3 tablespoons https://ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/pomalo-salad-with-crab-recipe-yum-som-oh-phu/
plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Lee Kim Kee Honey Garlic Sauce
Posted in Recipes on January 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »
3 tablespoons https://ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/pomalo-salad-with-crab-recipe-yum-som-oh-phu/
plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Lee Kim Kee Honey Garlic Sauce
Posted in Recipes on June 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »
LEMONGRASS & LIME SORBet
Inspired by my very own lemongrass lemonade recipe, I wanted to create a refreshing sorbet to cool down spicy food. But the recipe still lacks in color and texture. After, attending Jerry Traunfeld workshop in “Adventures in the Herb Garden”, I was inspired and love the flavor of Shiso Apple Ice-cream. Adding green apple with my lemongrass lemonade, I get a delightful sorbet which wonderful aroma and flavor of lemongrass and lime.
Servings: 8
Yield: 2½ cups
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 lemongrass, divided in half lengthwise
2 Pandanus leaves, optional
3 granny smith apples peeled and cored and chopped
1/3 cup lime, about 4 limes
½ teaspoon salt
To make simple syrup, heat sugar, water, lemongrass and Pandanus leaves in a small sauce pan over high heat. And let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the syrup into a jar. Then let it chill for a while.
In the blender, put in granny smith apples, lime juice and salt. Pour cooled simple syrup over, cover and blend until smooth. Pour the ice-cream mixture in an ice-cream machine and follow the instruction. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.
Garnish with lime zest and lemongrass ring.
Thai Chili Ice Cream
Yield: 1 ½ quarts
2 cups Half and Half
2 cups coconut cream (top layer of coconut milk)
5 Thai red or green fresh chilies, smashed
1 pandanus leaf, cut into 6 pieces
1 cup mint leaves
10 egg yolks
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
Bring half and half, coconut cream, Thai chiles, pandanus leaf and mint leaves to a gentle boil and cook on summer for 5 minutes.
Whisk the yolks and sugar until creamy, light and puffy like ribbon, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Pour half and half mixture into the yolks and sugar and stir while pouring slowly. Strain and pour back into the same pot and whisk constantly on the heat that steaming but not boiling until the mixture is thick to coat the back of spoon.
Cool in the ice bath and strain into the prepare ice cream machine. Turn on the machine according to the instruction until it is chill and creamy, about 30-45 minutes depending on the machine. Put in the freezer for a few hours before serving.
Posted in Recipes, Thai Salad Recipe on May 5, 2021| 7 Comments »
Happy Mother’s Day
All the best wishes and happiness on Mother’s Day
Dancing Shrimp – Pia Goong – Thai Shrimp Herbal Salad
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
20 shrimps, peeled and deveined
3 Thai chili peppers, sliced, or 1 teaspoon ground roasted red pepper
1 tablespoon roasted red chili paste, known as Nam Prik Pow or Chili jam
2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon palm sugar, or more as needed
3 tablespoons chopped green onion (about 1 green onion)
3 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons sliced lemongrass (about 1 stalk lemongrass)
½ cup mint leaves
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1/8 teaspoon grated galangal
4 kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade
Cook shrimp with 2 tablespoons water in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until they turn pink, about 1 minute. Drain all liquid and let cool.
Whisk Thai chili, roasted red chili paste, shallot, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar in a salad bowl until the palm sugar dissolves. Mix in shrimp, green onion, cilantro, lemongrass, mint, garlic, galangal and lemongrass.
Copyright by Pranee K. Halvorsen May 5, 2021
https://www.pccmarkets.com/class/asian-market-cooking/
Thursday, May 20, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Online Demo
Fill your basket with vegetables from local Asian markets and use them with confidence. From selecting and storing to prepping and cooking, Pranee will share everything she knows about these market finds along with tips for perfecting her favorite recipes. She’ll introduce you to gai lan — an Asian green with thick stems and florets similar to broccoli but with a stronger taste — which works wonderfully in Phad Khana Nammun Hoi (stir-fried gai lan with oyster sauce). You’ll also learn how to make stir-fried prawn egg noodles, known as Phad Mee Hokkien, served with Choy Sum Som Tum (green papaya salad with lime-peanut dressing).
https://www.pccmarkets.com/class/thai-grill/
Wednesday, May 26, 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Online Demo
Street food is a quintessential part of Thai culture. Join Pranee as she demonstrates how to grill meat dishes that would feel right at home on the streets of Bangkok. She’ll guide you through the process for making Near Yang (grilled tri-tip beef with lime-mint dipping sauce and sticky rice) and Yum Mamuang Goong Pao (grilled prawns with mango salad). You’ll also learn how to balance Thailand’s essential flavors — sweet, sour, salty and spicy — as she prepares a dressing for the mango salad.
https://www.pccmarkets.com/class/thai-spring-and-summer-rolls/
Thursday, June 3, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Online Demo
Get rolling with Pranee as she shows you how to make summer and spring rolls at home. She’ll take you through the steps for crafting Thai restaurant favorites, including Por Pia Sod (summer rolls with prawns, rice vermicelli and fresh herbs) and Por Pia Tod (spring rolls with cellophane noodles, shiitake mushrooms and green onions) with hoisin-peanut and spicy-sweet dipping sauces. Learn how to balance flavors, master proper knife skills and pick up tips to make working with rice paper easy.
With seafood and peanuts; no meat, dairy, or eggs. Optional gluten (hoisin-peanut sauce).
https://www.pccmarkets.com/class/phad-thai-at-home/
Tuesday, June 8, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Online Cook-Along, Gluten-Free
Take home the secrets to authentic Thai cooking! Pranee will teach you how to build and balance sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavors as she guides you through a quintessential take-out favorite: Phad Thai. Cook along with Pranee and learn to make restaurant-quality Phad Thai at home, from scratch-made sauce to stir-fried vegetables and eggs. You’ll also make Kluey Bud Chee (banana in coconut milk) for dessert.With seafood and eggs; no dairy or gluten.
https://www.pccmarkets.com/class/banh-mi/
Monday, June 14, 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Online Demo
With their distinctive fluffy baguette and pickled vegetable garnish, banh mi sandwiches are a delicious vehicle for flavorful fillings. Join Pranee as she takes you through the steps for crafting this satisfying Vietnamese classic. For that signature sour crunch, she’ll prepare quick-pickled daikon and carrots followed by the main ingredient — grilled lemongrass chicken. You’ll be ready to enjoy banh mi at home anytime you like!
With poultry and gluten; no dairy or eggs.
*Banh Mi with Grilled Lemongrass Chicken and Quick-Pickled Daikon and Carrots
https://www.pccmarkets.com/class/quick-and-easy-thai-curries/
Wednesday, June 30, 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Online Demo
Learn how to make curry in a hurry! After this class, you won’t need to order takeout every time you crave Thai food. Pranee will show you how to prepare authentic dishes using easy-to-find, store-bought ingredients and fresh, seasonal produce. Watch as she makes Gaeng Daeng Gai (red curry chicken with bamboo shoots, eggplant and basil) and Phad Prik King Neua (stir-fried curried beef and green beans with shredded ginger and lime leaf). She’ll demystify traditional Thai herbs and spices, and discuss how to balance sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavors.
With meat, poultry and gluten.
https://www.pccmarkets.com/class/a-trip-to-thailand-5-day-kids-camp/
Price: $150
AGES 8 TO 15 COOK-ALONG GLUTEN-FREE
Junior chefs will explore their favorite Thai dishes with expert guidance from Pranee. She’ll demonstrate how quick and easy it is to cook food from her homeland, building confidence in the kitchen while sharing techniques for authentic Thai cooking. Along the way, kids will learn basic knife skills, the secrets of stir-frying, and tricks for balancing the sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavors that Thai cuisine is known for.
With poultry and seafood; optional eggs; no gluten or dairy.
