Thai Food

[Minni]

Hi guys,
I know that the recent popular cuisine had been Thai. Well, I myself frequent many a Thai restaurant in my area.
Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai. The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet and sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to eye, nose and palate.
Well, I thought starting a new thread, we can all share our favourite recipes of this wonderful cuisine.
Hope to see you all pitch in.

-Minni

[Minni]

Well, I am a Vegetarian and cook only Vegetarain, thus my area of interest had been strictly vegetarain. I'd like to post some of the recipes that I tried and liked. I shall however post the shortcuts to make them as well, when there is a time crunch, you'll still be able to present a delicious meal in no time. I keep experimenting from time to time as I entertain a lot of Thai cuisine fans. There is still a lot that I had not tried yet, so I appreciate any enthusiasts like me, suggest their favourite recipes.

I'd like to mention that the proportions that I suggest are just suggestions and there is no need to stick to them, feel free to vary as per your comfort and palate.

Special Ingredients needed for this cuisine:

1.Galangal(also called Thai ginger):

This root is similar to ginger root, but more delicate in flavor and texture. Preferably fresh , but also available dried in slices or ground. I like fresh, but unfortunately, in United States, getting it fresh is often not so easy. Some fresh market produce retailers stock it, your challenge is to find which one it is. I had very little luck in my area, so I adopted to the following ways.
1. I get it when I visit Atlanta, GA.
2. I persuade my local restaurant to supply me with a small quantity for a little price.
3. I sometimes find it in the frozen section of an Asian grocer- Mostly at chinese.
I freeze the remains.

2. Lemon Grass

Its a very aromatic citrus-flavored tropical grass is a must for homemade Thai curry paste.
Again finding it may be difficult. But I could find it at the local grocer.
The advatage of find it is that, you can survive it a glass or vase of water for as long as want. You need to change the water as often as you would change for any water susrviving plant. It develops roots, so it survives for as long as two years(the longest I could survive it for). I know how to grow it at home. I can post the information if someone's interested in knowing more about it.

3. Kaffir lime leaves

This is distinctly a Thai ingredient and is essential to many dishes.
The leaf is a wonderful aromatic addition to soups like "Tom yum". Also added to stir fry, curry and salads the results are fragrant and exotic.
I find it somewhat similar to the lemon leaves that Andhrites use in sour butter milk(dabbaku majjiga as its called).
I find it in the frozen section of my local chinese grocer. I am not sure whereelse one can find them.

4. Kaffir lime

The juice of kaffir lime enhances the sourness of the dish.
I could not find it as often as I want, so I use Key lime or regular limes.

5. Coconut Milk

The milk is made from fresh coconut by adding just enough water to cover the grated meat, squeezing, and straining. The coconut meat is disgarded after all the juice is extracted.
Well, to admit frankly, I do not follow this elaborate procedure either because I do not keep a fresh coconut handy or because I want to whip up the dish in a jiffy. Instead, I stock on those Coconut Milk cans.

6. Basil

Basil is what we see as tulasi in India, and there are several different varieties of that family. Thai basils are used in traditionally, but I could not get either their seeds or fresh sources to find them, so I mostly rely on the local grocer's variety.
Omitting them in a dish is like ommiting Oregano in Marinara sauce.

7. Corainder/cilantro

Surprisingly, thai cuisine doesn't waste any part of this plant. They use the root, stems, leaves, and even corainder seed. I read/heard that the root brings in a very good flavour but I could not yet test it myself. Unfortunately, I do not find coriander that I find with many grocers is harvested above the ground level. I am yet to grow it myself to attest the above said claim.

8. Thai chillies

Fresh:
Interestingly, they use the ripe red (green) chillies, the smaller variety. Though Andhrites use a different variety to make pickles out of, I have not seen it being used it in everyday cooking. I have started using the ripe ones in my regular cooking, and I liked it very much. They use the green chillies as well.
Every Indian store stocks them, so its not such a hard to find ingredient.

They use the dry red chillies as well.

9. Tamarind

Tamarind extract is used in the thai cuisine as well.

10. Turmeric

11. Last but not the least: GARLIC
Garlic is used extensively in their dishes. I read that they use Elephant Garlic, but I use regular garlic.


So thats about the special ingredients that I can think of.

Most of the informationand recipes are collected from various sources like books, magazines, restaurant chefs that I've befriended, other forums that I frequent, and also many websites over period of time. So I do not claim originality of the posted material.

