I’m going to visit Thailand

Yes…. I’m going to visit Thailand this spring to visit my friends, family, show off my baby and of course eat Thai food and Thai fruit. This time I plan to visit this season, because it’s fruit season and all of the delicious fruit like Durian, mango street, Thai mango, rambutant and a lot more line up for me to eat. Also it is Thai new year called Song Kran. Song Kran is a big festival in Thailand that we celebrate on April 13 thru April 15. In the past Song Kran has been celebrated only on April 13. That is the day Thai people will go to the temple to make merit for the family that already has passed away and after the ceremony all of the young people will throw water on each other but nobody can get mad because it is a traditional. The reason for throwing water is for cooling down the temperature of summer, also in the past they used this day for the guy to check out the girl to date too. Because boys and girls usually didn’t meet each other that easy back then, so this time will be the perfect time to get to see and get to know people. In the present day the government made Song Kran into a festival by adding April 14 to be Family day and April 15 to be old people day making Song Kran become a national festival giving everyone 3 days off. So this is the biggest time of the year that people come back to their homes and family (Just like Christmas plus Thanksgiving in the USA), but my favorite part is to throw the water. It is so much fun that you can throw water on anyone and they cannot get mad at you(but please be nice). The area I recommend to go to celebrate Song Kran is called Ta Noon Khaw Sann or Khaw sann road meaning (rice road). This place is a famous spot for all foreign people and young Thai people. I went there a lot of times when I was a teenager and it is guaranteed fun. Another one is Chang mai which is in the northern Thailand province. They have a parade and a big celebration that is very neat and beautiful full of northern tradition. I also went there after my graduation. I had so much fun. Another one is in Chonburi which is a province that my family comes from. They have the tradition called “Lai” which is always a couple days after Song kran. In the past the tradition of “Lai” is when the guy will carry the girl they like and throw her into the ocean (That is how my dad met my mom!!!), but I’ve never been to “Lai” before so I don’t know how it is now, but my mom always says it is so much fun (of course it was her romantic time ha ha). Anyway I also come back to Thailand in order to get more food recipes and inspiration from Thailand to write a blog for you to know about Thailand, so stay tuned and I will tell you about my journey to Thailand. PS : it might be about a couple week I’ll see you again after I settle down with my baby in Thailand. I’ll See you in a couple week!!!

Tom-Yum-Kung : spicy and sour shrimp soup.

     

Tom Yum Kung

Another famous Thai soup that has gone international!!! Tom-yum made from 2 words in Thai.  Tom means soup and yum means sour and spicy salad, so if you hear tom-yum that means spicy and sour soup, but the most famous kind is shrimp or “Kung” but you can use any kind of meat you like (pork, chicken, fish, seafood).  Almost every Thai restaurant in America has to have it, but not too many make it tasty like the original.  Also they have 2 kinds in Thailand.  One has milk (for shrimp and fish) and another one is without milk (tastes spicier).  The key of tom yum is galangal, Lemon grass and Kaffir leaf.  If you don’t have those 3 we don’t call it tom-yum (it’s going to taste just like sour & spicy water!).  I know it is hard to find it in a grocery store.  You can find them at Thai grocery stores, but trust me it’s worth it to find in a Thai grocery store.  In GA I have found them in a frozen version.  They still almost have the same amount of freshness (but the fresh is still the best!).  Anyway If you really cannot find it, use tom yum paste or tom yum cube (but I still recommend the real thing, it tastes way better). Also the original recipe calls Num-Prik-Pow for seasoning.

Num Prick Pow

 Num-Prick-Pow is a special Thai chili paste (Not like curry paste) and is made with dried chilis, shallots, garlic, shrimp, tamarind juice and sugar then pan fried.  The paste itself has chili oil in it (comes from pan fried) tastes sweet and is not too spicy (for Thai people).  A lot of Thai folk mix Num-Prik-Pow with rice and eat it with a hard boil egg and vegetables just like that.  You can find it in an Asian grocery store, but if it is too much trouble to find them all just leave those ingredients out of the recipe.

Tom yum kung

½ pound Shrimp (peeled and de-veined)

4 Kaffir leaves (Tear it about 4 pieces per one leaf)

1 lemon grass (pound and cut into 1 inches)

2 pieces galangal (pound)

1 cup mushroom

1 ½  cup water or chicken broth or seafood broth

1 tbsp. fresh Thai chili (pound or chop)

1 lime juice (about 3 tbsp.)