Day 1: Monday, August 2, 9:30 – 11:00 am
Day 2: Tuesday, August 3, 9:30 – 11:00 am
Day 3: Wednesday, August 4, 9:30 – 11:00 am
Day 4: Thursday, August 5, 9:30 – 11:00 am
Day 5: Friday, August 6, 9:30 – 11:00 am
MENU
Day 1: Fresh Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce; Coconut Sticky rice with Mango
Day 2: Red Chicken Curry with Young Corn and Bamboo shoots; Jasmine rice; Banana in Coconut milk
Day 3: Stir-Fry Cashew Chicken; Pineapple Fried Rice
Day 4: Phad See Ew; Tapioca Pearl Coconut Pudding
Day 5: Tom Yum Goong; Larb Gai
Posted in Recipes on May 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »
I hope you are all doing well. I am finally adjust to Stay-at-Home and would like to do something special on this Mother’s day. I would like to celebrate the Mother’s Day with Thai food enthusiasts and fans out there. Whether you are a mom or just want to take this opportunity to learn Thai cooking over the zoom online platform. I hope you will have a chance to join me in my kitchen studio from your home. The fee for this class will help purchase lunch and dinner for the workers on the frontline against COVID.
I chose this time frame, hoping that where ever you are, you can take this virtual class with me for Pacific Time, Eastern Time or from Southeast Asia.
We are now as close as ever. Thank you and wishing you have a good weekend.
Virtual Thai Cooking Class to Fund the Frontlines against COVID
Pranee’s Thai Kitchen, Seattle Washington
Phad Thai & Sticky Rice and Mango
Sunday, May 10th, 2020
Pacific time: 3pm-4pm, Eastern Time 6pm-7pm
Register Here: https://squareup.com/store/markhomemadethai/
Please forward your receipt to: Pranee@ilovethaicooking.comto receive your zoom access and recipes.
Pranee will reveal and share with you the technique to make the best Phad Thai for your family & friends. She will help you master the best Phad Thai Sauce and Sweet Sticky Rice & Mango and will cover important tips, techniques and ingredients. Menu: Phad Thai (Phad Thai Noodles Stir–fry with Prawns) Kao Neow Mamauang (Sticky Rice & Mango).
If you are unable to attend on May 10th, you can purchase 3 tickets and schedule for your private 1hour zoom class on a mutually agreeable future date and time based on the same menu.
Here is the process;
Website:I Love Thai Cooking
Blog: Pranee’s Thai Kitchen
Instagram: I Love Thai Cooking
Posted in Recipes, Thai Dessert Recipe on March 14, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Another ancient Thai dessert, Pandan Tapioca Pearl Cake, it’s Thai name is Jade Gemstone – ขนมหยกมณี – Khanom Yok Manee
Steamed Pandanus Tapioca Pearl Cake
Khanom Yok Manee
ขนมหยกมณี
The photo above was from my visit to Phuket and I had this childhood dessert for breakfast. This dessert can be prepared in an instant. Simply have tapioca pearl, coconut milk and sugar in your pantry. Pandan leaves are available in the market and please see note of how to make green pandan extract. You can prepare this Thai dessert without pandan leaves but since the name Yok Manee is derived from the color green of jade gemstone – then the pandan water is necessary for this ancient Thai dessert. Stock up the pandan leaves in your freezer as well and you will enjoy many uses of pandan leaves in your kitchen.
Serves 8
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
1 cup tapioca pearl
2 cups water
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
½ cup pandanus water
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons grated coconut flake
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Arrange a steamer, with 2 inches water.
Place tapioca pearl in a strainer, rinse and set a side.
Bring water to boil in a saucepan. When the water is boiling pour in tapioca pearl, tapioca starch, pandanus juice, sugar and salt. Stir until it well-mixed and sugar is melted. Spoon about 4 tablespoons of tapioca mixture into 8 ramekins. Sprinkle evenly about 2 teaspoons coconut flake on top of each tapioca cake. Then place 8 ramekins in the steamer and bring to a boil and steam tapioca cake on high heat for 10 minutes. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds before serving.
Cook’s note: Pandanus is a green leaf from screwed pine tree family.
Step by Step: How to Make Pandan Water, น้ำใบเตย – Pandan Extract Recipe
© 2020 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen I Love Thai cooking
Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area.Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com .
Posted in Recipes on May 12, 2019| 2 Comments »
TOD MAN PLA
Phuket Fish Cake with Red Curry & Lime Leaf
ทอดมันปลา
Serves6 as a main dish, 12 as an appetizer
Yield:3 cups to make about 12 patties
Preparation time:20 minutes
Cooking time:20 minutes
5 shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red curry paste
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1½ pounds snapper, or other firm white fish
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
¼ cup coconut cream (the creamy part from the top of a can of coconut milk)
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves, or 10 basil leaves, chiffonade
7 green beans, sliced
High-heat oil for frying (e.g., peanut, safflower, or sunflower oil)
Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a food processor, add shallots, garlic, red curry paste, cilantro, fish, sugar, light soy sauce, salt, egg and coconut cream; blend for 5 seconds.
Place the fish in a bowl and stir in shredded kaffir lime leaves or basil leaves and green beans with a solid wooden spoon until blended. Let the mixture stand in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or longer. Pan-fry a small portion of the mixture to test; adjust seasonings as needed.
Using an ice cream scoop, form ¼ inch-thick patties (like crab cakes), and place them on a baking sheet. Heat the frying pan with 2 tablespoons cooking oil and pan-fry fish cakes on each side until golden yellow. Set them aside on a baking sheet until all are done. Bake in the oven for 6 to 10 minutes. Serve with cucumber salad and sweet chili sauce from recipe below.
NAM JIM AJARD
Cucumber Salad with Sweet Chili Dressing
Yield:3 cups
Preparation time:15 minutes
1 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
½ cup vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced (about 3 cups)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup ground peanuts, optional
Combine sweet chili sauce, vinegar and salt. Stir in cucumber and cilantro. Garnish with ground peanuts if desired. Serve as an accompaniment to Thai appetizers such as Thai fish cake.
© 2018 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen I Love Thai cooking Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area. Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com .
Posted in Pranee's Culinary Tales, Q & A Thai Cooking, Recipes, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Ingredient 101, Thai Sauce & Condiment Recipe, tagged Nam Pla Prik, Prik Nam Pla, Thai Fish Sauce condiment, What is fish sauce? on September 30, 2018| 8 Comments »
In Thailand, fish sauce is called nam pla. It is made of anchovies and salt which are fermented for 6 to 12 months under the tropical sun. The process of fermentation leaves behind an elixir laden with flavor and concentrated glutamic acid. This elixir creates a mouthful of flavor when added to salads, soups, curries, stir-fries, dipping sauces, rice and noodle dishes, or served simply as an everyday condiment – Nam Pla Prik. It is is a medium-brown liquid that is available in bottles of various sizes ready to use for seasoning and cooking.
When it comes to Thai cuisine and culture, one can’t live without fish sauce. It is important to get the best quality fish sauce, so I have some recommendations for buying it outside of Thailand. My favorite fish sauce brands, which I use interchangeably, are Thai Kitchen, Tiparos and Three Crabs. Once the bottle has been opened, you can leave it out at room temperature if you cook with fish sauce often, otherwise you can keep it in the fridge for up to 6 months. When it gets too salty or stale, replace it with a new bottle.
Thai people from all walks of life always have fish sauce in their kitchens and typically use it every day, either in their cooking or as a condiment. Thais value its significant flavor and Nam pla is part of Thai people’s lives, regardless of whether they are from rural villages, big towns or the capital city of Bangkok. In fact, it is a Thai’s best friend in all life situations, but especially in economic down times, or for newly married couples starting their lives together. When Thais face financial struggles, one often says “a fish sauce and warm rice is simply enough” (in Thai: มีข้าวกับน้ำปลาเพียงพอแล้ว). When we go through a tough time and have just enough money to buy rice and fish sauce, life is still good, still filled with hopes and dreams, and we still have each other, for richer or for poorer.