[bhargavi.raj]

Dear Minni,
This is truely an interesting thread. One of my Fav cusines other than Indian is Thai, May be because its more like Indian and its very simple and nutritious.You did a good thing by posting the main ingredient lists ,it seems very helpful.
I like the coconut milk thats put in each dish and the vibrant colors and strong flavors of every thai curry.
I love padthai's and red curry a lot. In the curry paste that u get in the supermarkets they usually have fish /shrimp paste in it,and since i am a vegeterian too, i don't wanna use that.
Can you post the recipe for thai red curry if you know and hopefully I can try it soon.
so keep up your good work,and all the best
Bhargavi.Raj

[kavithasenthil]

Wonderful job minni. I like to try thai recipes. Awaiting to c the recipes.

[US]

Very interesting beginning Minni..looking forward eagerly for the recipes

[sujathakannan]

Hi Minnie,

Interesting thread. Looking forward for your recipes. I have few veg and non-vegs Thai recipes that I have tried. So if you guys are interested I can post a few.

[Minni]

Thanks Bhargavi, Kavitha, US and Sujatha, for the encouragement. I beg your pardon for the delay in continuation of teh posts as I have been busy the past 4 days. I shall start posting the ecipes from today.

Sujatha, please do post your tried and tested recipes as well, started this thread so as to be able to exchange recipes and find new ones.

Bhargavi, about store bought red curry paste, it may not have fish sauce/shrimp paste in it. The only curry paste that has fish sauce/shrimp paste is Yellow curry paste. This had been my observation among the two to three brand that I used so far. Check the ingredients to double check. I shall post red Curry paste , other curry pastes and Padthai recipes in the next few days.

I would like to start by posting recipes for a few appetizers and soups.

Thanks.
Minni

[sujathakannan]

Minni is correct the red curry or green curry paste I got didn't have non-veg pastes in it. Here is a easy recipe for Pad thai with the ready-made pack availble in most supermarkets. I got this recipe from the website. Tried it both adding vegs and non-veg. It is really good and easy for a weekday dinner.

Pad Thai for Two


Ingredients:

1 box A Taste of Thai Pad Thai for Two
(Includes Rice Noodles and Pad Thai Sauce)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Optional Garnish:
Lime wedges
1/3 cup chopped peanuts

Directions:
1 Soak Rice Noodles in hot water for 25-30 minutes, stir occasionally. Drain.
2 In wok or skillet heat oil on medium-high.
3 Add drained Rice Noodles. Stir fry 4-6 minutes or until noodles are firm but tender (al dente).
4 Add Pad Thai Sauce and stir fry until combined. Serve hot with lime wedges and peanuts.

[Variations]:
In step 2
Scramble one beaten egg in hot oil before adding noodles.

In step 2
Stir fry until cooked: 1/2 lb thinly sliced chicken, shrimp, ground pork or tofu after scrambling egg.

In step 4
Add 1/3 cup chopped peanuts, 4 chopped scallions and 1 cup bean sprouts with Pad Thai Sauce. Cook until combined, about 1 minute.


Try and let me know.

[kavithasenthil]

Eagarly waiting to see ur recipes minni. Here is a noodle recipe which i posted in another thread.

Chinese/Thai Style Rice Noodles

1/4 pack Asian best brand noodle
Soak the noodle in hot water for 20-25 mins. Drain well.
---
1/4 of medium sized Onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 dry whole chilli(more if you want hot)
grind the above in to fine paste.

4 green onion(cut in to small pices)
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 tomato(Remove the juice and seeds and dice them)
1/4 cup cucumber(Remove the seeds and dice)
Soy sauce

Take 2 tb spoon of oil in a non stick wide pan. when the oil becomes hot add the ground mixture and fry well in med-low fire till the raw smell goes off. Add green onion,tomato,peas,cucumber.
Fry for some time say 2 mins. Now add the noodle and mix well.
Add soy sauce little by little(say 1 ts at a time),mix well in low fire.Taste it. If you feel enough salt then stop adding soy sauce and fry till most of the moisture evauporated. Otherwise repeat the process of adding soy sauce.

Fry till you get almost dry noodles.(Drain the water well after soaking)
In this recipe u r not adding salt separatly. The salt in the soy sauce is enough.

You can add other vegies like carrot,beans,sprouts,fried tofu ect.
In my opinion,try simple verson first.

Non.Vegitarians can add fried shrimp or egg.

[saji]

Hi all.

I saw these recipes on Tarla Dalals website. If any of you want veg thai, go for it.


THAI RED CURRY

A traditional fiery red Thai curry simmered with assorted vegetables. An excellent complement to steamed rice.