2 tbsp. fish sauce

1 tsp. Num-Prik-Pow (special Thai chili paste)

½  cup of half & half (optional for creamier)

1  tsp.  Cilantro

Cooking Instructions:

1. In the medium pot bring water or chicken broth or seafood broth to boil add galangal, Lemon grass, Kaffir leaf let boil about 2-3 minute for aroma from herb season the soup.
2. Add shrimp cook about 2-3 minute or until it cooked.
3. Add mushroom bring it to boil.
4. Add chili and half & half at the end turn the heat off.
5. In the large bowl add lime juice, fish sauce and Num-Prik-Pow then pour soup into the bowl sprinkle with cilantro.
6. Serve with jasmine rice.

Note: For me I love to eat tom yum soup with rice and Thai style omelet. Oh yes I can eat it all day long!! 

Curry Tart

       

Curry tart

     This dish actually is a snack in Thailand called “Ka Ree Pup”.  It has chicken potato and curry powder filling.  I believe Thai people get this recipe from western style cooking because Thai food doesn’t use fried dough and potato.  “Ka Ree pup” is very popular in one of our cities called “Sara-buri”, like when you go there you have to buy it for a souvenier (yes… in Thailand a lot of our souvenier’s are food).  In the original recipe you need a special dough that just tastes like fried pie filling with potato chicken curry stuffing.  It tastes savory and you cannot have just one!!!  For me I don’t know how to make the original dough on the outside, so I tried to make it my modern Thai Food way and I discovered 2 ways that came out pretty good.  My 1^st way is to use a frozen puff pastry and it came out very good and the second one I made a tiny little tart (recipe from better home and garden 2000 cook book) and put the stuffing back in it and it tasted good and looked cute too. So let’s get started!!!

Ingredients

Stuffing

1 cup chicken breast ground or cut into ¼ inch cube (for vegetarian use mushrooms)

2 cup cooked potato cut into ¼ inch cube

1 cup dice onion cut

1 cup dice cooked carrot (if you don’t like it leave it out)

2 tbsp. curry powder (or 1 tbsp. turmeric powder)

2 tbsp. sugar

1-2 tbsp. salt

2- tsp. ground pepper

1 tsp. oil

Cooking instructions

1. Heat large pan on medium high heat add oil wait unit the oil hot add onion stir it till it is cooked
2. Add chicken and 1 tsp. sugar, salt, pepper  stir it until cooked
3. Add cooked carrot and potato then add sugar, salt, pepper and curry powder stir it until mixed well.
4. Adjust the taste till you like turn the heat off let it cool before filling

Tart

½ cup cold butter

1 ¼  cups all-purpose flour

1 beaten egg yolk

2-3 tbsp. Ice water

Cooking instructions

1. In a mixing bowl cut butter into flour till pieces are pea-size. Stir together egg yolk and 1 tbsp. Ice water.  Gradually stir egg yolk mixture into flour mixture.  Add remaining water, 1 tbsp. at a time. till all the dough is moistened. Gently knead the dough just till a ball forms.
2. Divide the dough into a small size about 1 inch diameter and mole into small muffin pan use your finger to make a cup shape.
3. Bake in 375 F about 15 minute or until golden brown.
4. Let it cool. When it’s cool stuff with chicken curry stuffing garnish with cilantro and thin slice bell pepper.

Spicy grilled steak or beef salad.

       

Num tok

 Num Tok is a northeastern Thailand food.  It means waterfall.  The name came from the juice of meat when it grills it drips onto charcoal hence like a waterfall.

Actually Spicy grilled steak or beef salad when we translate in Thai can mean two different dishes.  One in Thai is called yum-nuea which is grilled beef spicy salad with Thai eggplant and use fresh chili(I’ll tell you the recipe later), but the one I talking about Num Tok has one special ingredient that makes the dish different.  It is a rice powder.  The rice powder is very easy to make, just toast the rice and pound it to make it fine like powder.  I use the mortar for this.  If you don’t have one use a Ziplog bag and pound it until it is fine or use a blender for coffee that works also. 

