cookeatblog.com » Thai Food

Thai Minced Pork in Green Curry

leej — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:00:32 +0000

One of my favourite Thai dishes is this deliciously flavourful curry. Pork mince could easily be relegated to quite a boring and cheap ingredient but when it’s incorporated into this spice laden sauce you would never dare call it boring. It’s spicy, but not ridiculous so if you dare add the 5 chillies then go for it.

INGREDIENTS:
For the Paste:
1 tablespoon fresh galangal (chopped)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger (chopped)
2 lime leaves (shredded)
1 lemon grass stalk (white only, chopped)
5 small, hot green chillies (seeds in, chopped)
1 coriander root
2 small shallots (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 candle nuts
l teaspoon shrimp paste
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon white pepper

Other Ingredients:
4 tablespoons peanut oil
700g pork mince
1 packed cup baby spinach
1 cup frozen peas
400ml coconut milk
1/2 cup coriander leaves (chopped)
1 lime (cut into wedges)

DIRECTIONS:
To make the paste:
In a pestle and mortar, pound the ingredients adding one-by-one until you have a smooth, green paste. Set aside.

Heat a wok with the oil over a medium/high temperature. Add the paste and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add ¼ of the coconut milk and simmer for 1 minute. Add the pork and stir-fry for 4 minutes until the mince is separated. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and 200ml water and bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and peas and simmer for another 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander. Serve immediately.

SERVING:
Serve over jasmine rice with plenty of lime to squeeze over.

Northern Thai Fish Curry with Holy Basil

leej — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:00:04 +0000

I really craved some spice tonight. I’m off on holidays in the Aussie Outback tomorrow so just know I won’t be eating anything exciting while I’m there, so wanted something to tide me over. I love Northern Thai food, for it’s spice and this curry is no exception – 20 red chillies may sound a lot, but the resulting dish, while spicy won’t blow your head off. The coconut milk diffuses a lot of the heat. That said, it was enough to leave a tingle in the mouth for 20 minutes which is just great. It was a really flavour filled sauce – jam packed with complex heat and spice. Top 10 Thai curry.

INGREDIENTS:
For the paste:
1 tablespoon fresh turmeric (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (chopped)
1 large shallot (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 lemon grass stalk (white only chopped)
8 kaffir lime leaves (4 shredded, 4 whole)
1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
15-20 fresh birds eye chillies (chopped)
2 teaspoons palm sugar (or normal sugar)
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
large pinch of white pepper

Other ingredients:
400g firm white fish fillets (I used john dory)
1 1/4 cup peanut oil
400ml coconut milk
3 tablespoons fish sauce
200g French beans (trimmed)
1/2 cup fresh Thai holy basil (whole leaves)

DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor, blend together all the paste ingredients (except the 4 whole lime leaves) for about 5 minutes until very smooth. Set aside.

Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a wok over a moderate heat until hot – then tip in 3/4 of the paste and the remaining lime leaves and fry for 1-2 minutes. Pour in about 100ml of the coconut milk and fry for a further 5 minutes until the oil separates. Pour in the remaining coconut milk, plus 200ml water and the fish sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Heat the remaining peanut oil in a large frying pan over a moderate/high heat until hot. Drop in the fish fillets, skin side down and fry for 3-4 minutes each side until just crunchy on the edges. Drain on paper towels briefly then slide into the curry sauce. Shake the pan to submerge then turn off the heat.

Stir in the Thai holy basil and serve.

SERVING:
Lots of Jasmine rice to soak up the thinnish gravy.

Thai Garlic Chive Stir Fry

leej — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:00:51 +0000

I love garlic chives. Their subtle onion/garlic flavour is so good. I always order them at one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney, Noodle King in China Town. They stir fry them, Chinese style; cooked with eggs and served with small pancakes. It’s one of my top 10 dishes of all time and one which I am determined to master at home. However, this Thai style preparation is very impressive in its own right. Very simple to cook and very tasty to eat. It’s a great accompaniment to seafood. We ate it alongside the Thai Trout with red coconut sauce and it worked very well. Delicious stuff.

