พะแนงหมู - Pork Curry

Step One - Add the following into a wok
1. กะท๊ (1 กลอง) - coconut milk (1 box)
2. พริกแกงเผ็ด (1 ช่อนโต๊ะ) - curry powder (1 tbsp)

Step Two - When those are mixed together and cooking add:
1. หมู (3 ก.) - pork (3 grams)

Step Three - Next add:
1. ใบมะกรูด (5 ใบ) - kaffir lime leaves (5 leaves)
2. น้ำปลา (1 ช่อนโต๊ะ) - fish sauce (1 tbsp)
3. น้ำตาล (2 ช่อนชา) - sugar (2 tsp)
4. ใบโหระพา (1 ก.) - basil (1 gram)
5. พริก (3 เม็ด) - 3 chili peppers

Stir that around for a while on the heat.
After a minute or so it's ready to be served!

(Eat with rice)

Tom Yum Goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง)

There has been a breakthrough in the culinary world that is Thailand.
I have just switched host families, to parents who own a convenient store and have lots of free time. I have moved in with a woman who used to be a chef.
I guess I'm trying to say... TIME TO COOK! I have learnt 4 dishes in the past two days (AH!!) so no worry, this blog will wake up from it's slumber and start giving you what you came for .. food.

First off, Tom Yum Goong (a spicy, sour and creamy shrimp soup.. oh so aroi [delicious]). Hold onto your seats ladies and gentlemen.. this one's a toughy.

The toughest part about this recipe is to make sure you get the taste right. There are three tasts - creamy, spicy and sour and you need to get them to a good consistency. Cooking usually doesn't have directions on how much to put in, but for learning purposes I will say how much of everything we used today (rough estimate)

1. Start off with heating up some water to a slow boil

The first ingredients are:
ใบมะกรูด - keffir lime leaves (3/4, pull the spine out first and tear into smaller pieces)
ข่า - siamese ginger (I assume you could use normal ginger if you had to, about a tbsp.)
ตะไคร้ - lemon grass (2 sticks)
พริก - chile peppers (5 peppers - this can change depending on how spicy you want it)

2. Toss those into your water and cover it while you get the rest prepared

Next, prepare:
เห็ด - mushrooms (we used a Thai mushroom similar to shitake)
กุ้ง - shrimp
มะเขือเทศ - tomatoes

3. Add these ingredients into your soup pot.

In your serving bowl mix:

ผักชี - coriander (about a tbsp)
มะนาว - lime juice (1 small lime)
นำตาล - sugar (a pinch or two)
นำปลา - fish sauce (half a ladle)
นมสด - evaporated milk (3/4 a ladle)

4. When your soup is ready (ie. shrimp is cooked) ladle it out into your serving bowl, but try not to get too much of the water.

5. Finally, garnish with ผักชีฝรั่ง - parsley.

You can eat Tom Yum Goong as a soup or over rice. (:

Simple, but Delicious

So I have decided to introduce you to the ways of "Condensed milk on toast"
This is how it goes.

Toast your bread halfway [Thai people do not have toasters so they use toaster ovens]. Spread on margarine or butter [salted is best] and put back in the toaster oven [or on a grill sometimes?] until the butter melts.

Pour condensed milk fully over top and sprinkle it with sugar. Cut into pieces and eat with a wooden stick.

Tips:
Do not put it on a plastic plate in the microwave.. just don't put anything plastic in the microwave
Microwaved toast does NOT taste good.. ie. skip the microwave completely.
The more condensed milk the better

VOILA!

Stirfry GALORE

Lots of Thai dishes are stirfrys made of anythign and EVERYTHING you could possibly imagine. Yesterday we made two different ones for dinner along with omelette [didn't I say they eat omelette all the time?] and rice... of course.

So, first I will give you a run down of how to make a Thai stir fry and then I'll write what we put in each of the three we have made in the past few days [for examples].

1. Pour some oil into a wok [usually we we just use the same wok we used for the omelette and the leftover oil in there is enough].
2. Toss in your meat and fry it until it's nice and cooked
3. Add your vegetables [you may have to cook them halfway first by boiling, depending on what vegetable you use]
4. Add soy sauce, soy bean sauce, oyster sauce and sugar
5. Add a little bit of water
6. Voila - you are finished!!

