What we intend to do is, build up a number of recipes and introduce you to some of the finest cuisine in the world. The range of colours, texture and tastes are very pleasing. Dang through me, will share some of her secretes with you.
In a Thai kitchen the basic utensils are a wok, saucepan and a steamer. Other handy, though not essential equipment is, a spatula with a rounded edge to keep food moving around the wok, a net spoon, made of wire, which is useful for adding or removing food from a pan, a chopping board with small meat clever and a blender, ideal for grinding spices and other ingredients such as chillies.
Woks come in various styles and sizes, basically its up to you what style you want. Thais generally prefer one with a wooden handle. Wok cooking usually requires the quick control of gas. We have an electric "ring" stove, so we bought a small gas cylinder and use a gas ring on top of it. Most camping centres or large department stores sell them. Unless you intend to become a "serious wok user" the electric range should suffice.
In stir frying, the important technique is just to add a little oil then bring it to a high heat very quickly, this will minimise burning and smoke. The food to be stir fried is added all at once and quickly moved around the wok with the spatula, whilst rocking the wok over the heat. High heat seals the juices and flavors in the food so that it stays crispy and tasty.
If you are stir frying hard, solid vegetables, don't cut them up in smaller pieces, instead, after a minute or two, turn your heat source down, or off, and cover the wok with a lid. This steaming effect will continue to cook the vegetables, whilst still keeping them crispy.
For boiled dishes a large saucepan with a lid is necessary. For adding and removing ingredients the Thais use a bamboo-handled brass wired scoop. Large slotted spoons will do as well. The saucepan is also used for cooking the boiled rice, though sometimes we use a microwave rice maker and for large dinner parties we have a large electronic rice cooker. The advantage of using the last two items is that the rice is always consistently the same.
There are many varieties of rice and they have just as many different flavors. The two rices we always choose are both long grain, jasmine flavoured rice. Both come from Thailand. The brand names are Rose Brand Rice and Lion Brand Rice. Choose your rice carefully, it adds to the enjoyment of your meal.
To cook rice correctly, you must first wash the rice thoroughly. A sieve is perhaps the easiest implement to use. Run cold water through the rice until it runs clear. (Dang actually uses the "cooking methods bowl" - saucepan, microwave container or electronic cooker insert - to wash the rice in).
Steaming is the third technique and it is used in cooking many fish dishes. We bought our steamer from Woolworths. It consists of a two tiered pan, the bottom being an ordinary saucepan, on top of which a second saucepan fits, that has numerous holes in it that allow the steam from the bottom saucepan to rise up through the food. Finally there is a tight fitting lid. Alternatively a colander placed on top of a saucepan and a lid placed on top of the colander, will suffice.
The most important feature of Thai cooking is preparation. Most food is cooked very quickly, prior to serving. Most of the time is spent on preparing the ingredients. Dang has a number of bowls that she puts all the ingredients in. The vegetables are washed in cold water, then peeled, chopped or sliced and placed in individual bowls. The same happens to the meat, poultry or fish (if the fish is being steamed or micro-waved it is generally kept whole). Lime or lemon juice is generally freshly made though "plastic bottle juice" can be used. With wok cooked dishes the ingredients are usually added in quick succession, so they are kept close to hand near the wok and its heat source.
Find out about [ Thai Ingredients ]
Find out about [ Chillies ]
Click on a recipe and go straight there, or scroll through them all.
| Recipe Contents |
|---|
| Cooking Rice (Three Methods) |
| Coconut Rice |
| Fish Sauce With Chillies (Phrik Nam Plaa) |
| Cucumber and Peanut Sauce |
| Dry Spicy Beef (Nua Suu-wan) |
| Coconut Prawns |
| Tomato, Mint and Lime Salad (A great salad) |
| Coconut and Galangal Soup (Tom Khaa Kai) |
| Stuffed Omelette (Kai Yad Sai) |
| Sweet and Sour Crisp Fried Thai Noodles (Mee Grob) |
| Thai Noodles (Pad Thai) |
| Prawns In Spiced Coconut Sauce |
| Red Pork (Muu Dang) |
| Stir-Fried Pork and Green Beans (Muu Pad Tua Fak Yaw) |
| Thai Green Curry (Kaeng Khiao Waan Kai) |
| Bananas Cooked In Coconut Milk (Gluai Buad Chii) |
With most Thai meals the most important accompaniment is the rice. Follow any of these methods and have perfect rice each time. (We do not use salt, but if you wish, add a little salt to any of the cooking methods).