Yield: 1/4 cup
Nam pla prik is no secret to Thai dining; Thais use it the way Americans use salt and pepper. This liquid of chili and garlic-infused fish sauce is delicious over warm steamed jasmine rice or just about any Thai food you are about to savor. The fresh layer of fish sauce enhances the food and adds another dimension to each mouthful, heightening the experience on your palate. My favorite way to use it is over a fried egg and steamed hot jasmine rice, with fresh sliced cucumber and tomatoes alongside. Any time you are dining at a Thai restaurant, you may ask for nam pla prik the same way that you would ask for salt and pepper.
¼ cup fish sauce 2 Thai chiles or a jalapeno pepper, sliced 2 cloves garlic, sliced ½ teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon lime juice, optionalStir fish sauce, Thai chiles, garlic, sugar and lime juice together in a small bowl. Use this spicy fish sauce for seasoning. You may keep it in an airtight jar up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
© 2011 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen I Love Thai cooking Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area. Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com .Related articles
Posted in Recipes, Thai Curry Recipe, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Main Dish Recipe, tagged curry without the hurry, Phuket Cuisine, Sweet Pepper, Thai Cooking in Seattle, Thai Cuisine, Thai Curry, Thai Foods, Thai Green Curry Sauce on February 26, 2017| 4 Comments »
Sometimes we can add a little creativity and time to an ordinary Thai curry dish and a magic spell happens. When you bring the food to the table it produces a touch to the heart as well as a gastronomic experience. When I returned home for a visit, my mom’s kitchen invoked a fond memory of her preparing stuffed southern style eggplant in Phuket red curry sauce — her specialty. The Thai people often speak the language of the heart with food, and I remembered well those days of a warm welcome home. My version of stuffed sweet peppers in green curry sauce was prepared and served at my family table here in Seattle. I took a few photos, knowing that one day I would share this curry recipe so that you could try this curry without the hurry: Braised Stuffed Sweet Peppers in Thai Green Curry.
With only a little effort you can surprise someone with a memorable result when you prepare Braised Stuffed Sweet Peppers in Green Curry Sauce. I chose to make this dish with the mini bell peppers that are available in the market all year round so you can enjoy this recipe at any time. My favorite times for preparing this dish is in the fall when local varieties of sweet peppers are available, or in the winter when the weather is cold, but the kitchen is cozy and warm. You can cook without the hurry—just let the peppers simmer away without the worry and enjoy the fragrance throughout your kitchen.
Use a paring knife, slit the peppers on one side and open them with one straight line the length of pepper. Using your thumb, press at the bottom and with your index finger press at the top, squeezing the pepper to make it open up. Remove the seeds then stuff in the meat mixture. If desired, you can complete this step ahead of time and keep the stuffed peppers in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
Thai eggplant is a typical vegetable to add to green or red curries. You can make this recipe with or without them. Simply remove the stems and cut each of them into 6 wedges. Soak the wedges in salted cold water to prevent the eggplant from turning brown. Drain them just before adding to the curry.
Gaeng Keow Wan Prik Yad Sai
Stuffed Sweet Pepper Green Curry
แกงเขียวหวานพริกยัดไส้
I love to prepare this dish and once taught it to my Seattle area students during the winter months. The best part is letting the stuffed sweet peppers braise away in the green curry sauce. Don’t worry about the time, the curry has a way of telling you when it is ready when the fragrance of the sweet coconut milk, spices and herbs reach their highest level.
Serves: 4 to 8
8 small, whole mini sweet peppers, or Anaheim peppers
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro stems
5 black peppercorns
1 pinch of salt
½ pound coarse-ground chicken
1½ cups coconut milk
2 to 3 tablespoons green or red curry paste
4 kaffir lime leaves or lime peel
4 Thai eggplants, please see the preparation above
½ to 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce, as needed
¼ cup basil leaves
Use a paring knife to slit open peppers on one side with one straight line the length of pepper. Then use your thumb at the bottom of the pepper, and your index finger at the top to squeeze them open; remove the seeds.
Place garlic, cilantro stems, black peppercorns and salt in a mortar. Pound with a pestle until they become a paste. Place into a medium-size bowl with the ground chicken and mix well. Stuff the meat mixture into the peppers and set aside. (This step can be done ahead of time and the stuffed peppers kept in the fridge until ready to cook.)
In a saucepan on medium-high heat, bring ½ cup of coconut milk and green or red curry paste to boil; stir well. Let the mixture cook until the oil separates and curry is fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add kaffir lime leaves or lime peel and stuffed peppers to the mixture. Add the remaining 1 cup coconut milk to cover all ingredients; bring to a boil. Let cook on medium-low heat for 8 minutes, then stir in Thai eggplant and keep cooking until the chicken filling is cooked and the peppers are soft, about 7 minutes. Check the center of the stuffed pepper to make sure chicken is done, then stir in sugar, fish sauce and basil leaves. Bring mixture to a boil and remove from heat. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
Posted in Pranee's Tips & Techniques, Recipes, Thai Cooking School: How to series, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Ingredient 101, Thai Recipe for Kid, Thai Side Dish Recipe, Thai Stir-fry Recipe, tagged loofah, luffa, Stir-fried Luffa with egg, Stir-fry, Thai Cuisine, Thai Stir-fry Recipe on May 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Wait—you are eating luffa? Yes, in Thailand luffa fruit is eaten at a young stage as a vegetable. It is soft, sweet and aromatic after cooking, either in a stir-fry or a soup dish. We eat the whole fruit except for the skin.
When I have a craving for luffa as a vegetable, I only choose the youngest luffa available. As the fruit gets older, the fibrous veins becomes more visible and tough and the flesh gets more airy and dries out to become a sponge. Farmers leave many healthy-looking luffa fruit longer on the trellis in order to harvest seeds and sponges as the annual vine grows old, dies, and dries up. The last harvest for the plant is healthy seeds and luffa sponges for bathing or cleaning pots and pans.
We enjoy two species of luffa as a vegetable in tropical and subtropical countries. The above luffa is บวบหอม – buap hom – Sponge Luffa or Smooth Luffa. Below is the บวบเหลี่ยม – bump liam – Ridged Luffa or Angled Luffa.
Growing up in Thailand I felt that what makes a Thai village scene beautiful is walking around and seeing both kinds of luffa growing in and around granny’s home, either on the fences or the chicken penthouse or on a tree. And one doesn’t need a fancy vegetable garden to grow them, just two square feet of fertile ground, routine watering, then a bit of training to get the vine to climb up a twig or fence as it grows. After that it can take care of itself and all you have to do is admire the yellow flowers, harvest the luffa, collect seeds for the next season and enjoy a supply of sponges.
This picture was taken a few years back when I visited my mom and uncle and we walked around my village in a circle. The angled luffa is young, long, and round with ridges. This one is a perfect size for harvesting. It could be from 1 to 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter and 8 to 12 inches long. The yellow flowers were bright against the dark green guard hanging on the chicken coop to provide shade for chickens. I trust that the yield of luffas from this single plant provided many meals, stir-fried, in a country-style soup, or served with Nam Prik – Thai Chili Dip.
Step-by-Step: How to Peel and Cut Luffa
One year when I visited mom I found her in the kitchen just about to prepare stir-fried luffa with egg for lunch. Because I wanted to share the technique and recipe with you and all my blog followers, I asked her if she could do this in slow motion and let me interrupt her so I could take photos of her peeling and cutting luffa the way everyone from our Thai village always did. I want to share with you this treasured culinary moment in my mom’s kitchen.
The luffa is actually related to the cucumber family. They are alike in many ways but the luffa is softer. We use a cucumber peeler to peel the ridged skin.
After peeling and rinsing, we do the oblique cutting or roll-cutting.
The reason we love luffa so much is that it is succulent, moist, sweet and tender. Therefore we don’t need many ingredients in this stir-fried dish. We often enhance the flavor with some protein like egg, prawn or pork, then a little fish sauce or soy sauce for salt. The taste has a hint of zucchini and cucumber. It has a delightful silky smooth texture that is soft, but firmer than a marshmallow.
