Lemongrass Spicy Salad ( Yam Ta Krai )

Yum Ta Krai is good choice of healthy Thai food cuisine. It consist of various herbs; lemongrass the main lead in this recipe. Some of the herbs good for our stomach and helps reduce uric acid, cholesterol, excess fats. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup thinly sliced lemongrass
• 1 cup minced pork (cooked)10 big shrimps 
• 3 tbsp. sliced chili peppers (or as much as you like)
• 1 cup sliced shallots
• 1 cup sliced scallion and coriander
• 1 cup cashew nuts 
• 1 handful mints
• 1/4 cup fried dry shrimps
• 1 tbsp. crushed coriander roots
• 3 and 1/2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 4 and 1/2 tbsp. lime juice
• 1/2-1 tbsp. palm sugar

Medthod

• In a big bowl, add fish sauce lime and palm sugar. Stir the mix until the palm sugar is dissolved. Taste and change it to the way you like. Make sure the balance of 3 tastes is right. 
• We’ll add chili after we finish everything because the spiciness the stop your ability to taste the saltiness, sourness and sweetness. 
• Now, add pork and shrimps. Then add dry shrimps, lemongrass, scallion, coriander, mints, shallot and coriander roots.
• Lastly, add the sliced chilli as mush as you like. Mix well and serve it with fresh betel leaves.

Thai Satay ( Moo Satay)

Satay is the most famous street foods in Thailand. This appetizer can be found everywhere from street venders to restaurants. It’s simple to make – marinate meat skewer, and grill. Serve with peanut sauce and Thai cucumber salad. 

Satay Sauce Ingredients

Satay Sauce

• 1/4 cup red curry paste
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 cup coarsely ground roast peanut
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup tamarind juice/water

Medthod

• Mix the roasted peanut with the curry paste. 
• Heat 1 cup of coconut milk over medium heat until oil surfaces, add the curry paste mixture and stir well. 
• Add the remaining coconut milk, stir again, then reduce the heat. 
• Stir constantly to prevent from sticking. Season to taste with sugar, tamarind juice and salt.

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Cucumber Salad Ingredients

Cucumber salad

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh mildly spicy red chilies (not sweet bell peppers), finely pound
• 1 small cucumber, cut in a half and thinly sliced lengthy
• 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, crushed
• Coriander leaves for garnish

Medthod

• In a mixing bowl, add vinegar, salt, sugar and red spur chili. Mix well together. 
• In a saucepan, bring sauce mixture to a boil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.
• Serve in a small bowl, sprinkled with roasted peanuts and coraindar leaves.

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Moo Satay Ingredients

• 500 grams pork (moo) loin (about 1 lb.)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh galangal
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh lemon grass
• 1 tsp. finely sliced fresh turmeric (or substitute 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder)
• 2 tsp. ground roasted coriander seeds
• 2 tsp. ground roasted cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. ground pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• Bamboo skewers

Medthod

• Wash the pork, cut into thin slices about 1″ wide and 3″ long.
• Pound galangal, lemon grass and turmeric finely. Toss with the pork. 
• Add the remaining ingredients, toss well and leave to marinade for 30 minutes. 
• Thread the meat lengthwise and char-grill over medium heat until done. 
• Brush occasionally with the marinade.

**serve with satay sauce and cucumber salad.
                               

Deep-fried Vegetarian Spring Roll ( Po Pia Tod )

Spring rolls are a large variety of filled, rolled appetizers found in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine. The kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary considerably within this large area.

In Thailand, there are many types of spring roll style dishes. Many Thais often eat it as a snack. The golden brown wrapper compliments the fresh, colorful vegetables and other ingredients inside, and the texture of this thin yet crispy wrapper makes these rolls easy to eat. With a delicious combination of flavors in a small roll.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped shitake mushrooms
• 1 1/4 cup chopped carrots
• 3 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 bundles clear noodles (bean thread)
• 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4-5 tablespoons Thai light soy sauce
• 1 package Thai spring roll wrappers
• 1/4 cup shitake water
• 1 egg
• 3 cups vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup plum sauce or sweet and sour sauce

Preparation

• Soak dried shitake mushrooms in hot water for 20-30 minutes or until they are soft. Squeeze out all excess water. Cut off the stem. Slice the shitake mushrooms into thin slices. Keep the shitake water.
• Soak the bean thread noodles in hot water until soft. Remove from water and cut the bundle into four pieces. Remove the strings (that tied the noodles together, if any).
• If the spring roll wrappers are frozen, defrost them first.
• To make egg wash, place a whole egg (without shell) in a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork.

Method

• Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan. Turn the heat down to medium-high. Add minced garlic, fry until fragrant.
• Add carrots, noodles and shitake mushrooms. Mix them well.
• Add cabbage and mix well. Stir until cooked.
• Add white pepper powder and Thai light soy sauce. Stir well.
• Put the filling in a bowl. Set aside and let it cool down. Do not wrap when filling is hot.