Ingredients:
1½ cups of long grain rice
a large saucepan
Method:
Fill the saucepan ¾ full with cold water and bring to the boil. Whilst this is happening, rinse the rice thoroughly in a sieve, with cold water, until the water runs clear.. Add the rice to the saucepan and bring back to the boil, stirring occasionally to keep the grains separate. Turn down the heat source and simmer for about 12 minutes without the lid.
Test the rice to see if it separates cleanly and is not hard in the middle, if it is allow it to cook a little longer and test again.
Pour into the sieve, rinse with a little hot water, drain and serve - perfect rice!
Ingredients:
1½ cups of long grain rice
2 cups of water
a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid
Method:
Rinse the rice thoroughly in a sieve, with cold water, until the water runs clear. This is most important, otherwise the rice will be "gluggy" - another word for "yucky" and you don't want that.
Place the rice in the saucepan. Add the water and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Add the lid and reduce the heat source to low for about 14 minutes. Do not be tempted to remove the lid whilst the rice is cooking as this lets the steam out and will spoil the rice. Switch off the heat source and allow the rice, with its lid on, to stand for 4 or 5 minutes. The rice is now tender and fluffy - perfect rice!
Ingredients:
1½ cups of long grain rice
2 cups of water
a microwave rice cooker
Method:
Rinse the rice thoroughly in a sieve, with cold water, until the water runs clear. This is most important - see comments in Absorption Method Rice. Place in the microwave rice cooker with the 2 cups of cold water. Put on the lid and place in the microwave. Cook on full power for about 13 minutes (650 watt - times will vary with different wattages, reduce time by 1 minute for higher wattage machines). Allow rice to stand for a further 8 or 9 minutes before serving - perfect rice!
Return to Recipe ContentsIngredients: (Serves 4)
375 gm long grain white rice
2 cups thick coconut milk
1½ cups thin coconut milk
1½ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 spring (green) onions, chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons dried prawns (shrimp)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
Preparation:
1. Rinse the rice.
2. Chop the spring onions into cm lengths.
3. Seed and finly slice the chilli.
4. Crush the garlic.
5. Beat the eggs.
Method:
Tip from the Chef: "Plain Coconut Rice is delicious on its own, serve the rice after step 2".Return to Recipe Contents
This spicy sauce is found on all Thai tables. It adds both spiciness and saltiness to dishes.
Ingredients:
50 ml fish sauce
10 fresh small green chillies
1 shallot
¼ teaspoon palm sugar
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
small serving bowl
Preparation:
1. Slice the chillies into small circles.
2. Slice the shallot
Method:
Mix all ingredients together in the small serving bowl.
This is a good accompaniment for almost all Thai food.
Ingredients:
¼ medium cucumber
¼ cup of water
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of unsalted roasted peanuts
fish sauce
Preparation:
1. Peel cucumber and scoop out seeds and finely chop the flesh.
2. Chop the peanuts or finely crush them.
Method:
1. Mix the chopped cucumber with water, vinegar and sugar, stirring over a medium
heat until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add the peanuts and stir.
3. Add fish sauce to taste.
This dish is served as an entree or as nibbles to have with drinks.
Ingredients:
¾ kg beef steak such as rump or round
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon very finely chopped coriander roots
¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ cup clear honey or raw or brown sugar
1¼ tablespoons fish sauce
¾ cup vegetable oil
Preparation:
"The beef can be more easily sliced thinly if it is partially frozen so that it is very firm and does not slide away from the knife when being cut".
1. Cut the beef across the grain into very thin slices, then into pieces about
7 cm by 2 cm.
2. Toast coriander and cumin seeds in a dry wok until they are very aromatic,
then grind finely with coriander roots.
3. Mix honey or sugar with fish sauce.
Method:
Stage 1
1. Spread beef slices on oiled oven trays.
2. Brush the beef with the honey/sugar mixture.
3. Sprinkle on spices.
4. Turn the beef to do the other side.
5. Place in a low oven overnight, or until the meat is quite dry and firm but
still flexible.
Stage 2
1. Heat oil in a wok, or frying pan, to smoking point.
2. Fry several slices at a time until deeply coloured and crisp.
3. Remove with a slotted spoon, draining the oil, and place on a serving plate.
Ingredients:
12 large green prawns
½ cup of flour
1 egg
¼-½ water
1 cup of shredded coconut
oil - for deep-frying
Preparation:
1. Peel prawns, leaving the tail on. Cut down the centre of the back, remove
the dark vein and press each prawn out flat into a "butterfly".