Both species of luffa can be cooked in the same way. There is not a big difference between the two, but I prefer angled luffa over smooth luffa as it is more succulent and sweet. This recipe, and the photographs were recorded many years ago in my mom’s kitchen in Phuket. It captured our fine day visiting and savoring real Thai home cooking.
Stir-fried Angle Luffa with Egg
Buab Phad Khai
บวบผัดไข่
Serves: 4
Like any Thai stir-frying dish, cooking on high heat is the key. Shrimp or pork are popular proteins used in stir-fried angled luffa, and almost always with egg, some soy and fish sauces and a pinch of sugar. It can be served as a side dish or a main dish with steamed jasmine rice.
3 tablespoons high heat cooking oil such as canola, peanut or soy bean oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 eggs
3 large or 4 medium-size angled luffa, peeled and oblique-cut, about 1 and 1/2 pounds
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
Heat a wok on high heat until it is hot. Pour in cooking oil and stir in garlic. When garlic is golden, stir in eggs and stir a few times. When the egg is cooked, stir in luffa. Stir for 1 minute and add fish and soy sauces and sugar. Add water or chicken broth and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes with the lid on. It should have a soft texture and some sauce like the recipe above. Serve warm.
Related Links
http://www.kitazawaseed.com/seeds_luffa_angled.html
How to Grow Your Luffa Sponge
http://www.luffa.info/luffagrowing.htm
Roll-Cutting Video
Posted in Recipes on April 30, 2016| Leave a Comment »
When I was in Yangon last year I spent my first morning looking for a market near the hotel. It was a street that had many stalls and breakfast type food stands. Everything in Yangon was very exciting for me, as a neighbouring country to Thailand. I found that our culture and cuisine are very different in many ways. The thing that catched my eye most was a lady making an almond pancake on the street. I stood in line and signalled for some almond pancake, the same one that she just did for the customer in front of me. First she poured the pancake batter in the pan, sprinkled generous amount of almond on top, then she placed a charcoal heater on top. Like baking, the cake actually rise after a few minutes. She then gave it to me in a plastic bag. I ate there on the street. I really loved it, as its almond flavor and…
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Posted in Pranee's Culinary Tales, Pranee's Travel Thailand & Beyond, Recipes, Thai Beverage Recipe, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, tagged ชาตะไคร้, lemongrass tea, Pranee's Thai Kitchen, Thai Foods, Thai Herbal Tea on February 8, 2016| 3 Comments »
Lemongrass – Takrai – ตะไคร้
I always try to enjoy my hometown of Phuket as a tourist would do, but my favorite part is visiting, catching up and dining with my family and relatives in the village. One of my fun days at home in Phuket was following my brother-in-law and admiring his Thai herb garden. We harvested some herbs for my sister Rudee and some for me. The Thai herb garden, with its scents of fresh citrus, wild lemongrass leaves, pungent cumin leaves, and the so-sweet anise aroma of Thai basil, is close to heaven. It has a timeless quality like that of a dream of a childhood day of wonder.
I took many pictures of the herbs from his garden; please check them out. The herbs that we cut with a knife are cumin leaves (Bai Yeerah – Tree Basil plants – Ocimum gratissimum), Thai Basil (Bai Horapa – Ocimum basilicum) and holy basil (Bai Kraprow – Ocimum tenuiflorum).
The Thai herbs that we dug up for the rhizomes were galangal (also known as Thai ginger), lesser ginger and white turmeric.
The lemongrass stalks can be easily removed at ground level, just above the root, with a sharp knife, but my brother-in-law removed the whole cluster and gave me all the trimmed lemongrass stalks.
As I headed back to my apartment kitchen in Phuket, accompanied by the scent of lemongrass from 30 lemongrass stalks, I knew what would I do with them: make Lemongrass Tea – Nam Takrai – ชาตะไคร้
You can use any part of the lemongrass plant to make lemongrass tea, from roots to leaves. I often save the leftovers pieces of lemongrass trimmed from my cooking and freeze them until I have a enough to make a tea. In Thailand lemongrass is inexpensive and freshly available everyday. Use the cleanest and freshest lemongrass you can get.
Yield 12 cups
Whenever I give students a demonstration on how to prepare lemongrass for Thai cooking, I always recommend that they save the trimmings and freeze them for making fresh lemongrass tea or a lemongrass simple syrup. Today, my lemongrass tea recipe is made in a large quantity, but you can scale it down to make smaller amount or to adjust the concentration to your desired taste.
12 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and smashed
1/2 cup sugar, optional
Wash and prepare lemongrass stalk as shown on Pranee’s video
Bring 13 cups of water to a boil in a large pot on high heat. Add lemongrass and let boil for 10 minutes. Strain. If sugar is to be added, bring the tea back to a boil and stir in the sugar until it is dissolved.
Serve hot as a tea, or chill in the fridge and serve as cold drink.
Posted in Pranee's Travel Thailand & Beyond, Recipes, Thai Dessert Recipe, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Recipe for Kid, Thai Sauce & Condiment Recipe, Thai Vegetarian Recipe, tagged fruit spread, Jam, passion fruit pineapple spread, passion fruit recipe on December 8, 2015| 2 Comments »
Every year I visit home I enjoy my leisurely walk in the early morning at Kamala Beach. This year I also found an excuse to embrace the beauty of sunset while walking in the evening and went off to do an errand when the sun was near setting and the humidity and heat were less intense.
I was working on a breakfast menu for my guests who were arriving that week. On the menu was an egg dish, bread with pineapple jam, juice, yogurt, tropical fruit, coffee and tea. I love having a basket of tropical fruits ready to peel and eat at anytime, so on this walk my destination was a fruit stand to stock up on tropical fruits like Phuket pineapple, pomelo, banana, mango and papaya. At the stand, I was delighted to see passion fruit. It is a common fruit in Thailand, but one that has rarely had a chance to be on the shelf at the food stand. This is because it has not been so poplar until just the last few years as we have become more aware of the health benefits of our own tropical fruits. Let’s embrace this opportunity.
When I reached the fruit stand on the main road before the last intersection and the steep road to Patong, I filled my basket with Thai fruits and the owner gave me a bag full of 20 overripe passion fruits for 50 Baht (about $1.50). The good looking ones were 15 Baht (50 cents) each, which may help explain some of my excitement and appreciation for the passion fruit. Plus the best time to enjoy Thai passion fruit is when the skin is wrinkly and the juice is at its sweetest. I walked home with excitement—it was time to play with passion fruit again. (Please read my first post on passion fruit – เสาวรส – Saowarod.)
When I am on vacation I enjoy cooking in any small kitchen with just a few ingredients. The pineapple jam I had on hand prompted me to create a passion fruit-pineapple spread to serve on toast or plain yogurt. My tropical-inspired spread was complete. With its tangy, sour taste, the aroma of passion fruit, and the soft, sweet texture from pineapple jam, I had indeed created a wow moment. After tasting the spread, my sister, niece and guests managed to appreciate every drop on yogurt and on toast. This recipe captures the moment. So passionately.
I already had some pineapple jam, and when I extracted the passion fruit juice, this versatile recipe easily came to mind. The bright tartness of passion fruit juice combined with thick and sweet pineapple jam to soften the jam’s thick texture and give the perfect balance of sweet and sour with a lingering fruity aroma. We enjoyed them both on toasts and plain yogurt.
Yield: 1 cup
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
1 cup passion fruit juice, freshly-made or ready-made
2/3 cup pineapple jam
Place passion fruit juice in a medium size pot over medium heat; when it come to a boil, stir in pineapple jam and whisk over medium-low heat until well combined, about 5 minutes. Let it cook on low heat for 20 minutes to thicken. Place in a clean mason jar and use as a spread or as a fruit sauce on yogurt or cake. It keeps well in the fridge for 2 weeks, or 6 months in the freezer.
© 2015 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen
I Love Thai cooking
Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area.
Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com
Lets connect on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest
For more in-depth in Thai ingredients and Hand-on Cooking Class please check out Pranee’s One day Asian Market Tour & Cooking Class at Pranee’s Thai Kitchen
Related Links
Sand Whiting: praneesthaiktchen.com
Passion Fruit: praneesthaikitchen.com
What is the Difference Between Jam, Jelly, Conserves and Marmalade : TheKitchn.com
Posted in Recipes, tagged Food Blogger Conference, IFBC, Seattle, Seattle Food and Friends on November 16, 2015| 2 Comments »
Most food lovers dream about food and share their ideas and creations enthusiastically with friends. For many, however, the passion drives us to go even further and become food professionals. This past September, many food lovers attended the International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) held in Seattle. The conference was a place for all to explore their dreams and potential, not only for sharing food with friends and family, but in the blogging world. This year’s conference was my first, and I am glad I finally attended. I met many interesting bloggers and speakers from across the country, including many from Seattle. I loved all the workshops and presenters at the conference, including local Seattle writers and speakers Jess Thomson, Dr. Jean Layton and Kathleen Flint.
After the conference, a Seattle area group was formed to share food, friendship and support. With Raquel DeHoyos, Sonya Law and Miriam Gabriel-Pollock to name a few, we held our first get together on October 11, 2015. We were nine like-minded people, passionate about food, gathered around a painted table at a potluck, sharing food and friendship. All things related to food and blogging were the center of our attention, and this led to many conversations and much laughter.
To welcome my new friends, I prepared Teavana Spiced Apple Cider Rooibos tea. Teavana tea comes from a company founded in the United States in 1997 to engage and educate new tea enthusiasts and tea connoisseurs alike about the ritual and enjoyment of tea. I have attended many tea workshops in Singapore and America, and was fortunate to be able to learn first hand about preparing Teavana teas from the founder and tea expert. I also shared Thai Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage, a simple dish that with a little hot sauce, is even more delightful as a comfort food.
At the potluck we planted the seeds of the love of food and friends, and our group now has a name: Seattle Food and Friends. Thank you to Raquel DeHoyos for sharing her talent and time to create and administer the Seattle Food & Friends Facebook page. And thank you to the core nine members for sharing your passion and drive to launch our first meeting, and for your continued support.
I am looking forward to the International Food Blogger Conference 2016 for continue opportunities to learn and be inspired, and to continuing to share inspiration and support with our Seattle Food and Friends group.
Related Links:
What to Do After You Hit Publish: http://www.slideshare.net/mobile/sheriwetherell/ifbc-2015-what-do-you-do-after-you-hit-publish
Posted in Pranee's Thai Cooking Videos, Recipes, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Main Dish Recipe, Thai Recipe for Kid, Thai Stir-fry Recipe, tagged ข้าวผัดกุนเชียง, Chinese Saucesage, Thai Fried Rice on October 9, 2015| 8 Comments »
About 26 years ago, my sister, Rudee and I dreamed that one day we would own a restaurant together. As the many different pursuits in our lives evolved, it turned out that my sister pursued the dream on her own, but our passions are still related to Thai food and cooking. She opened a restaurant in front of her house the same year that I founded I Love Thai Cooking in Seattle. My sister has specialized in Aharn Jaan Deow – อาหารจานเดียว – a one dish meal also known as Aharn Tam Sung – อาหารตามสั่ง– made to order. Like a small restaurant on a tiny lot or street corner, my sister shops early in the morning then preps in time for the lunch crowd. In the afternoon she does some more prepping for either sit down or take home dinners. The menu is posted on the restaurant wall. It has about 20 dishes for you to choose from, from Phad Kraprow Gai (stir-fried chicken with holy basil) to Tom Yum Goong (sweet and sour soup with prawns).
Today I am sharing with you a recipe from my sister’s restaurant: Thai Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage – Kao Phad Kunchiang – – ข้าวผัดกุนเชียง. I want to express my gratitude to my sister for her hard work running her small businesses while caring for her family and our mom. For this recipe, she was kind enough to duplicate it one more time during the restaurant’s non-busy hours so I could make the video and take the photos which I am sharing with you today. Please make an effort to watch them. Prep the ingredients below, then watch the video to boost your confidence by learning tips, techniques and timing for preparing the dish. You can learn more about my sister’s cooking by watching videos on my I Love Thai Cooking YouTube channel.
As I look at this picture, I feel as I did when I was young and walking behind my mom on a market trip. I would tug on her shirt to let her know that I would like her to buy some of the Kunchiang – dry Chinese sausage – for dinner. As young kids growing up, my sister and I loved Kunchiang. My sister’s Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage Recipe is very much like my mom’s version. In Seattle I purchase my Chinese sausage and keep them in the fridge where they can be kept for a long time, and I can cook this dish anytime I have leftover rice.
Kun Chiang – กุนเชียง aka Lap cheong in Southern China, is made in Thailand by Thais of Chinese descent. It is simply dry sausage with salt and sugar added that has been smoked and dried. Its flavor is unique, however, and it is hard for me to recommend a substitution. It is made in China and California and available in Asian markets here in Seattle. My favorite sausage is from California. It is lower in fat and has a perfect smoky note, not too intense. Common ingredients in the sausage are pork butt, fat, sugar, salt, corn starch, five spice powder and Chinese white rice wine. My favorite way to prepare these Chinese sausages is in fried rice. I hope you have a chance to try this easy recipe from my sister.
Even just a few ingredients can produce a delightful taste. I love these brilliant combinations. If you want to add one or two more kinds of vegetables, try Chinese kale and young corn.
A pungent bite of fresh green onion in the middle of the savory Kao Phad Kunchiang can be rewarding to the taste buds. The pungent taste will add a dimension and highlight the taste in every ingredient in the fried rice.
Step-By-Step Pranee’s Thai Cooking Video
Serves 1
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 link Chinese sausage, sliced
1 egg
1/4 cup sliced onion
1 medium tomato, diced
1 cup steamed jasmine rice, room temperature
2 – 3 teaspoons Roza tomato ketchup or tomato paste
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 green onion, sliced
1 cilantro, to garnish
3 slices cucumber, to garnish
1 whole green onion, to garnish
Heat the wok on low heat and add cooking oil and sliced Chinese sausage. Stir back and forth to fry the sausage and also to render the fat at the same time. Cook the sausage until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add one egg, stir once and spread the egg out on the surface of the wok.
Adjust the burner to high heat. Add onion and tomato and stir back and forth, then add in the jasmine rice, tomato ketchup and soy sauce. Keep stirring until the rice has softened, about 1 minute. Stir in green onion until well combined. Garnish with cilantro on top, and cucumber slices and one whole green onion on the side.
Posted in Pranee's Tips & Techniques, Recipes, Thai Cooking School: How to series, Thai Dessert Recipe, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Recipe for Kid, Thai Side Dish Recipe, Thai Vegetarian Recipe, tagged หน้ามะพร้าว, ไส้มะพร้าว, sweet coconut dessert filling and topping, sweet grated coconut on August 24, 2015| 2 Comments »
Like custard, caramel grated coconut has a goodness that has many uses and places in dessert creations. I have a place in my heart for this sweet coconut delight. I chose an English name for this coconut dessert topping and filling – Caramel Grated Coconut – Sai Maprow -ไส้มะพร้าว – Nah Maprow – หน้ามะพร้าว. Its caramel taste, either as a topping or as a filling, heightens other desserts. I hope you enjoy reading on to discover the uses of this delightful sweet caramel grated coconut in many Thai and Southeast Asian desserts. The recipe follows. It has carefree steps and just two ingredients: grated coconut and sugar (plus a little salt).
Last week I set aside a day to create just one dessert dish – Khanom Sod Sai – ขนมสอดไส้ – Steamed Coconut Cream Pudding with Caramel Grated Coconut Filling. This dessert involved many steps. The preparation, note taking, photographing, and final cleaning took over 6 hours. I love special days like this when recreating a dish reconnects me with my early learning experiences in my family’s kitchen.