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
300g garlic chives (cut into 10cm pieces)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a wok until hot. Add the chives and stir vigorously for 1 minute until wilted slightly. Pour in the coconut milk, soy and fish sauces and stir for a further 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

SERVING:
Serve alongside fish, poultry or meat. Thai style.

Trout with Red Coconut Sauce

leej — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:00:23 +0000

In a vain effort to eat more healthily, our new year’s resolution was to eat more fish. We are still eating all the delicious meat dishes we normally do, but interspersed with a few fish or seafood dishes. I’ve always loved fish baked in a Thai style. The fragrant combination of Thai spices is just perfect for trout cooked whole. Once you’ve made the spice paste this dish is an absolute doddle. The resulting dish is impressive in so many ways. What could be mor impressive to look at than a whole fish on a platter? And it doesn’t stop at appearance. The red sauce is mild and fragrant and absolutely delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
Red curry Paste:
1 stalk lemon grass (white only, sliced)
1 teaspoon fresh galangal (chopped)
1 teaspoon fresh turmeric (chopped)
5 fresh Thai red chillies (with seeds, chopped)
2 shallots (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shrimp paste

Other:
2 x medium rainbow trout (scaled & gutted)
1/2 cup coconut cream
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 large lime (sliced)
Thai basil leaves (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:
To make the paste:
In the order listed, pound in a pestle and mortar into a smooth paste. Mix the paste with the coconut cream and fish sauce and set aside.

Pat dry the fish then make deep slashes in the skin, each side.

Preheat oven to 200ºC

Place one fish on a large piece of kitchen foil then pour over half the curry paste. Rub the paste into the fish, inside and out. Arrange half the lime slices inside the fish then bring up each edge of the foil and seal the fish in a parcel. Repeat process with the remaining fish, paste and lime.

Place the fish on a large baking tray and cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Leave to settle for 2-3 minutes before serving.

SERVING:
Unwrap the fish and place on a serving dish along with any juices from the fish. Garnish with the basil and serve.

Thai Twice Cooked Pork Ribs

leej — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:00:46 +0000

I love pork ribs. The satisfaction of being able to strip the meat off the bone in one fell swoop is one of life’s great pleasures. This dish creates an amazing, tender rib with all the flavours of Thailand in the background. Twice cooked it is, steamed then fried to give it texture. It’s amazing – just make sure you get in there first when they’re served as they won’t last long. Brendan and I are in full recovery mode as I type this, packed to the gills with delicious pork ribs. He may not be able to move for some time judging by the look on his face.

INGREDIENTS: (makes more than you need, but freezes well)
For the marinade:
20 small dried red chillies
1 lemon grass stalk (white only, chopped)
1 teaspoon fresh turmeric (or 1/2 teaspoon powdered)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (chopped)
1 candlenut (or macadamia nut)
1 shallot (chopped)
1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons peanut oil

Other Ingredients:
1kg pork spare ribs
4 tablespoons peanut oil
lemon wedges to serve
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
To make the paste, pound together all the ingredients, adding one by one in the order they are listed to a pestle and mortar until very smooth. Rub 2 tablespoons of the paste all over the ribs then cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Heat a steamer pan then cook the ribs for 1 hour (you may need to cut the ribs in half to get them into the pan). Remove from the pan and cut into individual ribs.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the ribs for 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels then tip onto serving platter. Season well with salt & pepper then serve.

SERVING:
Serve with lemon wedges alongside to squeeze over as you wish.

Pipis & Prawns Steamed in Spicy Yellow Coconut Sauce

leej — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:00:22 +0000

Thai cuisine is full of surprises – none more than their amazing techniques with seafood and shellfish. Pipis are like small clams and are delicious served in a spicy sauce. This yellow sauce is just that, but also sweet and sour all in one hit. It works perfectly with the lovely salty flavour of the pipi and prawns. I ate a similar dish from a hawker stall in Thailand a couple years ago and have been talking about them ever since. Once you’ve pounded the yellow paste, this dish is extremely quick and easy to make (make the paste in advance and you can have this on a plate in about 10 minutes!). What I also love is that it looks and sounds pretty impressive too as you clatter the shells into the wok.