Cooking Time : 15 mins.
Preparation Time : 10 mins.

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients

6 to 7 tablespoons red curry paste
2 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoons cornflour, mixed in water
1/2 teaspoon soya sauce
15 basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup baby corn, diced
2 brinjals, diced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

Method


1.Mix the cornflour and coconut milk.
2.Heat the oil in a large pan, add the red curry paste and fry for a few minutes.
3.Add the coconut milk, soya sauce, basil leaves and all the vegetables.
4.Simmer for 10 minutes till the vegetables are tender.
5.Add salt.
6.Boil for 1 to 2 minutes till the curry thickens.
7.Serve hot with steamed rice or noodles.

RED CURRY PASTE

Preparation Time : 10 min.

Makes 1 cup.

Ingredients


10 red chilles, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained
1 onion, chopped
4 clove garlic , peeled
1 tablespoon ginger , grated
2 stalks lemon grass
6 stalks coriander
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

1.Grind all the ingredients to a paste in a mortar or a food processor using a little water.
2.Store in an airtight container (for upto 1 month). Alternatively, freeze for upto 3 months.
3.Use as required.

THAI FRIED NOODLES

A very pleasing presentation of soft noodles and bean curd combined with fresh vegetables and crunchy peanuts.


Preparatiuon Time : 10 min.
Cooking Time : 10 min.

Serves 4.

Ingredients


3 cups rice noodles
1 cup tofu, cut into cubes and fried
4 spring onions , chopped
1cupbeansprouts
2 tbsps roastedpeanuts,chopped
3/4 teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons soya sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons oil
salt to taste

For the garnish
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 lemon wedge


Method

1.In a wok, heat the oil and add the crushed garlic
2.Add the fried tofu, spring onions, beans sprouts, peanuts and noodles.
3.Add the chili powder, sugar, soya sauce, lemon juice and salt.
4.Serve hot, garnished with the coriander and chopped peanuts.
5.Place the lemon wedge on the side of the plate.

[gaya3usa]

I would like to contribute my Tom Kha soup recipe to this thread -

5 cups of Chicken stock
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 fish sauce
5 pc dried galang root
3 or 4 lemon leaves chopped or use grated lemon zest
8oz chopped mushroom
1 cup cooked bone less chicken breast - chopped
2- fresh green chillies splitted
2 sp chopped cilantro
1 sp sugar

In a large sauce pan, add all except the green chillies & Cilantro
Bring to a boil . When the mushroom is cooked, garnish with gr.chillies and cilantro . Serve hot.

:idea: Try this favourite thai soup ..

Gayathri

[kavithasenthil]

Hello minni,

Eagarly waiting for ur post.

[sujathakannan]

Hi Sagi and gaya3usa, your recipes looks good. I will try it out soon.

Hi Minnie, waiting for your posts.

Here is one other quick and easy workday recipe. I have made is number of times. The secret is cutting the chicken to real thin pieces and yo ucan adjust the spice level to your taste. I always reduce the red curry little bit and don't too much sugar too.

Thai Chicken with Green Beans

A quick, low-fat curry. Serve with rice noodles or jasmine rice


2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (1 lime)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp Red Curry Base
1 medium red onion, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 & 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced into bite size pieces
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1- 9 oz (225 g) package frozen French-cut green beans, thawed and drained

Directions:
1 In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, brown sugar and cornstarch until combined. Set aside.

2 Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet or wok. Add curry base and stir until dissolved and bubbly.

3 Add onions and garlic. Stir fry 2 minutes or until onions begin to soften.

4 Add chicken and fish sauce. Stir fry 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken is just cooked.

5 Mix in lime juice mixture and green beans. Toss until heated through.

[sujathakannan]

Hi Minni when you started this thread I was very interested in your recipes. Please don't let this thread die out.

Here is another one of my favourite

Red Curry Chicken With Basil

Serve this classic curry over jasmine rice for a traditional Thai meal.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 & 1/2 Tbsp Red Curry Base
1 can Coconut Milk, shaken
1 & 1/2 lbs ( 750 g ) boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into bite size pieces
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp Fish Sauce
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
10 large basil leaves, chopped

Directions:
1 Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat.

2 Add the curry base and simmer for 2 minutes, so that it is dissolved and foaming.

3 Stir in the can of the coconut milk. Cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4 Add the sliced chicken. Simmer for 4 minutes.

5 Stir in the sugar, fish sauce and bell pepper. Simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 3 minutes more.