However, today I will share with you just one part of the recipe for Khanom Sod Sai, that is the Thai caramel grated coconut. It is a quintessential part of Thai desserts and for other Southeast Asian cuisines as well. There are many intriguing steps, but demystifying them will help you find ways to incorporate this treat in your cooking. Please share your experiences in the comment box below.
The above picture is of Khanom Sod Sai. The caramel coconut ball is placed in the middle of a sticky rice dough, which is then wrapped around it before being steamed with coconut cream pudding in a banana leaf. This is similar to Khanom Tom Khao, where the caramel coconut ball is placed in the middle of the dough, which is then boiled and rolled in coconut flakes.
In Nah Maprow, the caramel coconut is placed on top of a small piece of banana leaf, which is then lifted up and used to spread the caramel coconut on top of sticky rice before savoring the combination. In Phuket, this dessert is called Khao Neow Nah Cheek – ข้าวเหนียวหน้าฉีก. I typically enjoy this for breakfast when visiting home.
In 2014, I visited the cities of Colombo and Galle in Sri Lanka and traveled to many beautiful places with a friend. Near Ratnapura we learned about Sri Lanka cuisine from Stella, our personal tour guide’s sister. We spent a half day with her family in their kitchen. For dessert, Stella showed us how to make caramel coconut to use as a filling for Sri Lanka crepe. I would like to express my gratitude to Stella for teaching and inspiring me and for sharing her techniques for creating this recipe again with ease.
There are two ways to make caramel grated coconut for Thai desserts. The first way is to mix—either by hand or with a utensil—brown sugar, fresh grated coconut and a touch of salt until they are well incorporated, then pan fry them until the sugar is caramelized and absorbed into the coconut. A second method is to add a little water to the sugar and heat it until it melts. Continue cooking until the sugar burns slightly and has a hint of caramel color, then add fresh or frozen grated coconut. Stir well until the sugar and coconut are well combined and the coconut is coated with the brown caramelized sugar.
My family and most home cooks in Thailand use the first method, whereas culinary professionals and merchant use the second one. The latter has a more intense caramel flavor, depending on how much you let the sugar burn, and it also has more affect on the color of the coconut. Personally I love the second version, show below, which is also the fastest and easiest.
What kind of sugar should you use? Both recipes work with all sugars. In many countries, cooks use white or brown jaggery, which is a more complex type of sugar. In Thailand, some prefer palm sugar, however, in Southern Thailand we are more flexible. My family uses brown sugar, whereas the rest of the Thai community uses palm sugar. Stella preferred white sugar. Combining two kinds of sugar should work as well.
Stir brown sugar, water and salt together in a large pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat. Allow mixture to cook without stirring until it is foamy, thick, and almost burnt, about 5 minutes.
The sugar should take on a thin caramel-like texture like the picture above, with a hint of caramel taste or more if desired, before stirring in the grated coconut.
Young coconut – Marrow Num – มะพร้าวหนุ่ม (coconuts that are six to nine months old and lack the husk of the more well-known mature coconut) is preferred in Thailand, but in America my first choice would be frozen grated coconut, followed by shredded coconut from the bakery section.
Caramel Grated Coconut – Sai Maprow -ไส้มะพร้าว – Nah Maprow – หน้ามะพร้าว
Let it cook on medium-high heat, stirring often until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 4 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low.
Continue cooking until you can pull the caramel coconut to the side of the pan and no liquid remains, about 3 minutes.
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 50 fillings or topping balls
3 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups frozen grated coconut, thawed (see note below)
Stir brown sugar, water and salt together in a large pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Allow sugar mixture to cook without stirring until it is foamy, thick, and almost burnt, about 5 minutes. The sugar should turn into a thin caramel like the picture above with a hint of caramel taste. Now stir in grated fresh or frozen (thawed) coconut.
Let the coconut mixture cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 4 minutes. Adjust the heat to low and continue cooking until you can pull the caramel coconut to the side of the pan and there is no liquid left, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and let the mixture set until it is cool enough to handle. With cold water by your side, moisten both of your hands. Drop one tablespoon of the caramel coconut into one hand, press it into a dense ball with your other hand, then place it on a plate. If the mixture is too hot, moisten your hands again with cold water to prevent burning. Repeat the process until all of the coconut has been rolled into balls. Makes 50 balls.
Cook’s Note: Fresh, frozen, or dried grated coconut can be used in this recipe but the cooking time may vary depending on the moisture in the coconut. Pay attention to following the steps after adding the grated coconut.
© 2015 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen
I Love Thai cooking Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area. Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.comRelated Link: Cooking with Grated Coconut Recipes
~ Stir-fried Grated Coconut with Phuket Red Curry Paste (praneesthaikitchen.com)
~ Spicy Thai Coconut Chip (praneesthaikitchen.com)
~ Pinterest: Pranee’s Coconut Love Pin (Lovethaicooking)
~ Khanom Tom Khao (http://tankitchen-dessert.blogspot.com/)
Talking of coconut, Thai love all forms, all types. I put all my favorite links on my LoveThaiCooking Pinterest under Coconut Love.
Posted in Recipes, Thai Cooking School: How to series, Thai Dessert Recipe, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Recipe for Kid, Thai Snack & Street Food Recipe, tagged ขนมหม้อแกงถั่ว, Thai Cuisine, Thai Custard, Thai Dessert Recipe, Thai Recipes on July 7, 2015| 3 Comments »
When I was young I could not resist eating Khanom Mo Gang – ขนมหม้อแกงถั่ว – Thai Coconut Custard with Mung Beans. One small parcel in a banana leaf was not enough for my hungry soul.
In Thai cuisine there are many kinds of Mo Gang Thai custard but two types dominate: one with egg, palm sugar and coconut milk, and another that includes cooked split mung beans or cooked taro. What makes this Thai custard so special is the coconut milk and fried shallot oil. These two ingredients set Thai Mo Gang apart from other custards.
One event that I have never forgotten was when my aunt purchased a little parcel of Mo Gaeng for everyone for breakfast and my brothers and sister woke to discover that their shares were gone. They have long ago forgiven me and forgotten this, but I still have lingering memories of the taste and my mischief.
In Thailand an individual serving of this Thai dessert is wrapped in a banana leaf and secured with a little wood stick like a toothpick.
Thais commonly open up the little parcel and use a small spoon to leisurely take one small bite at a time. The banana leaf is not only used as a wrapper, but as a disposable plate as well.
The first step is to steam split mung beans ahead of time using Pranee’s Step-by Step instructions from an earlier post for preparing Steamed Peeled Split Mung Beans. The second step is to make fried shallots and shallot oil following the recipe on this youTube video: https://youtu.be/5LTCo3SRWLk. Then the rest of the preparation is very simple.
Prepare the steamed split mung beans and fried shallot ahead of time and the rest is simple.
Place sugar, eggs, salt and Pandan leaf in a medium size bowl. Using a whisk or an egg beater, whip until foamy and the sugar and salt are dissolved, about 1 minute. Stir in coconut cream and repeat the mixing process until well blended, about 30 seconds. Run the egg and sugar mixture through a sieve into food processor, removing the Pandan leaf. Add steamed mung beans to the food processor or blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
Heat the mixture in a deep pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 portion of fried shallots and all of the shallot oil and stir constantly until the texture changes to a thick soup, about 5 minutes.
Pour the thick batter into a greased 8″ by 8″ baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining half of the fried shallots on the top (see picture below) before baking.
Bake at 375°F in a preheated oven until the top is golden and the edge of the custard pulls away from the edge a little, about 45 minutes.
Serves 8 to 16
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 45 minutes
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 shallots, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups evaporated cane sugar
6 eggs, duck eggs preferred
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Pandan leaf
1 1/2 cups coconut cream
2 cups steamed mung beans
Heat a small skillet over medium heat and stir in canola oil and shallots. Stir back and forth until the shallots are golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove fried shallots and divided into two portion, and let them cool. Save the oil for later.