Toasted rice

Pounding rice powderrice powder

Som-Tum Modern Thai Food Style (Non-Mortar recipe)

           

Som tum

         This time is I will show you how to make Sum Tum without use mortar and pestle for a lot of people that don’t have them in your kitchen(I know not too many kitchen in America have it). Also if you cannot find green papaya you can use cucumber or carrot instead so you can enjoy real Sum tum Thai taste without too much trouble!!! 

Ingredients : Modern Thai Food Style (Non-Mortar recipe)

1 medium carrot chopped

1 hand full chopped green papaya

Note: for slice carrot and cucumber I use potato peeler, peeled it looks like a ribbon.

2-3 cherry tomatoes cut in half

1 globe of garlic

1-1 ½ lime juice

1-2 tbsp. fish sauce

1-2 tsp. Sugar

3 tbsp. peanut

3 tbsp. Dried shrimp (But If you can’t find it don’t worry about that)

1-7 Thai chili (depend on you spicy level)

Cooking Instructions : Modern Thai Food Style (Non-Mortar recipe)

1. In a large ziplock bag put garlic and Thai chili and 1 tbsp. peanut and dried shrimp pound it with a pan or pounder (whatever you have that’s heavy) until it’s become chunky paste.
2. Add lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and mix it well.
3. Add carrot cucumber and tomatoes mix and massage it together till mixed well.
4. Pour Som-tum on serving plate, garnish with remaining peanut and dried shrimp.

 

Serve with sticky rice, Grilled chicken (from earlier) Ammm… yummy!!!

Som Tum -Papaya salad

Som tum Thai

       This is the number one of E-sann(Northeatsen)food “Som-tum” (Papaya salad). We almost call this dish the nation’s food of Thailand. That’s because they have it to sell everywhere and everyone loves it!! The ingredients of Som-Tum is young papaya, chili, sherry tomato, lime juice, fish sauce and different ingredients depend on what people tastes, but  some add nut,  sugar, shrimp we call som-tum Thai.  Some add fermented rice pattern crab call Som-tum poo. The top chart is Som-tum pra-rha. Pra-rha is fermented fish with rice salt, some people add garlic depending on the recipe. It smells very strong and even some Thai folk cannot handle it(one of them is my dad).  Also some people use carrot, cucumber, long bean or fruit like apple, grape instead of papaya.  They just call Som-tum first word and follow with that ingredient  Ex. Som-tum Pon la mai (Som-tum fruit salad). 

        In this blog I started with the original Som Tum Thai Recipe and continued the next blog with modern Thai food style Som tum Thai recipe.  Later on (after you get to use Thai food more) I will add more Som Tum recipes for you one bit at a time.

 Som Tum Thai : Original recipe

Ingredients

1 medium carrot chopped

1 hand full chopped green papaya

1 long bean cut into 1 inch.

2-3 cherry tomatoes cut in half

2-3 globes of garlic

1-1 ½ lime juice

1-2 tbsp. fish sauce

1-2 tsp. Sugar

3 tbsp. peanut

3 tbsp. dried shrimp ( if you cannot find it don’t worry about it)

1-7 Thai chili (depends on your spicy level)

Cooking Instructions :  Original recipe 

Original Som tum has to use the tool that’s called “Krok and  Sahk” or mortar and pestle.  

Krok and Sahk

It’s the best way to make it, because it makes the ingredients mix well and Som-Tum juicy,  but if you don’t have one I have the way you can enjoy Som-tum without it in the next blog Som Tum Modern Thai Food style.

1. In the mortar put garlic and Thai chili and pound with pestle together about 5-8 times
2. Add 1 tbsp. peanut, 1 tbsp. dried shrimp  pound it 2-3 times until it brakes
3. Add lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and mix it well
4. Add carrot and green papaya, pound 2-3 times and tomatoes pound and mix it together.
5. Pour Som-tum on serving plate, garnish with remaining peanut and dried shrimp.

Note : you can use carrot or cucumber instead of papaya.

And next time I will show you how to make Som Tum with out mortar and pastle.