6 Add the chopped basil. Season to taste with more sugar or seasoning sauce as desired.

7 Serve over rice.

[Minni]

Well, guys, I am very pleased to see ppl sharing their tried and tested recipes. Offlate I had been on one such phases of "cooking is the last thing on my mind". So, pardon for the slack time.
Well, back to pavillion now, I have more news, information and facts to share.

Saji, I have seen Tarla Dalal's recipes. I understand that the recipes posted on bawarchi.com as well as tarladalal.com are closest possible to authentic recipes, excluding the traditional galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shallots and importantly the lime rind. Thats because of the lack of availability of the some of the ingredients. Hence, would suit the circumstances of the same. I've substituted onions for shallots previously when someone said that they have a very mild flavour, mostly like a cross between garlic and onion. But recently, I started using them, and trust me, they are the best for the pastes. I cannot explain how they felt like. But its not only made the pastes more fragrant, but made them taste more authentic. So, I would advise the use of Shallots instead of onion when available.

Well, now I intend to post couple of exotic, easy to prepare appetizers and the types of noodles and the availability of the ingredients in the Chicago Land area-- result of my latest discovery.

To ease browsing of the recipes, I would like to segregate the postings.

[Minni]

I need to stress the importance of stone grinding for the distinctive taste advantages it brings. Due to time crunched entertaining or life styles, I'd suggest you use your wet grinders to make the sauces and pastes- an alternative to mortar and pestle grinding. I'd suggest you use your dry grinders only when using wet grinders is not an option.
Also, substituting fresh ingredients when called for with dry ingredients does make significant difference in the taste. Hence please exercise caution for more authentic flavours.
Not sure of its Thai name, but here is the recipe for :

Hot, Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

2-3 finely Sliced Shallots- say approx 3 Tbsp if you are using red onion
1-2 crushed Garlic clove
1 or 2 Dried red chillies with their seeds
1/2 in sliced Galangal (Suggested substitution: regular ginger )
2 tablespoons Fresh grated Coconut(Suggested substitution: 1 tbsp dried if unavailable)
3 tbsp Tamarind juice(Suggested substitution 1 tbsp concentrate)
3 tbsp Peanuts - Roasted - Do not salt - chopped
2 tbsp Palm sugar(Suggested substitution: regular cane sugar/ light brown sugar)
2 cups Water.
Pinch of salt.

Method:
Roast(without oil) sliced shallots and galangal/ginger till fragrant. In a wet grinder or dry grinder, grind with the rest of the ingredients(except sugar and water) till fine you get a fine paste. Transfer them to a saucepan, add water and sugar and mix well. Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to simmer till reduced to a cup/ sauce consistency.

You can double or triple this recipe to make it in larger quantities and can freeze in 1/2 cup quantities for instant use at a later time.
I am sure the shelf life would be upto 2 months when frozen- the longest i've tried, but not sure how much longer it keeps good.
In the refrigerator, it can keep good for 4-5 days.

[Minni]

Leaf Wrapped Savories

Thai names: Mieng Kum/Miang Kum

Its a not so commonly found appetizer in many restaurants. There are several non-vegetarian variations of the same too. In occasional instances one may find such a variety in some restaurants, but the vegetarian version is even more rare to find.

Traditionally, these are made with Cha Plu leaves- which are supposed to be Wild Thai betel leaves. These savouries resemble our traditional Indian pan, but taste very different. They are wonderful flavour packed purses, that release such exotic tingling of taste buds when put in the mouth. Its finger food, and are best for sit down entertaining when ppl get to chat and pass on the ingredients-to-be-assembled bowls to each other and hence can be ice breakers.

As the traditional Cha Plu leaves are not available even in ethnic Thai grocer places, the suggested substitutions are : Basil leaves, Lettuce leaves, Spinach leaves, Arugula and any other edible leaf that is available in the market. An interesting variation can be using petals of Lotus, Rose, or any other reasonably large petal sized edible flower.
Warning: I've tried using Indian Betel leaf, but the result had been disastrous, as the betel was overpowering the other flavours and the result is an undesirable after taste. Hence be wary about the same.

This savoury requires Hot, sweet and sour sauce, the recipe of which was posted ahead of this, hence can be referred to.