INGREDIENTS:
For the paste: (Makes more than you’ll need – freeze the rest for any Thai red curry)
20 small dried red chillies
1 lemon grass stalk (white only, chopped)
1 teaspoon fresh turmeric (or 1/2 teaspoon powdered)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (chopped)
1 candlenut (or macadamia nut)
1 shallot (chopped)
1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons peanut oil

For the sauce:
1kg pipis (scrubbed clean)
6-8 large whole tiger prawns
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or peanut oil)
200ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
small bunch fresh coriander (chopped)
1 lemon (cut into wedges)

DIRECTIONS:
Soak the pipis in 2 litres of water mixed with 1/4 cup sea salt for 3-4 hours. Then drain and re wash in cold water. Set aside.

To make the paste, pound together all the ingredients, adding one by one in the order they are listed to a pestle and mortar until very smooth. Set aside.

Heat a wok with the coconut oil and when hot, add 1 heaped tablespoon of the spice paste and let it sizzle for 1 minute, stirring until aromatic. Pour in half the coconut milk and simmer again until the oil separates, about 1 minute. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and 100ml water and bring to a boil. Toss in the pipis and fish sauce and combine with the liquid. Put on a lid to the wok and shake the pan a couple of times. Let the pipis and prawns steam for about 4 minutes until the pipis are mostly all opened up (discard any that haven’t opened at all) and the prawns cooked through. Remove from the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice and serve immediately.

SERVING:
Tip onto a large serving platter and serve sprinkled with the coriander. Arrange some lemon wedges around for your guests to squeeze over as they wish.

Thai Orange Chicken Curry

leej — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:00:03 +0000

This is quite simply stunning – definitely a TOP TEA. An amazing shade of orange to start with, but the sheer depth of flavour in this Thai curry is quite mind boggling. It takes you on a journey between hot and spicy, salty and tangy – leaving you not quite sure what’s going on in your mouth! It’s not a soupy curry, mid-way between a curry and a stir fry but what sauce there is goes a long way. It’s a very impressive dish with not too much in the way of complication. The recipe for the paste makes about 1/5 of what you’ll actually need – just freeze the rest and it’ll keep for months. It’s a delicious and spicy treat that I will be sure to make again and again.

INGREDIENTS:
*For the orange curry paste:
2 tablespoons fresh turmeric (chopped finely)
30g shallots (chopped)
5 cloves garlic (chopped)
30-40 small dried red chillies
2 teaspoons shrimp paste
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the curry:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cups mixed raw vegetables (you choose – cut into similar sized pieces)
600g chicken breast (cut into strips)
1-2 tablespoons orange curry paste* (2 will make it hot!)
125ml coconut milk
4 lime leaves
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 limes
1 tablespoon sugar

DIRECTIONS:

To make the paste:
Grind together the dried chillies in a spice grinder or pestle & mortar until you have a fine powder then combine this with all the other paste ingredients in a pestle & mortar and pound for 10-15 minutes until you have a smooth paste. The smoother the better. You can also do this in a food processor, pushing the paste down to make sure it’s all smooth.

To make the curry:
Heat the oil in a pan until just hot then tip in the chicken and lime leaves and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the pan is nice and hot again. Tip in the vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until beginning to soften, stirring constantly. Add the curry paste and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until aromatic. Pour in the coconut milk, 1 lime, halved and 60ml water and stir well. Cook on a low simmer for 1-2 minutes. The vegetables should be softer but still have some crunch. Add the fish sauce and sugar and simmer briefly. Remove from the heat and add the juice of the remaining lime just before serving. Check for seasoning and add more lime, sugar or fish sauce as you see fit.

SERVING:
Sprinkle over some toasted cashews or peanuts and fresh coriander and serve with jasmine rice or rice noodles.