• Lay a wrapper in front of you and with a corner pointing toward you, spread 2-3 tablespoons of the filling horizontally. Fold the bottom of the wrapper up over the filling and gently press down. Fold in both of the sides of the wrapper. Continue to roll the spring roll up towards the top of the wrapper. Brush the top corner with a bit of egg wash to seal the roll.
• Heat oil until hot. Turn the heat down to medium.
• Place a spring roll in the pan, one at a time. Deep fry a few spring rolls at a time until the color turns golden brown.
• Drain fried spring rolls on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

**Serve with plum sauce or sweet and sour sauce

Fish cake ( Tod Man Pla )

Tod Man Pla is made by deep frying small patties of minced fish mixed with red curry paste, finely chopped yardlong beans, and finely shredded kaffir lime leaves.

Red Curry Paste Ingredients

Red curry paste

• 4 dried Thai chilies, de-seeded and soaked in the water
• 2 tablespoon shallots, sliced
• 3 tablespoon garlic, sliced
• 2 tablespoon lemon grass, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons galangal thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander root, finely sliced
• 1/2 teaspoons kaffir lime rind, finely sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste

Medthod

Pound curry paste ingredients except shallot, garlic and shrimp paste in a mortar finely. Add shallot and garlic and continue pounding finely. Add shrimp paste last and pound finely again.

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Cucumber Salad Ingredients

Cucumber salad

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh mildly spicy red chilies (not sweet bell peppers), finely pound
• 1 small cucumber, cut in a half and thinly sliced lengthy
• 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, crushed
• Coriander leaves for garnish

Medthod

In a mixing bowl, add vinegar, salt, sugar and red spur chili. Mix well together. In a saucepan, bring sauce mixture to a boil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool. Serve in a small bowl, sprinkled with roasted peanuts and coraindar leaves.

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Fish Cake Ingredients

Chitala

• 2-3 tablespoons red curry paste
• 3/4 cup (180 grams) white-fleshed fish fillets
• 1/4 cup winged beans or green beans, thinly sliced
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon kafirr lime leaves, finely sliced
• 3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Medthod

• In a mixing bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of water with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Dip your hands into the salty water. Then beat the fish fillet against the side of the bowl and beat until it turns sticky. Mix the curry paste into the pounded fish fillet. Continuing beating for 5 minutes.
• Add seasoning sauce and pound together for another 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and pound for 2-3 minutes. Add the beans and kaffir lime leaves. Mix well together. A food processor may be used instead of doing it by hand.
• In a mixing bowl, pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Coat the palms of the hands with vegetable oil. Shape fish into flat small balls 2 inches in diameter. In a wok, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. When hot, flatten the fish balls into a cake and deep-fry over a low heat until golden. Remove from a wok and allow to drain on paper towel.

** Serve with cucumber salad

Tom Kha Kai

Tom kha kai  (Thai Chicken Coconut Soup) is a spicy hot soup, made with coconut milk, galangal, lemon grass and chicken. The fried chillies add a smoky flavor as well as texture, color and heat, but not so much that it overwhelms the soup. The key is to get a taste balance between the spices. There are other versions of this soup made with seafood, mushrooms , pork and tofu.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (16fl oz/500 ml) coconut milk
• 6 thin slices young galangal 
• 2 stalks lemon grass, lower portion, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) lengths and crushed
• 5 fresh kaffir lime leaves, torn in half
• 8 oz (250g) boned chicken breast, sliced
• 5 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) lime juice
• 1teaspoon black chilli paste (nam phrik pao)
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 5 green Thai chilli peppers (phrik khi nu), crushed

Method

• Combine half the coconut milk with the galangal, lemon grass, and lime leaves in a large saucepan and heat to boiling. 
• Add the chicken, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer about 4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked, and then add the remaining coconut milk. 
• Heat just to boiling. Place the lime juice and chilli paste in a serving bowl and pour the soup over them. 
• Garnish with cilantro leaves and crushed chilli peppers.

** Served with white rice

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Tom Yum Goong

Tom yum or tom yam is a spicy clear soup typical in Laos and Thailand. Tom yum is widely served in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, and has been popularised around the world. It is listed at number 8 on World's 50 Most Delicious Foods complied by CNN Go in 2011.

                                

Ingredients

• 4 cups of water
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, trim off the very end of the root and smash with the side of a cleaver of chef's knife; cut into 1 inch pieces; or 2 pc dried
• 3 slices fresh galangal root (smashed) or 2 pc dried
• 3 fresh kaffir lime leave or 4 pc dried
• 1 tbsp. tamarind paste, with or without seeds
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce, Golden Boy preferred
• 3/4 lb shrimps, medium to large size, shelled and de-veined; butterfly if desired
• 12 fresh Thai chili peppers, whole or 2 medium sized jalepenos, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips.
• 1/2 small white onion, cut 1/4 inch slices
• 2 tbsp. roasted chili paste (nam prik pao)
• 1 (16 oz.) can straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed
• 1 small ripe tomato, cut into wedges 1/4 inch thick
• 1 small lime, squeezed
• 2 sprigs fresh cilantro

Cooking

• Bring water to boil over high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. 
• Add the lemon grass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, fish sauce and tamarind paste (break apart the tamarind paste with your fingers as you add it). 
• Add the shrimp, bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes. 
• Add the onion, Nam Prik Pao and straw mushrooms. Boil for another 7 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through. 
• Add the chile peppers and tomatoes. Turn off the heat. 
• Add the lime juice. Taste to adjust the seasoning, adding fish sauce to taste. Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve.  