Filling Ingredients:

5 tbsp fresh grated Coconut, roasted (Suggested substitution: 5 tbsp dried)
3 tbsp finely diced Shallots
5 Key Limes, each cut into 8 pieces(Suggested substitution: Diced regular Limes)
3 tbsp finely sliced Galangal(Suggested substitution: finely sliced regular Ginger)
5 tbsp Peanuts - unsalted - roasted
2 tbsp chopped (bird's eye)Green Chillies( Also called Thai chillies, are the same as those small green chillies we find in Indian stores)
1 tbsp Coriander leaves - chopped
2 Kaffir Lime leaves, cut into thin strips(optional depending on availability)

Serving suggestions:
Clean the leaves(wash/rinse in water) and spread them like fan on a serving platter. In small bowls fill each of the above filling ingredients. In another bowl, pour 1/2 cup of the prepared hot and sour sauce. Have individual spoons for each ingredient.

Assembly: Pour a tiny amount of sauce on the leaf, and then fill in h the rest of the ingredients in tiny amounts, fold and eat.

The appetizer when served doesn't seem filling, but the blend of the exotic flavours makes it a satisfying experience.

[Minni]

Noodles

Thai name: GueyTeow

It is essential to understand the effect "noodles" had on Thai cuisine for over years. It is probably the Chinese influence that resulted in this branch of Thai cuisine. They are prominently used in several entree, but equally interesting is the fact that they can be used in several soups.

Essentially there are five varieties of noodles, four made from rice flour and one from soya-bean flour.
Further classification is by dry or wet one; that is, into fried noodle dishes or soup noodle dishes.

Five noodles:

1. Sen Yai: Sometimes called "River Rice Noodle" or "Rice Sticks", this is a broad, flat, white noodle. If bought fresh, it is sticky and strands need to be separated by hand before cooking. Can also be bought dried.

2. Sen Lek: A medium flat noodle, about 1/10in or 2 mm wide and is usually sold dried.

3. Sen Mee: A small wiry looking rice noodle, usually sold dried, sometimes called " Rice Vermicelli".

4. Ba Mee: An egg noodle, medium yellow in color, which can be bought fresh in 'nests'; these need to be shaken loose by hand before cooking.

5.Wun Sen: A very thin, very wiry, transparent soya-bean-flour, called either vermicelli, or 'cellophane noodle'. Only available dried.

All dried noodles need to be soaked in cold water for about 20 minutes before cooking, (vermicelli requires less soaking). They are quickly drained and then cooked; usually a matter of dunking them into boiling water for 2-3 seconds. The dry weight will usually double after soaking.

Check the Oriental foods aisle next time you shop at your grocer to find the varieties described here.
My personal experience is that the fresh ones though a bit expensive are far superior for the final out come of the dish. So, if you are willing to part the extra pennies for your taste buds, I'd encourage you to! :)

[Minni]

Tofu Satay
(Grilled chunks of Tofu on Skewers)

Well, it is as easy as said. Just choose the Extra firm variety of Tofu, cut them into 1 in X 1 in X 4 in strips. Pierce them, two strips per skewer and grill them till you see grill marks.
Serve them with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce: Hot, Sweet and Sour sauce

[hemakk]

hai all,

if anybody know how to make the orange chicken, pl. post it, i had so manytimes in Mall, now i want to make it at home. thanks in advance

[bhargavi.raj]

Wow Minni,
That was lots of informative things to learn. Thanks.
I am gonna try only thai food for the weekend.
Bhargavi.Raj

[sujathakannan]

Minni,

It was worth waiting for your recipes. I will try out soon and let you know.

[ash_970]

Hello All,

Try this for week-end snack

Thai Spring roll recipe

Ingredients

Vermicelli - 150g
Red Onion - 2 medium size
Carrots - 3-4 medium size
Ginger - medium size piece
Lemon grass - one shoot
Green Chillies- 4-5
Spring onion - 2-3 shoots
Black pepper powder -
Salt
Soya sauce

Spring roll pastry

Oil -for cooking &
- deep frying

Process

FILLING IN THE SPRING ROLLS

First cook broken vermicelli in a seperate pan and keep aside.Add salt while cooking as per taste ( do not over cook ,they should not stick to each other, to avoid sticking saute the broken vermicelli in small amount of oil and than add water to cook)

Chop onion in very thin slices , shread the carrot ( u may use ready packs of shreaded carrots)

chop lemon grass very finely, chop spring onion,ginger and green chillies.

Heat small amount of oil in a pan ,add chopped onions and cook till translucent , add carrots and finely chopped lemon grass and cook the mix by covering the pan (do not over cook ,retain the crunchyness of carrots) to the above mix add chopped green chillies, ginger and spring onions, add soya sauce , salt and black pepper powder as per taste and mix gently. Remove the mix from the stove. To the mix gently add the cooked vermicelli.Keep aside for cooling.