2. Make a batter of flour, egg and water.
Method:
1. Coat prawns in the batter.
2. Roll in shredded coconut.
3. Deep-fry in oil until golden, about 1½ mins.
(Please Note: The oil will become "coconut flavoured" and is only good for using on this dish - all the more reason for cooking them again, again and again.)
Return to Recipe ContentsIngredients:
6 medium firm tomatoes
8 shallots
fresh mint - 8 to 12 stalks
¼ cup of lime juice
½ teaspoon of chilli powder
Preparation:
1. Cut the tomatoes into wedges
2. Chop the shallots
3. Chop the mint
4. Combine the lime juice an chilli in a small bowl and stir.
Method:
1. Combine the tomatoes, shallots and mint in a salad bowl, stirring gently
so as not to break the tomato wedges.
2. Pour the lime juice and chilli over the salad bowl mixture.
3. Refrigerate for 1 hour - occasionally stirring the mixture so that the lime
juice and chilli flavours the salad mixture.
This creamy coconut soup is one of the Thai restaurants favorites. The galangal looks like ginger but it is much milder and a lot more fragrant. After tying this dish try substituting ginger for galangal.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
1 large can (560 ml) of thin coconut milk
3 shallots or 1 small Spanish onion
20 gm of galangal
2 stalks of lemon grass
6 long chillies
3 lime leaves
500 gm chicken breast
200 gm oyster mushrooms
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ tablespoon fish sauce
4 coriander leaves and stems
a large saucepan.
Preparation:
1. Chop the shallots or Spanish onion.
2. Thinly slice the galangal.
3. Cut the lemon grass into 2 cm pieces
4. Slice the chicken breast into 5 mm strips.
5. Cut coriander leaves and stems into 2 cm pieces.
Method:
1. Pour the coconut milk into the pan and bring to the boil.
2. Add the shallots/spanish onion, galangal, lemon grass, chillies and lime
leaves.
3. Add the chicken and bring to the boil.
4. Add the mushrooms and allow to boil for two minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and coriander.
6. Serve in individual bowls, with lime quarters, rice and fish sauce with chillies.
(Please Note: In Thailand the soup dish is served with all the other dishes that make up the meal, it is not a separate course. Spoon the soup over the rice in your rice bowl and enjoy it. The galangal in Australia is not as "soft" as that in Thailand, so you may not wish to eat it. Lemon grass is a flavour enhancer, so don't try to eat it, its very tough).
Return to Recipe ContentsIngredients: (Serves 4)
½ cup of minced pork
1 firm tomato
½ cup of peas
½ a green pepper
1 small onion
1 teaspoon of fish sauce
¼ teaspoon of white pepper
¼ teaspoon of soya sauce
oil
3 eggs
coriander leaves and red chilli for garnish
Preparation:
1. Finely dice the tomato, green pepper and onion.
2. Beat the eggs.
3. Slice the red chilli lengthways and remove the seeds.
Method:
1. Pour a little oil in a wok. Over a high heat add the pork and lightly fry
for about 2 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, peas, onions, green peppers, fish sauce, white pepper and soya
sauce.
3. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes, then set aside and
keep warm.
4. Pour a little oil in an omelette pan and allow to heat.
5. Pour in a quarter of the beaten egg mixture.
6. Brown the omelette lightly on both sides.
7. Spoon a quarter of the pork mix into the centre of the omelette.
8. Fold 2 opposite sides of the omelette to the centre, then fold the 2 remaining
sides, so that a square is formed. Set aside and keep warm.
9. Repeat from step 5. with the remaining mixture.
10. Place on individual serving dishes, garnish with the coriander and red chilli
- can be accompanied with rice.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
250 gm (dried weight) rice vermicelli
vegetable oil for frying
2 eggs
100 gm lean pork
100 gm cooked prawn meat
garlic to taste
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce 2 shallots
fresh coriander leaves
sliced fresh red chilli
Preparation:
1. Take a plastic shopping bag and a pair of scissors and cut up the noodles
inside it.
2. Finely slice the lean pork.
3. Beat the eggs
Method:
1. Heat oil in a wok until it's very hot, and deep-fry noodles in small batches.
Be careful, as the noodles puff up very quickly and must be removed immediately
with a slotted spoon and placed on absorbent kitchen paper to drain. Set aside.