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Panang curry

Panang curry is a type of Thai curry that is milder than other Thai curries. Panang curry is often made as a vegetarian curry as well (simply make it without meat or fish). 

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Panang curry is not red curry - Panang, when made according to Thai tradition, is made using the cream of the coconut milk, and provides a thicker, pastier curry than the red curry, which is more of a soup curry. Furthermore, Panang curry is fried in coconut milk, as opposed to red curry, which is boiled. It is possible, however, to make a "soup" version of this curry, and that is actually our favorite.

Panang Curry Paste ingredients

• Chili peppers (5 large dried red chili peppers, seeded and soaked - prig kee nu chili is the most authentic choice)
• Galangal (a root) (1 tsp, sliced)
• Lemongrass (fresh, yellow section only - 1 tsp, thinly sliced using a very sharp knife)
• Coriander (1 tsp)
• Cilantro (root or stem - 1 tsp, sliced)
• Ground Cumin (1 tsp)
• Garlic (1 clove, pressed)
• Shallots (5, sliced)
• Peanuts (optional, 1/4 cup)
• Kaffir Lime (the rind - 12 leaves, sliced)
• Shrimp paste (optional, 1 Tbsp)
• Sea Salt (1 tsp)
• Pepper (white or black - 2 tsp)

To make the panang curry paste, simply combine all the ingredients and pound with a mortar and pestle. You can also blend it all together in a food processor or blender.

Panang Ingredients

• Protein: Chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or, since we eat mostly vegetarian, we use extra firm tofu sauteed in a couple Tbsp of olive or canola oil until browned (it is important to brown the tofu before you add it to the curry)
• Rice (2 cups)
• Coconut milk (use light coconut milk if you prefer) (2 cans)
• Panang curry paste (1.5 Tbsp)
• Brown sugar (3 Tbsp)
• Fish sauce (2 Tbsp)
• Green Peas or Sugar Snap Peas (1/2 cup)
• Kaffir lime leaves (4-6)
• Sweet basil leaves (for garnish)
• Some water (to thin out and make more soupy, less thick)

Cooking

• Mix the coconut milk, curry paste, sugar, and fish sauce together in a pot, bring to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes.
• Add your meat, seafood or pre-cooked tofu (optional), peas and kaffir lime leaves and simmer for an additional ten minutes. 
• Before you remove from heat, make sure the meat or seafood is cooked all the way! 
• Take the thickest piece, cut it in half, and verify that it's cooked all the way through. 
• If you find that you've boiled down your curry too much - and it tastes too thick, salty and concentrated, add some water to thin it out.

• **Serve with white rice.

Green Curry Chicken (Kaeng Keaw Waan Kai)

Green Curry Chicken

♨Green curry  is a variety of curry in Thai cuisine. The name "green" curry derives from the color of the dish. Other Thai curry dishes are identified solely by their colors, such as yellow and red curry. Green curries tend to be as hot as red curries, both being hotter than phanang/padang curries. However, green curries, regardless of heat, have a definite and desired sweetness that is not usually associated with red curries. 

Green Curry Paste

Thai green curry can be made with all kinds of meat. However, the more popular ones are made with beef, pork, chicken, and fish ball. The green curry is usually eaten with rice or with round rice noodles known as khanom chin.


Ingredients

• 1/3 cup Green Curry paste
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 chicken breasts
• Half a green bell pepper
• Half a red bell pepper
• 1 carrot
• Half an onion
• 1/2 cup of eggplant
• 1/2 cup of bamboo shoots
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of fresh basil

Preparation

• Cut chicken into ¼ inch slices
• Chop the peppers into small pieces
• Chop the carrot into small pieces
• Dice the onion
• Slice eggplant into ¼ inch pieces
• Chop bamboo shoots into 1 inch strip

Cooking

• Pour half a can of coconut milk into the pot and turn on the stove to medium heat.
• When the coconut milk starts to boil add the green curry paste, stir it together about 2 minutes.
• Add 2 cups of water and increase the burner to high heat.
• When it boils add the chicken, let it simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
• When the chicken is cooked, add all the vegetables, bring to a boil.
• Add the rest of the coconut milk, sugar and salt, let it simmer for another 2 minutes.
• Add fresh basil and it's done.

• **Serve with rice or 

round rice noodles and garnish with fresh basil.

Rice

Round rice noodles