PREPARE ROLLS
Seperate the spring roll pastries individually and fill the pastries with suficient quantity of the stuffing. Make a neat roll with both the sides closed . Seal the ends with applying beaten egg or warm water.

Deep fry the rolls evenly till golden brown.Remove from oil and drain on tissue to remove excess oil.

Serve hot with red sweet chilli sauce ( Or any deeper of your choice and some green salad.

Let me know the feed back

[guhapriya]

Hai


I once had a veg curry in a restaurant in Chennai ( Cascade ).
It was very tasty and went very well with the Steamed rice. Does anybody know how its made. It looked something like a stew but was a little thick and white in color

Thanks

Priya

[Minni]

Priya, What you are referring to is a Thai curry. I shall post how to make them shortly.

[Minni]

Royal Vegetarian Fried Rice

Thai name:Khao Phad Jay

A simple recipe. Can be made with any vegetables that are handy.
Traditionally, the vegetables could include, Leeks, Carrots, Thai brinjal(small green ones) and Yard beans. So, feel free to use any left over vegetables.
Variations:
An interesting variation could be using your Thai curry paste(couple tablespoons), frying it after Garlic is fried. Rest of the procedure remains the same.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
2-3 pods Garlic
Green Chillies, chopped
(1 large Egg-Optional)
200gms/7oz plain cooked rice
1/2 cup mixed red, yellow and green bell peppers, finely diced
1 Onion, finely diced
1 Carrot, finely diced/ thinly sliced
a few snow peas
Pinch salt
Pinch ground white pepper
Pinch sugar
(1 tbsp sweet and sour sauce - Optional)
2 tsp Soya sauce
15gms/ ½ oz cashew nuts deep fried
2 tsp raisins
1 spring onion, fairly finely sliced


For the Garnish
2 cucumber slices
1 lemon wedge
1 tomato slice
fresh Basil/coriander for sprinkling

Method:
Heat the oil in a wok until very hot. Fry garlic till golden brown. (Break the egg into the oil and scramble.) Add the cooked rice and mix well.
Add the bell peppers, onion, carrot. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
Add the seasonings, sugar and sauce and mix well. Toss in the spring onion, mix and remove from the heat.
Transfer the fried rice to a warmed serving dish and garnish with cucumber, lemon and tomato. Sprinkle over the coriander leaves and serve hot.

[Minni]

Vegetable Soup

Thai Name:Chiang Mai
As its name suggests, this soup is tradition of northern Thailand. Quick and easy to make, it’s an excellent standby recipe.

Ingredients:
40 gms/ 1 ½ oz vermicelli
700 ml/ 3 cups vegetable stock
Cauliflower florets, finely sliced
Leek, finely sliced
(Few Mushrooms, finely sliced - Optional)
Dried Black Fungus, Soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, finely sliced - Brings wonderful aroma, but if you prefer, you can omit, instead you may include some finely sliced Lemon grass- 1 Stalk should be sufficient
Celery heart, finely sliced
3 pieces baby corn, cut into thin rounds
1 tbsp tapioca flour
Soya sauce - as per taste, suggested 4 tsp
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
pinch ground white pepper
Sprinkling of fresh coriander/basil leaves

Method:
Soak vermicelli for 15 minutes in cold water and cut into pieces about 1.5 cm/ ½ in long. Bring the veetable stock to boil in a saucepan and add the vegetables and the vermicelli. Return to boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Mix the tapioca flour with 2 ½ tbsp water. Add the soya sauce, sugar, salt and pepper to the soup and thicken it with the dissolved tapioca flour. Stir in fresh coriander/basil leaves and remove from the heat. Serve the soup in bowls.

[Minni]

Green Papaya Salad

Thai Name: Som Tam/Som Tom

I like this salad so very much. A friend of mine says its very similar to Gujrathi salad except for the fact that this does not need tempering with hing, methi and mustard seeds.

A traditional raw salad with a mildly spicy seasoning. Unripe papaya is firm-fleshed so make sure you slice it thinly and as long strips as possible.

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic
4 green chillies
Couple Yard-long beans or French beans, cut into 2 cm pieces
2 tbsp palm sugar or regular sugar
3 tbsp lime juice
3-4 cherry tomatoes, quartered/ 1 regular tomato, diced
1/8 cup roasted peanuts
7 oz unripe green papaya, peeled and grated into long thin strips

For the garnish
Green salad leaves- optional

Method:
In a mortar, roughly pound the garlic and chillies. Add the beans and pound, until crushed.
Add the sugar, and lime juice and stir together. Add the tomatoes and press with pestle.
Add the peanuts and the papaya and stir until well mixed in. Serve cold in a round dish lined with the salad leaves.
The reason for pounding is to release the juices of the ingredients. So, if you prefer, you can give it one single pounding by smashing a little with a wooden spoon after you combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

This is a must try recipe. I can assure you'll like it as much as I do.