Thai tea Crème Brulee

       

       I went to a party with my Thai friend.  The host was Pearl and Scott her husband, also their was my best friend Sirirat (pick), J J and a lot of Thai girls that I just met and there husbands. Usually after I had my baby Nadia I haven’t really gone to any parties that much, but yesterday was an exception, because Pearl made one of my favorite foods that is very hard to make it called “Sai Krog E Sann” or Northeastern Thai sausage.  This sausage has ground pork, cooked rice, salt, garlic, pepper mixed together and stuffed in the intestine of a pig and fermented by hanging it outside until it sours about a couple of days and then fried or grilled.  Which is a lot of work and I never make it myself, because in Thailand we can find it in with any food vender, but in the USA I have never found this kind of sausage.  They have another kind that looks similar at the Thai temple, but it is different because it is a northern Thai sausage style that has a kaffir lime leaf in it which is called “Sai Aur” ,and  I don’t really care for that kind.  That’s why I was so excited to go to this party.  She called me a couple of days before and told me that she made it for the first time and she was not very sure how it was going to come out’ but after I tasted it (amm) that was just the way I liked it(sorry I don’t have a picture of it because I ate it all).  She also made Thai desserts called “Med Kha Non” which is mung bean grounded and cooked with coconut milk and sugar rolled in an oval shape and dipped in egg yolk and cooking again in syrup( yes… that is a lot of work too) and Thai tea Crème Brulee.  Actually Crème brulee is not Thai food, but with a twist of Thai tea in it makes it unique to Thailand.

Actually this dessert idea  “Pearl” told me that she got an idea from Nan fine Thai dining restaurant menu as a special (So, thank you Nan Thai dining restaurant to create this menu).  She took the idea and made it for her party.  I ask her can I put it in my blog and she say it was ok.  So I opened my cook book(recipe from better home and garden 2000 cook book)  for crème brulee recipe and added Thai tea.    This is the first time I made this recipe, so I will see how it will go….(I did not get it from Nan Thai dining restaurant original recipe).

Ingredient

2 cup half and half

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

¼ cup raw sugar for make a crust on top

3 tbsp.Strong Thai Tea ( I use 5 tbsp. ground Thai tea with 1 cup of water)

Thai Tea

Note :  For Thai tea is a Thai style tea that taste spicy than regular tea (not hot) it has orang in the color. Make it just like making coffee.  A lot of Thai restaurant in America make it sweet and  serve with half and half in Thai we call “Cha Yen”, but if you serve just sweet Thai tea no half and half we call “Cha Dum yen”.

Cooking instruction

1. In a heavy saucepan heat half and half over medium-low heat just till bubbly .Remove from heat; set aside
2. Meanwhile , in a medium mixing bowl combine egg yolks, the 1/3 cup sugar, Thai Tea, and salt. Beat with a wire whisk or rotary beater just till combine. Slowly whisk the hot half and half or light cream into egg mixture.
3. Place six ¾ cup soufflé dishes or 6-ounce custard cup in a 3-qusrt rectangular baking pan. Set pan on an oven rack. Pour enough hot water into the baking pan around the dishes to reach halfway up the sides of the dishes
4. Bake the custard in a 325 oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center of each custard comes out clean. Remove custards from the water bath; cool on wire. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
5. Before serving , put 1 tsp. sprinkle over the custard heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

Thank you for the pretty picture from Photographer Adam Gruszynski (Patty husband)

Spicy seafood salad

       

spicy seafood salad

          Spicy seafood salad is eastern Thai food (where my family came from),  because east Thailand is close to the ocean.  So most of eastern food has seafood for an ingredient.  It’s very easy to make and find the ingredients in America.  Amm…The more I talk the more I’m getting a craving, so let’s get started.

Ingredients

2 cup mix seafood (Shrimp, squid, mussel, crabs stick)

½ cup onion slice half moon

½ cup tomato slice in wedge or cherry tomato cut half

1 Green onion cut into 1 inch.

¼ cup Chinese celery cut into 1 inch (or celery leave)

2 tbsp. Lime

2 tbsp. fish sauce

2-3 Tsp. slice Thai chili or Jalapeno (it’s up to you hot level)

1 tsp. sugar.