Thai Chicken Jungle Curry

leej — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:00:47 +0000

Here’s a fiery little Thai treat all the way from the jungle s of Thailand. Made with all fresh ingredients this curry is a real stand out in both colour, flavour and spice. It’s got everything I love. Unlike most Thai curries there’s no coconut milk or cream which is good if you’re trying to eat less saturated fat. I had a lovely time eating this and I’m sure I’ll have a lovely time eating the leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:
Paste Ingredients:
4 red Thai chillies (finely chopped – seeded if you don’t want it too spicy)
2 lemon grass stalks (white part only – thinly sliced)
4 shallots (peeled and chopped)
3 slices fresh galangal
1/2 teaspoon fresh turmeric (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 kaffir lime leaves (thinly shredded)
1 coriander root
pinch white pepper

Other Ingredients:
3 tablespoons oil
700g chicken breast (cut into strips)
300ml chicken stock

3 cups mixed vegetables (you decide)… I used:
1 corn cob (cut into 2 kernel wide slices)
green beans (cut into 3cm pieces)
garlic shoots
zucchini

2 tablespoons fish sauce
Fresh coriander leaves (for garnish)
1 lime (juice of)

DIRECTIONS:
In a pestle and mortar or blender, pound the paste ingredients into a smooth paste. Set aside.

Heat a wok with 2 tablespoons of the oil and stir fry the chicken in small batches for 1 minute until just cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and repeat with the remaining meat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil and then the vegetables. Stir fry for 2 minutes then add 3 tablespoons of the paste (freeze the rest) – let it sizzle, stirring for about a minute then pour in the chicken stock, fish sauce then sprinkle in the sugar. Let this simmer until the vegetables are cooked through but still have a little bite – about 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, check for seasoning and serve hot!

SERVING:
Sprinkle the curry with coriander and squeeze over some fresh lime juice. Serve over Jasmine rice.

Thai Fritters with Corn and Coriander

leej — Tue, 25 May 2010 14:00:11 +0000

I always buy corn and I always look at it every day in the fridge till it slowly rots. I love the stuff, but I can never really think what I can do that’s a bit more interesting than just boiling it, so it just sits there slowly losing hope of ever being appreciated. Tonight however, I discovered this little recipe for a great little Thai snack. Delicious and fresh and really easy to make, these fritters are the perfect starter dish just before a Thai salad or curry. They were delicious… Now, what to make with that eggplant at the bottom of the fridge?

INGREDIENTS:
3 sweetcorn heads (kernels removed)
1 egg
½ teaspoon shrimp paste (or 1 teaspoon salt)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
½ teaspoon fresh ginger (minced)
¼ cup fresh coriander with stalks (chopped)
large pinch white pepper
¼ cup plain flour
60ml coconut milk
vegetable oil (for frying)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix together all the ingredients, except the oil and knead into a dough. If it’s too dry, add a little more coconut milk.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil until hot then mould a ping-pong sized ball of the dough into a small patty. Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden. Drain on paper towels before serving.

SERVING:
Serve hot with a little salad and a simple Thai dipping sauce. Mix together 1/4 cup white vinegar with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon fish sauce and stir till all the sugar is dissolved.

Thai Steamed Fish with Ginger, Chilli & Lemongrass

leej — Sat, 08 May 2010 01:00:02 +0000

I had a few random things lying around the kitchen that went into this delicious and simple little marinade for fish tonight. I hadn’t really planned the meal too well, so was just making it up as I went along – turns out it was pretty damn tasty. Really fragrant and fresh.

INGREDIENTS:
1 small green chilli (chopped)
1 garlic clove (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (chopped)
1 lemongrass stalk (white part (sliced)
1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon tamarind pulp
pinch white pepper
1 lime
500g white fish fillets (skin off)

DIRECTIONS:
In a pestle & mortar add the chilli, garlic, ginger and lemongrass and pound into a smooth paste. Stir in the shrimp paste, oil, tamarind and white pepper.

Rub the paste into the fish fillets, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

When ready to cook, heat a steamer pan over a low heat. Arrange the fish in the steamer and cook for 8-12 minutes until cooked through.

SERVING:
Squeeze over the lime juice and serve alongside some jasmine rice and fresh, crunchy Asian salad.