SO - EXAMPLE #1
MEAT - pork
VEGETABLE - baby corn, broccoli, carrot
ADDITIONAL - garlic [add before the vegetables but after the meat]

EXAMPLE #2
MEAT - pork [I don't eat beef in Thailand so my host family always eats pork]
VEGETABLE - green beans [need to be boiled first]

EXAMPLE #3
MEAT - pork
VEGETABLE - [none]
ADDITIONAL - chili peppers, garlic, Thai herb [I don't know the english name]

"GIN GIN GIN!"

Thai Omelette

Thai Omelettes don't differ much from normal Western Style omelettes except for the amount of oil you use and what you cook it in. Thai Omelettes tend to be fluffier and greasier - the faint of heart should not attempt to eat one.

1. Heat up a considerable amount of oil in a wok [and I mean considerable - at least a cup]. While it is heating up you can beat your eggs in a bowl with whatever else you want to add in. Usually Thai Omelettes are made only with egg and no ingredients because you eat it with rice or with steamed/boiled vegetables. For example when I made an omelette with my parents we ate it with a vegetable and pork stirfry. [I will write later about how to make that].

2. When the oil is heated up [give it a couple minutes] you can add the egg into the wok. It cooks very fast so use a flipper to check to see if the bottom is done and then flip it over [no fancy tossing - there's too much oil in there].

3. When both sides are a nice golden brown - VOILA! You are finished :)

Cookies Thai Style

The ingredients you will need to make the cookies are:

1. แป้งสาลีพัดโบก 500 g [cake flour]
2. แป้งสาลีว่าว 200 g [all purpose flour]
3. นำตาลไอซิง 330 g [icing sugar]
4. เนยสด 110 g [butter]
5. มารการีน 370 g [margarine]
6. ผงฟู 1 tbsp [baking powder]
7. เกลือ 1/4 tbsp [salt]
8. กลินวานิลา 1 tbsp [vanilla flavouring]
9. กลินนมเนย 1 tbsp [buttermilk flavouring]
10. ไข่ 2 [eggs]
11. งา / ลูกเกด / ถัว 200/300 g [sesame/peanuts]

A. Weigh and sift the cake flour [500g], all purpose flour [200g], salt [1/4 tbsp] and baking powder [1 tbsp]. Sift three times.
B. Mix in the icing sugar [330g] and sift again.
C. In a mixer, beat together the butter [110g] and margarine [370g] for 3 minutes.
D. Add the eggs [2] and mix for another 2 minutes.
E. While mixing on a low speed, add in the dry ingredients and beat for 3 minutes.
F. Add in the vanilla flavouring [1 tbsp] and buttermilk flavouring [1tbsp], then mix in the nuts with a spoon so you don't break the mixer.
G. Drop the cookies onto a greased tray and bake in a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes. [Depending on how thick you make the cookies it could take longer/a higher temperature].

If you can't find buttermilk flavouring, I'm sure you could vido it from the recipe :)

Peace and Love <3

"Thai Spaghetti" ie Canadian spaghetti... with ketchup

Thai people like to think that this is "ahan falang" [foreigner food], but this is definetely not the way that foreigners eat spaghetti. So, I consider it "Thai food".

Cut the following into small pieces to make the spaghetti sauce:

พริกไทย chile peppers
แครอท carrot
มะเขือเทศ tomato
พริกหยวก green/yellow peppers
หอมหัวใหญ่ onion
หมู pork
ฮอทด็อก hotdogs

Put on a pot of boiling water, and season the water with salt before you add the pasta.
While your pasta is cooking you can start the sauce.

In a wok add some oil and wait until the oil is hot before adding the pork and the hotdogs.
When the pork is fully cooked [it should be brown, not red] you can add the vegetables.
Once the vegetables and meat are cooked fully, turn the heat down and add:

ซอสมะเขือเทศ ketchup

That's right, ketchup. You only need to keep it on the heat for a little longer and then turn the heat off while you mix in the ketchup. Your noodles should be done, you can strain them and pour the sauce overtop.

VOILA!!