3 cup. water

Cooking Instruction

1. In the medium bowl add lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, stir until sugar dissolved. Add chili set aside.
2. Put medium pot on high/medium heat, add 3 cup water. Wait until it boils.
3. Add seafood into pot, stir until it is cooked about 2-4 minute (Shrimp turns pink, squid turns white) then drain it.
4. Pour cooked seafood in to lime mixer bowl.
5. Add onion, tomato, green onion, stir until mixed well
6. Arrange on a serving dish, garnish with sprigs of celery and serve.

Note: This dish is very spicy.  Be careful!!!

Tom kha Gai or Chicken coconut soup

Coconut chicken soup

Tom Kha Gai or Chicken coconut soup is the food from central Thailand that a lot of Americans like.  Actually it means chicken with galangal soup, because the main ingredient is young galangal and chicken.  In Thai we eat with rice and serve at the same time with any food not like in America it is served as an appetizer.  When I first came here (USA) I ordered it in one of the Thai restaurants and it tasted totally different from what I have in Thailand.  I was kind of disappointed.  The original was my mom’s recipe chicken coconut soup which makes it rich and tasty (little bit sour and spicy), but in America (some restaurants) make it too watery and it does not taste good at all (for my opinion).  I find out later that some restaurants just want to make it light so they serve as a soup not for food like the traditional recipe.  So this recipe it will be the original one, but if you think it’s too rich and tasty for you just add more chicken broth.

Note: If you cannot find young galangal don’t worry just use the one you can find and make thin sliced, but if it’s too old and cannot make thin sliced just pound it.

Ingredients

1/2 pound chicken

1 cup mushroom

1 can (14 oz) coconut milk

½ cup chicken broth or water

3 Kaffir leaves (Tear it about 4 pieces per one leaf)

1 lemon grass (pounded and cut into 1 inches)

4-6 pieces young galangal (slice)

2-11 Thai Chilies (it’s up to you)

2 tbsp. cilantros

2-3 tbsp. fish sauce

2-3 tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. sugar

Cooking Instructions

1. In medium pot add coconut milk and chicken broth or water, bring it to a boil at medium heat.
2. Add galangal, Kaffir lime leaves,  lemon grass, stir and keep at a boil for about 8-10 minutes
3. Add chicken, stir 2-3 times till chicken cooked then add sugar
4. Add mushroom bring it to a boil then turn the heat off
5. For seasoning add chili and lime juice then stir it till mixed well at last garnish with cilantro.
6. Serve with steamed rice (for me plus Thai omelet)

coconut chicken soup

Now dig in!!

Grill Chicken

BBQ Chicken

 

This grilled chicken is a classic Thai northeastern Thailand (E-sann).  When you go to Thailand you will see it at almost every E-Sann food vender, also you can find it with every street food vender that’s how famous this dish is. For me I love to eat it with sticky rice and gotta have som-tum too.  So this time I will give you the Grilled chicken recipe.

Ingredients

4 pieces Quarter Chicken (leg & thigh)

6 gloves garlic minced

¼ cup vegetable oil

6 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. sweet soy sauce for the color (If you don’t have don’t worry about it)

 

Cooking Instruction

1. In a plastic bag mix garlic, oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sweet soy sauce and mix well
2. Put chicken into marinate bag, massage chicken and let it marinate at least 1 hr. (The more it marinates the more it tastes good)
3. Turn on grill heat up to 400 F (or in the oven)
4. Grill or broil chicken about 7-10 minute if oven bake about 30-40 minute per side or till it’s cooked 
5. Serve with sticky rice and sweet and sour chicken dipping sauce(recipe follow)

 

Sweet and sour chicken dipping (Num-Jim-Gai)

This sauce is common sauce that serve with Gai-Yang.  You can also buy it ready to use at Thai grocery store.

Ingredients

2-5 fresh Thai chili (or dried Thai chili)

2-3 glove garlic

½ cup sugar

½ cup white vinegar

1 tsp.salt

1 tsp. corn starch

2 tbsp. water

Cooking Instruction

1. In a small Ziplock bag put fresh Thai chili and garlic pound it with a pan or a tenderizer (whatever you have that’s heavy) until it becomes a chunky paste.  If you use dried chilies just chop it.
2. In a small sauce pan add sugar, white vinegar, salt then bring it to a boil and then add chili paste.
3. In a small bowl mix corn starch and water till mix well.
4. Stir corn starch mixer into sauce keep stir until sauce thicken.

Turn the heat off pour in to the serving bowl.