Place sugar, eggs, salt and Pandan leaf in a medium-size bowl, and using a hand whisk or egg beater, beat until foamy and sugar and salt are dissolved, about 1 minute. Then stir in coconut cream, and repeat the mixing process until well blended, about 30 seconds. Strain into food processor to remove Pandan leaf. Add steamed mung beans to the food processor or blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
Heat the mixture in a deep pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 portion of fried shallots and all of the shallot oil into the pan. Stir constantly until the texture changes to a thick soup, about 5 minutes.
Pour the thick batter into a greased 8″ by 8″ baking pan. Sprinkle 1/2 portion of fried shallots on surface (see picture above) before baking. Bake at 375°F in a preheated oven until the top is golden and the edge of the custard begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes.
© 2015 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen
I Love Thai cooking Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area. Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com Related Links: How to Cook Peeled Split Mung Bean (praneesthaikitchen.com) Mung Bean (wikipedia) Fried Shallots (https://youtu.be/5LTCo3SRWLk)Posted in Pranee's Tips & Techniques, Recipes, Thai Curry Paste, Thai Curry Recipe, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Main Dish Recipe, tagged Red Curry with Pineapple and Shrimp, Thai Cuisine, Thai Curry, Thai RecipeBlog on June 15, 2015| 3 Comments »
For Thai curry lovers like myself, I cannot think of any Thai curry better on a hot summer day than Phuket Red Curry Shrimp with Pineapple – Gang Kue Sapparod – แกงคั่วสับปะรด. Your Seattle summer will become a tropical paradise escape when you savor this summery curry.
Pineapple has a nickname: “A Thousand Eyes Fruit”
Pineapple is native to South America, but it finds itself at home throughout tropical climates such as Hawaii and the countries of Southeast Asia. Growing up in a village in Phuket, Thailand, I believed that it was native to Phuket because I saw it everyday on the plantation, on the mountain side, at the roadside stand, and at the market. My family served a few kinds of pineapple dishes every week. In a later post I will share with you more stories and pictures of Phuket pineapple.
A juicy fresh pineapple is ideal, but when fresh ones cannot be found, canned pineapple is a good substitute. If you use fresh pineapple and want to learn how to peel it, here are a few pictures from my past travels. Please give it a try. Many countries in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, practice this same preparation technique. We leave the stem to hold onto, remove the peel and the eyes, then remove the stems. The photo below is from my trip to Vietnam.
After peeling, remove the eyes using diagonal cuts, and then cut off the stem. Next cut the fruit into wedges, removing the core, and cut them into chunks the preferred size. The photo below was taken in my village during the preparations for my uncle’s birthday party.
I recommend you visit Simply Recipes for more pictures of the cutting technique
What makes this curry summery is the addition of the pineapple. It adds a fruity flavor that is both sweet and sour, which cools down the spiciness without cutting out the delicious spices and herbs. This recipe is for my childhood dish—my hometown Phuket Shrimp Curry with Pineapple.
Pineapple—fresh or canned—adds a delicious fruity sweet and sour balance to this dish. The marriage of the fresh Kaffir lime and cilantro leaves make the dish so perfect on its own. Coconut milk is there to add flavor and balance and a hint of spice. If you have time, I recommend you use my aunt’s Phuket Red Curry Paste Recipe for the best results. For a local or seasonal touch, local mussels would do really well instead of shrimp. And if you want to give it a try, a firm ripe peach at the end of the season creates a nice farewell to the summer as well.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk, divided
½ cup water
½ cup fresh or canned crushed pineapple with juice
1/3 cup fresh or canned pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon sugar
3 Kaffir lime leaves
16 shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup cilantro leaves, for garnish
In a medium size pot, on medium-high heat, stir canola oil and red curry paste together until fragrant. Stir in ½ cup coconut milk and cook until oil separates from the curry paste. The color of the oil should be red. Stir in the remaining ½ cup coconut milk and the water and bring to a boil. Add crushed pineapple with juice, pineapple chunks, sugar and Kaffir lime leaves and let cook for 2 minutes on high heat. Then stir in shrimp and let cook until the shrimp are pink, curled, and opaque in color. Garnish with cilantro. Serve right away with steamed jasmine rice.
~ Phuket Red Curry Paste, My Aunt’s Recipe (Pranee’s Thai Kitchen)
Social History of the Pineapple: (http://levins.com/pineapple.html) Super food: (http://greatist.com/health/superfood-pineapple) How to Cut a Pineapple (http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cut_a_pineapple/) Pineapple: (http://www.food.com/library/pineapple-278)
Posted in Recipes, Thai Cooking School: How to series, Thai Ingredient 101, Thai Vegetarian Recipe on March 11, 2015| 5 Comments »
ขอพริกป่นคั่วหน่อยค่ะ – Kho Prik Phon Krua Noi Kha, “May I have a little bit of chili powder?” This is a typical question to ask at a food stall if you wish to kick up the heat a notch or two on the food you were served. This is not considered an offense at all to Thai cooks. In general most Thais like it hot, but some like it hotter. Chili powder personalizes the spiciness to suit one’s mood.
In my Thai village, or any part of Thailand, roasted Thai chili powder – พริกป่นคั่ว- Prik Phon Krua – is a basic ingredient that is always within reach to spice up food. Having a little fish sauce and chili powder at hand is as common to Thai culture as salt and pepper are to Western culture. The most important thing for a cook new to Thai cuisine to understand is that chili pepper, which has a spicy taste, is used to balance and improve the harmony of flavor with sour, salty and sweet. It is not to make foods spicy hot, but rather to enhance their flavor or to create a harmony of flavor with sweet, sour and salty. This is what makes eating Thai food a memorable experience. If you are not a big fan of hot food, just try a little bit each time. A little chili powder goes a long way, and you will learn how the lively spicy taste can bring out the potential of other flavors to make the food taste great at the next level.
In my Thai kitchen, I use Thai chili powder two ways. One is as an ingredient in Thai salads, soups, dipping sauce, etc. The other is as a condiment available on the dining table.
Chili powder is one of the ingredients used everyday in Thai kitchens. I want to take this opportunity to demystify it. Chili powder is usually made from small dried Thai chilis, simply ground into a chili powder we call – พริกป่น – Prik Phon. But there are other chili powders as well and how the chilis are prepared before grinding—such as roasted in the oven or fried—determines whether it has the fresh flavor of heat or an intensely delicate flavor. A delightful roasted chili powder – พริกป่นคั่ว – is called Prik Phon Krua. It is made from chilis roasted without any oil in a wok or in an oven. Thais often serve fried whole chilis – Prik Tod -พริกทอด- as a condiment or garnish. Or fried chilis can be ground or crushed into a powder called Prik Pon Tod – พริกป่นทอด.
My secret chili powder blend above is a mix of my three favorite chilis for use in Thai cooking
Top left is the Chile de Arbol, also known as bird’s beak chili, which has a heat index between 15,000 and 30,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), a measurement of the spicy heat of chili peppers and other spicy foods. Top right is dried Japones Chili pepper, also known as Japanese Chili, with a heat index between 15,000 and 30,000 SHU, or, according to some sources, 30,000 to 50,000 SHU. On the bottom right are Thai Kitchen Thai Bird’s Eye Chilis. They are hot and intense, and a little shorter than the more common Thai Bird’s Eye Chilis which have 50,000 to 100,000 SHUs. Some bird’s eye chilis can be as hot as 100,000–225,000 SHU. Try using one type of chili at a time to get to know each one’s level of taste and aroma and the intensity of the heat it produces.
You may choose one or more type of chilis to make chili powder. The recipe below is one I often prepare for my class. It uses chile de arbol, which has fewer SHU and a beautiful and interesting flavor. One cup of dry Thai chilis is anywhere from 80 to 90 chilis. After roasting and grinding they will yield about 7 tablespoons of dried chili powder. Typically, a teaspoon of chili powder is made from about 4 chilis. Keep the powder in an airtight jar.