[guhapriya]

Hai Minni

Thank you I am eagerly waiting for the recipie

Priya

[Ramanan]

I have some Thai recipe from my old collection and I am giving it below.

1. Spice Paste

Ingredients: 1 tbsp coriander seeds; ¾ tbsp caraway seeds; ½ tsp pepper corns; ½ outer peel of lemon – minced; 8 flakes garlic minced; 3 shallots or onion minced, a few sprigs coriander leaves - chopped; 5 cm long – 3 lemon grass pieces; red chilli to taste, salt to taste, 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil.

Method:

Dry grind the coriander seeds, caraway seeds, red chilles and pepper corns to a fine powder. Add the remaining ingredients and wet grind it to a fine paste with the oil. Store the paste in a bottle keeping in refrigerator.

This paste is used in many thai recipes.


2. Special Thai Soup

Ingredient: 250 gms mixed vegetables (carrot, potato, cauliflower, green peas and cabbage) – cubed and boiled; 100 gms mushroom; 6 cups vegetable stock; a few lemon grass pieces for flavour; a few dry lemon leaves; juice of two lemons; 3-4 (or to taste) red chilles; a small piece ginger; 2 tsp sugar; a few coriander leaves – chopped; a few bean curd balls – steamed (optional), salt to taste.

Method:

Grind red chilles, ginger, coriander leaves and a few lemon rind pieces to a paste. Boil the stock. Add lemon grass and dry lemon leaves and again boil for 5 mins. Then strain this through a sieve and add the above mentioned spice paste, sugar, salt, coriander leaves, lime juice, mushroom, vegetables and boil for 5+ mins. Add steamed bean curd balls and serve hot.


3. Thai Curry

Curry balls: Take 6 flakes garlic, a few sprig coriander and mint leaves, 1 tsp pepper, 2 chopped onions, ½ tsp cumin powder, salt to taste and grind to a fine paste without adding water. Add a handful of gram flour, finely chopped cabbage, onions and a handful of cashew nut pieces. Divide the mixture into small portions. Shape them into small marble sized balls and roll them in the flour or rice flour. Heat 1½ cup vegetable oil in kadai and deep fry the prepared balls in hot oil till they turn crisp and golden brown in colour. Remove from oil and drain any excess oil. Put them in a paper napkin and allow to cool.

Curry: Take 3 tbsp oil and heat in a wok. Add crushed garlic (4 flakes) and fry for 2 mins. Stir in 2½ tbsp spice paste. Fry again for 2 mins. Add 2½ cups thick coconut milk and 2 tbsp peanut butter and stir well. Boil on a gentle flame carefully till it turns into a creamy sauce. Add 2 tsp sugar and salt to taste. Put in 1 cup pineapple cubes and boil for 5 more mins. Carefully drop the fried curry balls one by one and stir gently.


I have also seen one of Tarla Dalal's Thai recipes given below:

4. Paneer, Mushrooms And Capsicum Satay

(A very famous Far Eastern speciality. Paneer, mushrooms and capsicum skewers served with a peanut marinade.)

Cooking Time : 15 min.
Preparation Time : 25

Makes 6 skewers.

Main Recipe
200 grams paneer, cut into 25mm. (1") cubes
4 capsicum (green, yellow, red if available) cut into 25 mm. (1") cubes
12 large mushrooms
For the peanut sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 stalk lemon grass
1 teaspoon chilli powder
rind of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon oil
salt to taste

For the peanut sauce
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic till soft. Add the remaining ingredients except the lemon juice and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat, remove the lemon grass and the lemon juice.
3. Cool and keep aside.
How to proceed
1. In abowl, mix the sauce with the vegetables and the paneer carefully, so as not to break them.
2. Allow to stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Put the vegetables and the paneer alternately on six bamboo skewers.
4. Heat the oil on a tava and place the skewers on the tava. Grill on all sides till the vegetables brown lightly. Serve with extra sauce.

[deepali128]

Hi friends,

does anyone know how to make gobi machurian and fried rice. i am dying to eat that.here we don't get that good. i know it's thai food thread. or i will start a new topic.thanx

deepali

[kavithasenthil]

Hello Depalli,here u go for bargavi.raj's manchurian recipe.

