Tom Kai Gai Soup
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 6 oz. Sliced White Chicken meat
- 6 oz. sliced White Onions
- 2-3 med pieces Galanga( Thai Ginger)
- 3 - 1" Slices of Lemon Grass
- 1 oz. chopped Green Onion
- 24 oz. water
- 1 package(2 oz.) Coconut Milk Concentrate
- 4oz. fresh Lime or Lemon Juice
- 4oz. Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground Red Chili
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Green Papaya Salad
This green papaya salad, known as som tam, is popular in most areas of Thailand. The slightly tart flavor of the green papaya combines well with the spice of red chili pepper and the saltiness of shrimp paste and fish sauce, plus the sweetness of honey. Green papaya salad is a beautifully unique and flavor-filled dish that will make a great impression. It's also easy to make, low-calorie, and very nutritious. So try this Som tam recipe for dinner tonight!
Makes 4 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups shredded fresh green papaya, use a Pro-Slice Thai peeler or Miracle Knife.
3 medium roma tomatoes, or use a few more if you can find cherry tomatoes
A handful of fresh string beans cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons dried shrimp
4-6 fresh Thai chiles, remove stems
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons juice of pickled mud fish (optional)
* DRESSING:
* 1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (if vegetarian, substitute 1 extra Tbsp. soy sauce)
* 2 Tbsp. good-tasting oil, such as olive
* 2 Tbsp. fish sauce OR vegetarian fish sauce, OR 2+1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
* 3 Tbsp. lime juice
* 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. liquid honey
Preparation:
1. First, prepare the dressing by mixing together all dressing ingredients together in a cup. Make sure shrimp paste and honey dissolve fully (if using glazed nuts, you may only need to add 1/2 Tbsp. honey). Set aside.
2. Peel the green papaya, then slice it in half and remove all the seeds. Using the largest grater you have, grate the papaya (or you can use a potato peeler to create thin, ribbon-like strips). Place in a large bowl.
3. Add the sliced tomato, spring onion, chili, bean sprouts, and most of the basil. Add the dressing, tossing to combine.
4. Add the peanuts or cashews* (you can either leave them whole, or roughly chop them). Toss again. Taste-test the salad. If not sweet enough, add a little more honey. If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. If too sweet or salty, add more lime juice. If you prefer it spicier, add more fresh-cut chili or dried crushed chili.
5. To serve, scoop the salad into individual bowls or onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with remaining basil leaves plus fresh coriander.
If you wish to make this salad ahead of time, combine all ingredients except the nuts and the dressing. You can then leave it covered in the refrigerator several hours, or overnight. Add the dressing and peanuts at the last minute, then toss and serve.
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PAD THAI
Ingredients:
8 ounces medium rice noodles.
These should be soaked at room temperature for an hour or more depending on how soft you prefer the noodles. It may take some experimentation to determine your preference, start with warm water.
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
2 tablespoons chopped shallots (or small red or purple onions)
1/2 cup fresh prawns, pealed and de-veined
1/4 cup fish sauce - nam pla
1/4 cup crushed palm sugar
2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate mixed with 5 teaspoons water (this makes tamarind juice)
1 medium egg, beaten
1/4 cup chopped chinese chives
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely broken up.
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup tofu that has been diced (1/2" cubes), marinated in dark sweet soy - see eu dam. "Firm" tofu works best.
Method
1. Heat a little cooking oil in a wok
2. add the garlic and shallots, and briefly stir fry until they just show signs of changing colour.
3. Add the remaining ingredients except the egg and the bean sprouts,
stir fry until the noodles soften (about 5 minutes).
4. As you stir-fry the noodles, periodically throw in 1-2 tablespoons of water
5. Continuing to stir with one hand, slowly "drizzle" in the beaten egg to form a fine ribbon of cooked egg (if you don't feel confident with this make an egg crepe separately, and then roll it up and slice it into quarter inch wide pieces, which you add to the mix at this point).
6. At this point, a very tasty but optional addition is a small handful of dried shrimps.
7. Add the bean sprouts and cook for no more than another 30 seconds. 8. Remove from the pan to a serving platter.
Garnish
1. Mix a tablespoon of lime juice with a tablespoon of tamarind juice and a tablespoon of fish sauce
2. use this to marinade half a cup of uncooked bean sprouts, half a cup of chopped chives, and half a cup of very coarsely ground roasted peanuts.
3. Sprinkle this mixture on the cooked pad Thai.
4. Cut several limes into segments and also slice up some cucumber into rounds then halve the rounds.
5. Put the lime and cucumber segments around the serving platter.
You may add Thai chili powder, sugar and crushed peanuts at the table.