Ingredients
1.4 ounces dry Thai, de arbol, or japones chilisPre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Place one layer of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spread the chilis out evenly on the paper, and place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven. Turn the range hood fan on high. After 3 minutes, begin opening the oven door every 30 seconds—less often at the end—to prevent the chilis from burning. The color will get deeper red, red-brown, or maroon-red depending on the type of the chili. Remove the chilis from the oven when they change to the deeper colors. When cooled, ground the peppers down to the desired texture: coarse, medium, or powdery. Place in a jar with an airtight lid. It will stay fresh for about 3 months, or you can store the ground powder in the freezer.
Related links Pepper and Your Health (webmd.com) Endophine 101 (ivillage.com) Tom Yum Mama Noodle Soup (praneesthaikitchen.com)
Posted in Pranee's Travel Thailand & Beyond, Recipes, Thai Cooking School: How to series, Thai Ingredient 101, tagged ข่าอ่อนหน่อข่าอ่อน, galangal, galangal stem, young galangal on February 17, 2015| 2 Comments »
I have many fond memories of my apprenticeship at a young age to my grandmother in her kitchen. One of the tasks I performed was harvesting the tender stems and rhizomes—the horizontal, underground stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes—of the galangal plant.
In the old days, we had a few galangal bushes in our garden and when grandma wanted to make her soup – Tom Som Kha Oon (ต้มส้มข่าอ่อน) – from young galangal stems she would ask me to go search for the youngest shoots and stems. Over time, I learned the wrong and right ways to harvest them, and I have some tips to help you with your harvest. As you read my story through to the end you will learn more about how to prepare and cook the young galangal stems as well.
First choose a young plant. It should be about one to three feet tall above the ground. (Older plants are about five feet tall.) A young plant should have no more than three green leaves. Harvesting the shoots is similar to harvesting bamboo shoots. Holding the leaves, I use strong force to snap and pull the stem away from the bush at a 45-degree angle. This should give me the whole stem and, with some luck, part of the young plant with the rhizomes attached as in the photo below. If grandma needed some older rhizomes, I would use a small shovel to remove the soil around the plant and a knife to cut out the clump of rhizomes around the new stems.
Galangal typically takes about four months to reach this size and become ready to harvest. Its smell is softer and gentler than the strong pungent smell of older galangal that has stayed in the ground for almost a year. In Thailand, you will typically find young galangal in the market and in the kitchen.
Lemongrass and kaffir lime fruit and leaves are common fresh Thai herbs, but galangal is just as significant—if not more so—to Thai cuisine. We use galangal widely. It is in almost every dish possible except for in the rustic vegetable soup known as yellow sour, or sour curry in Southern Thailand (Gaeng Luang or Gaeng Som – แกงเหลืองหรือแกงส้ม and Gaeng Leang – แกงเลียง. The most well-known dishes that use galangal are Tom Kha, Tom Yum, and Thai curry paste.
A few years back I visited a lemongrass and galangal plantation. I am happy to share with you the photos I took there. This picture was taken during the dry season. This plant is not as busy as my grandma’s, which were planted closer to the water and given mulch. Galangal plants typically reach four to eight feet in height. When young plants reach about one to three feet tall, their young shoots and rhizomes – Kha Oon – ข่าอ่อน – can be harvested. The older and more pungent rhizome, called Kha Gae – ข่าแก่ – is most like the galangal that you find in the U.S.
This beautiful bouquet of young galangal and shoots is fresh from the farmer’s market in my Thai village. I am glad that the farmers have them available every day. I purchased a few for my mom to make her favorite soup – Tom Som Kha Oon (ต้มส้มข่าอ่อน). It is a sour soup of young galangal stems and banana stems that is common in Phuket cuisine.
I hope you enjoy my mom’s tips and step-by-step techniques for preparing galangal stems. It may be difficult for some of you to find young galangal stems, so I hope that this post will at least increase your knowledge of Thai cuisine in a Thai village.
The general rule is to remove the hard, fibrous leaves of the galangal plant and to use all of the parts that are tender and can be cooked in 15 minutes. All parts that are tender are edible like just vegetables. Their texture is similar to asparagus, and they have a gentle fragrance that is sweet with a mild pungency that is not as noticeable after cooking in a sweet and sour soup.
Place tender stems on a cutting board and smash with a cleaver or pestle to soften, then cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch lengths.
Cook until tender in liquid such as soup or curry, about 15 minutes.
https://praneesthaikitchen.com/tag/how-to-prepare-banana-stem-for-cooking/
http://www.thekitchn.com/ingredient-spotlight-what-is-g-43841
Cooking Tender Galangal Stems in Green Curry http://pantip.com/topic/30708280
Galangal VS Ginger http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/921739
How to Farm Young Galangal – Kha Oon
Posted in Recipes, Thai Recipe for Kid, Thai Snack & Street Food Recipe, Thai Vegetarian Recipe, tagged goden cup, Krathong Tong, Thai appetizer on January 15, 2015| 1 Comment »
Golden cup – Krathong Tong – is a classic Thai dish served as an appetizer or snack. I learned how to make golden cups when I had my first kitchen and was taking professional culinary classes. Making the filling is quite easy. The hard part is making the golden cup. It requires a perfect dough recipe, a flower mold and deep-frying. When I saw a few ready-made pastry cups, I decided to use them to make a quick and easy appetizer for a new year’s party. After all I was looking for some auspicious dishes to share with my Thai friends at our new year’s day gathering to wish for a prosperous and healthy year – Sawasdee Pee mai – สวัสดีปีใหม่.
Before you start to prepare this appetizer, you will have to decide what to use for the golden cup. The traditional Thai method would be to prepare the cup from scratch by deep-frying the dough, but today there are many options that can be easier and healthier as well. I happened to find these golden pastry cups at Pasta & Co. during the pre-holiday season.
If these pastry cups are not available, I typically use a wonton sheet, brushing it well with cooking oil and then placing it in a small muffin pan, arranging the sheets to fit in the pan in cup-like shape. Then I bake it until it becomes golden and crispy. If you wish to make a traditional golden cup, give this video a try.
Starting at 6 o’clock and moving clockwise, add ground turkey, diced sweet petite pepper, diced celery, diced apple, black pepper and garlic, and cilantro. Place soy sauce in the center.
Heat a wok on a high heat and pour in a high-heat cooking oil such as peanut oil or canola oil. Stir-fry ground meat with Thai basic seasoning paste – Kratiem Prik Thai – until it is fragrant almost cooked through, about one minute.
Stir in diced celery, sweet pepper and apple, and cook until the pork is no longer pink, about three minutes. After this is done, set it aside.
While waiting for the filling to cool down, prepare the garnish. To prepare the garnish we will use 24 mini bell pepper rings and 24 cilantro leaves with about an inch and a half of the stem attached.
Before serving, spoon the filling into the cups.
There are many options for the types of vegetables to cook in the filling; peas and corn kernels is one combination. For the meat, you can use pork and prawns or any minced meat combined with minced prawns. The most important part of this recipe is the Thai basic seasoning paste which is fundamental to all Thai appetizers and an authentic flavor profile.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
24 golden cups
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 cilantro root or 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro stems
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup ground turkey, chicken or pork
1/4 cup diced sweet pepper
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced apple
Optional: 24 mini bell pepper ring and 24 cilantro leaves for garnish
To make basic Thai basic seasoning paste – Kratiem Prik Thai, place garlic, black pepper and cilantro root or stem in a mortar with pestle and pound until it becomes a fine paste. Gently stir in soy sauce and salt.
Heat a wok on a high heat and pour in a high-heat cooking oil such as peanut oil or canola oil. Stir-fry ground meat with Thai basic seasoning paste until it is fragrant and almost cooked through—about one minute.
Stir in diced celery, sweet pepper and apple and continue until the pork is cooked—about three minutes. Set aside.
While waiting for the filling to cool down, prepare garnish with 24 mini bell pepper rings and 24 cilantro leaves with some stem attached.
Before serving, spoon the filling into the cups and garnish with cilantro and sweet pepper.
Vegetarian Variation:
Substitute 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms for 1 cup ground turkey.