Gobhi Manchurian ( snack/side dish)

for the manchurian:
Gobhi/cauliflower florets fairly big 20
cornflour 1cup
rawa 2tsp
salt
oil for deepfrying
pepper powder 2tsp
grind intoa smooth paste:
ginger 2tsp
green chillies 4-5
soy sauce 2tsp
Method:
Heat oil in a kadai in medium heat.
meanwhile, blanch the cauliflower for 1min in hot salted water. rinse in icecold water and pat dry.
In a bowl, mix together the other ingredients and add 2tsp of the hot oil from the kadai.
now toss the cauliflower on the flour mixture and make sure that the cauliflower is well coated with it.
Now deep fry the cauliflower until its slightly golden and crispy.
drain the excess oil by placing it on a wax paper/papertowel.
This can be served as it is with a nice hot sauce/ketchup.
for the manchurian with semidry gravy/curry follow the intructions below.

For the Gravy(can be altered to a semi dry or saucy gravy)
oil 2tsp
broken redchillies 2tsp
garlic crushed 4-5pods
capsicum (all colors) 1cup diced into 2"squares.
onions 1/2cup diced into large squares
green onions chopped fine.(reserve some for garnish)
soy sauce 2tsp
pepper powder 2tsp
tomato ketchup 1tsp
cornflour 1/2tsp dissolved in 1/4cup warm water ( dissolve 2tsp of cornflour in 1cup of water if the sauce has to be loose and like a gravy)
Method:
heat oil,
add the ingredients 1 by 1 as per order. after mixing the corn starch allow the sauce to boil,when desired cosistency is achieved put off the flame.
stir in the fried manchurians and garnish and serve.
enjoy with fried rice/noodles.

[deepali128]

Hi Kavitha,

thanx a lot yaar. i don't know how did i miss it.

deepali

[rsankar]

Hello friends,

I have 2 Thai recipe from my collection, (from Maggi). Here it is.

1. Thai Green Curry

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
125 g chicken fillet, sliced
2 tbsp thai green curry paste
1 cup chopped eggplant
1/2 cup sliced beans
1 1/4 cup Maggi coconut milk powder (if you don't have use anyother coconut milk powder)
2 cups warm water
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup chopped coriander

Method :

Heat oil in a pan, add chicken and green curry paste, cook 1 minute. Add eggplant, cook 1 minute. Add beans and combined maggi coconut milk powder, warm water and fish sauce, bring to boil, simmer 1 minutes. Top with coriander before serving.

Enjoy!

rsankar.

[rsankar]

2. Thai Curry Puffs

Ingredients

oil - 1 tbsp
chicken fillets - 300g
grated zucchini - 1 cup
Thai red curry paste - 1 tbsp
cornflour - 3 tsp
maggi coconut milk powder - 2 tbsp (if you don't have, use anyother milk powder)
fish sauce - 1 tbsp
water - 1/2 cup
chopped coriander - 1 tbsp
pre-rolled puff pastry - 1 pkt.
egg yolk - 1



Mehod :

Heat oil in pan, add chicken cook 3 minutes. Add zucchini and curry paste cook 2 minutes. Add combined cornflour, Maggi coconut milk powder, fish sauce and water. Bring to boil stirring, reduce heat, simmer 2 minutes. Add coriander, cool.

Using 8 cm cutter, cut pastry into rounds. Place heaped teaspoonfus of mixture on one hald pastry. Brush edges of pastry with egg-yolk. Fold in half and press edges to seal. Bake in 200 degree C oven 15-20 minutes until golden.


Enjoy!


rsankar.

[rajsand]

Hello
This is Tarla Dalal's recipe.

PEANUT SESAME VEGETABLES

Cooking Time : 10 to 15 min. Preparation Time : 15 min.
Serves 4.

Ingredients
1 cup Paneer, cut into strips
1 cup broccolli, divided into small florests
6 nos. baby corn, sliced diagonally
1 green capsicum, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons soya sauce
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons peanuts, roasted
3 tablespoons oil
pepper and salt to taste
To serve
rice or noodles

Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok, add the paneer strips and fry till they are brown.
2. Add the brocoli, baby corn, capsicum and mushrooms and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix the soya sauce with the orange juice and cornflour and stir into the vegetables, stirring constantly till the sauce has thickened and glaze develops.
4. Stir in the sesame seeds, peanuts, salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes
5. Serve hot with rice or noodles.

Thankyou