced
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
1-2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1 cup warm Water (or add more as needed)
140 grams Rice Noodles (soaked in warm water for 2 minutes then drained)
1-2 Tablespoons Peanuts, ground
1 cup Bean Sprouts
2 sweet Spring Onions
1/2 Lime


In a hot wok with vegetable oil, saute the garlic and fry until fragrant.  Thai garlic is by far, one of the most aromatic varieties I've come across in my cooking.  Add the prawns and the tofu.  Then add the egg, scrambling it.  Immediately add the fish sauce and sugar and crank the heat up and using your cooking spoon, put all the ingredients on the top part of the wok.    Pour the water at the bottom of the wok and cook the rice noodles until it becomes soft.  Add the nuts, bean sprouts, spring onions, and the rest of the ingredients.  Switch off the heat once the noodles are dry.  Squeeze with lime.

Patience required, iPhone photography.

This is usually served with Fish Sauce, Vinegar, Chili, and Sugar -- all to taste.  

When In Chiangmai, Cook Thai!

Sawasdee!

The Young Tongue and I recently moved to Bangkok, Thailand.  Let's just say things weren't working out for me in The Philippines and a wonderful opportunity to work for one of the global leaders in the Food Industry gave me a job I couldn't resist.  So there.  

I recently flew to Chiangmai for a cooking course and naturally, want to share it with all of you.  But first things first, let me share photos of their wet market and names of recipes to come in the next few days.

And oh, forgive the photos.  I had to use my iPhone.

Aubergines!  Tiny little ones...medium ones...and well, large ones.  The large ones are kept green here, while in the Philippines, we like to buy them purple!

Leave it with the ever-so-clever Thai, they sell herbs and greens in bundled mixes, suiting your fancy for the day!  Cooks need not worry about buying too much of something as these are pre-portioned for the day's needs.

Jasmine rice galore!  I remember when I was little, my uncle used to work at IRRI in Los Banos, Philippines.  He used to tell me stories of Thai scientists learning the art of planting rice from him and his team of local scientists.  Well, about less than 2 decades later, Thailand's Jasmine Rice is by far, one of the best-tasting and most famous in the world!

"Only buy live catfish" was what my grandmother used to tell me during our weekly wet market visits.  Here, they're placed in deep basins with fresh running water.  They even offer to grill them right in front of your very eyes!  

Recipes I'll be sharing within the next few days... Pad Thai, Massaman Curry, Fried Rice with Chicken, Grilled Fish Salad, Stir-fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts, Stir-Fried Thick Rice Noodles with Chicken, Chicken with Basil, Tom Yum Soup.