Thai Prawn And Pineapple Curry, "Kaeng Khua Saparot"

1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 tablespoons of chopped tomato
2 cups of coconut milk
1 cup pineapple (cubed or pulped)
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons palm sugar
1 teaspoon lime juice
16 prawns about 3" long
2-3 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
1 tablespoon Thai chile peppers, slivered
15 fresh basil leaves

Method

Peel, devein, and behead the shrimp, leaving only the small tail shells on. Drop two tomatoes into boiling water for about a minute, then remove to cold water, peel, quarter, discard the seed pulp, and chop the flesh. You want 2 tablespoons of chopped tomatoes.

In a little oil in a medium hot wok briefly saute the garlic and basil, removing it and reserving it when the aroma is fully developed. Cook the curry paste briefly to develop the aroma, then add half the coconut milk, the fish sauce, tomatoes, pineapple, lime juice and sugar. Stir to combine fully. Add the prawns and cook until they turn slightly pink and opaque. Add the remainder of the coconut milk, the lime leaves and slivered chili, at the same time returning the sauted garlic and basil to the pan.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed Thai jasmine rice.

Chicken Satay, "Satay Gai"

1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 pound chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut into bite sized pieces.
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon curry powder
pinch turmeric powder (as only a colorant, so very little!)
8 tablespoons coconut milk
3 tablespoons palm sugar

Method

The chicken is beaten flat, using the flat of the blade of a heavy cleaver or using a meat tenderizing
mallet. You can also use a rolling pin.

The coriander and cumin are toasted and then crushed in a mortar and pestle. The ingredients are then
combined to form a marinade, and the chicken is marinated overnight. The pieces of chicken are then
threaded on the 12" satay sticks, loosely folding them in half and piercing through the folded meat to form
a loose gather.

The completed sticks are then grilled, broiled or barbequed on fairly high heat (they taste best done over
charcoal, as they absorb the smoke). Turn them regularly and brush them liberally with the remaining marinade.
Cooking should take between 5 and 10 minutes depending on the heat of your cooker.

Nam jim satay (Peanut Sauce). A peanut dressing accompanies these snacks. A quick and delicious substitute
to the recipe below is our Satay Seasoning Mix (Peanut Sauce Mix). Imported from Thailand and made of the
finest quality ingredients.

Ingredients

4 ounces of roasted (unsalted) peanuts
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ounce chopped onion
1-2 tablespoon red or massaman curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
8 tablespoons coconut milk
4-6 teaspoons lime juice (to taste).
2-3 teaspoons palm sugar.

First grind or crush the peanuts to a fairly fine powder. Then combine them with the remaining ingredients
(except the lime juice), to form a smooth sauce. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with a little
chicken stock. Now add the lime juice, tasting as you progress to check the balance of flavors is correct.

Note use red curry paste with beef or pork satay, massaman (as above) with chicken. If you are doing shrimp
satay then use half the quantity of massaman paste.

A jad (cucumber sauce)

4 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons cucumber, very coarsely chopped or sliced
2 shallots (or any variety of purple onion) chopped
3-4 Thai chile peppers, thinly sliced.

Combine the ingredients, and leave to stand overnight.

Each diner should have a small bowl of nam jim and a small bowl of a jad. However the satay themselves
are normally served "communally". We like to eat steamed jasmine rice that has a few spoonfulls of the
Peanut Sauce on top.

Penang Chicken Curry, "Penang Gai"

1 cup chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons Penang curry paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
sugar to taste
3 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
10-15 Thai basil leaves, finely shredded

Method

Place a wok over medium high heat, and warm the coconut milk, but don't let it boil. Add the curry paste, and stir it until the oil begins to separate out and form a thin film, to bring out the maximum flavor. Add the remaining ingredients except the lime leaves and basil leaves, and simmer until the sauce is absorbed and thickened. Add the lime leaves and basil leaves and stir fry briefly before serving.

Garnish with julienned red chili, with Thai jasmine rice, and the usual Thai table condiments.

Note if you particularly like your curries hot, then replace the fish sauce in the cooking with nam pla prik (chillies marinated in fish sauce), that has had at least a week to mature.


Nam pla prik

Put two thirds of a cup of Thai chile peppers or jalapeno peppers in a 1 pint jar, and fill with fish sauce. Seal and keep for a week before using.

Thai Spicy Ground Chicken and Toasted Rice, "Larb Gai"

1 lb ground chicken
2 tablespoons sliced shallot
2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onion
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
3 tablespoons roasted rice powder (khao koor)
2 tablespoons ground Thai chile (be sure to use real Thai ground chile)
3 tablespoons lime juice
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce


Garnish

Always serve with a good portion of fresh cabbage, and add green beans, parsley, sliced radish, cucumber, & coriander leaves if you like.

Method

You can use ground chicken from the supermarket, or chicken ground in your food processor. Cook the chicken with 2 tablespoons lime juice in a pan over moderate heat. Stir until done. Transfer cooked chicken into medium mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, and mix well. Taste and season as desired. You might want more or less ground chile and/or fish sauce, etc. Serve with fresh vegetables (as shown) and warm, freshly-steamed sticky rice (or if you prefer you can use Thai jasmine rice). Note: if you like chicken giblets, cut them up into small pieces and cook in boiling water. Drain then add to cooked ground chicken before you add the other ingredients.

The usual way to eat this is to get a small ball of sticky rice in the fingers and use it to pick up a little lawb, then eat it with the raw veggies. You can also use a fork and spoon as a lot of Thais do.

Thai Beef Salad, "Yum Nuea"

1 lb beef. Any beef can be used such as the top sirloin used in this recipe.

Salad

1/4 cup sliced onions, separated
2 tomatoes, wedged
1/4 cup sliced cucumber
1/4 cup thinly sliced Thai chile peppers

Sauce

1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced ginger
3 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro (including the roots)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (spring onions)
1/4 cup chopped shallots (small red or purple onions)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili oil

Barbeque the beef, and thinly slice it into bite sized pieces. Combine with the salad ingredients, and mix
the sauce and toss the whole.

Serving

Serve with sticky rice, lettuce, condiments and dipping sauce. You can also put a few thai green peppercorns
on the bbq and add them with the garnish (makes a very nice touch, as this all goes together very well).

Condiments

Serve with the usual Thai condiments. You can also add fish sauce, dark sweet soy, and sriracha sauce if you wish.

dips

A useful "auxiliary dipping sauce" is made by mixing one part dark soy with one part Worcestershire sauce, one
part fish sauce and one part hot mustard.

Another dipping sauce is the following (known as nam prik narok in Thai, it is translated as "Hell Fire Sauce" in English).

Ingredients

oil to deep fry
2 pound of filleted white fleshed freshwater fish
2 cups Thai chile peppers
1/2 cup garlic
1/2 cup shallots
3 tablespoons shrimp paste
1/4 cup fish sauce
3-4 tablespoons palm sugar.

Flake the fish and deep fry until the flakes turn golden brown. Chop the chilis, shallots and garlic, then [charcoal]
broil them briefly and beat the ingredients together in a mortar and pestle or food processor to form a smooth paste.
Place in a small saucepan or wok and cook on medium high until the mixture forms a bubbling paste.

The resultant sauce paste may be stored, when cold, in a tight fitting jar, for several weeks.

Variants: This can also be made with pork (yum moo), or even with shrimp (yum khoong). An interesting variant is
to use thinly sliced luncheon meat or even Spam. Vegetarians can experiment with using a julienned vegetable mix in
place of the meat.