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!"