2. In another pan, make a very thin omelette from the beaten eggs. When cooked,
fold over on itself several times, place on a chopping board and cut into fine
strips. Put aside.
3. Drain off excess oil from the wok. Add garlic, pork, stir-fry until golden,
then add prawns and cook briefly.
4. Now add the tomato sauce, sugar, lemon juice, fish sauce and stir-fry until
sugar has dissolved. Add crisp-fried noodles, toss several times, sprinkle with
chopped shallots and turn out onto serving platter. Garnish with omelette strips,
coriander leaves and chilli.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
200 gm dried flat rice stick noodles
12 medium green prawns
125 gm lean pork
2 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
60 gm fresh beansprouts
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
4 garlic chives
1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon roasted chilli flakes
lime or lemon wedges
Preparation:
1. Cut pork into thin slices.
2. Mince the cloves of garlic.
3. Beat the eggs.
4. Chop the coriander.
5. Chop/crush the peanuts.
6. Cut the chives into 4 cm lengths.
7. Soak noodles in boiling water for a few minutes to soften; drain well.
8. Peel prawns, leaving tails on. Cut down centre backs and remove the dark
veins; rinse and dry.
Method:
1. Saute pork and garlic in half the oil until pork changes colour.
2. Add prawns and cook briefly and set aside.
3. Wipe the wok with a cloth dipped in oil. Pour in the egg mixture, swirl around
so it forms into a very thin omelette and cook until firm underneath. Flip over
to cook the other side briefly. Cut into fine shreds and set aside.
4. Quickly saute the beansprouts and remove.
5. Add noodles and remaining oil and stir over high heat for about 1½ minutes.
6. Add the sauces, sugar and pepper and return the prawns, pork, eggs and beansprouts
to the pan. Toss together over high heat, then transfer to a serving plate.
7. Garnish with chives, coriander, peanuts and roasted chilli flakes. Add the
lime or lemon wedges.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
12 large raw prawns
1 large onion
2 tablespoons oil
2 stalks lemon grass
2 fresh red or green chillies
2.5 cm piece fresh ginger
2 tablespoons fish sauce or light soy sauce
1 cup thick coconut milk
2 medium tomatoes
water
1 teaspoon sugar
teaspoon white pepper
Preparation:
1. Peel prawns, leaving the tail on. Cut down the centre of the back, remove
the dark vein.
2. Chop onion finely.
3. Finely chop the lemon grass.
4. Slice the chillies - removing the seeds.
5. Shred the ginger.
6. Peel and chop the tomatoes.
Method:
1. Fry onion in oil until soft.
2. Add lemon grass, sliced chillies and ginger and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add fish sauce or soy sauce with coconut milk, tomatoes and a little water.
Cook on low heat until tomato is soft and sauce well flavoured.
4. Add prawns and simmer for about 5 minutes - until tender.
5. Season with sugar and white pepper.
6. Place in a serving bowl and serve with jasmine or coconut rice.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
1 kg pork fillet
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon crushed palm sugar
½ teaspoon red food colouring
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Preparation:
1. Trim pork to remove any loose fragments of meat or fat. Pat dry with absorbent
paper.
2. Mix all the ingredients with half the sesame oil and brush over the pork.
Let stand for 3 hours.
Method:
1. Place on a wire rack in a roasting pan. Roast in a very hot oven for about
18 minutes, until the surface is deeply coloured and crisp and the inside of
the meat lightly cooked.
2. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining sesame oil. Stand for 10
minutes before slicing to serve.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
250 gm lean pork
2 cloves garlic
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
200 gm round beans
½ cup of chicken stock
oil
Preparation:
1. Slice the pork into bite size pieces
2. Finely chop the clove of garlic
3. Cut the beans into 2.5 cm pieces
Method:
1. Pour a little oil into the wok and heat.
2. Stir-fry the garlic until golden brown.
3. Add the pork and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce and black pepper. Stir-fry for 1 minute,
adding the chicken stock.
5. Add the green beans. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
6. Pour the mixture onto a serving dish and serve with rice.
Green, but rarely sweet, this is one of the very basic Thai curry styles. Instead of chicken, substitute beef, pork or duck.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
1 kg of chicken breast
114 gm can of Thai green chilli paste
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 large can (560 ml) of creamy coconut milk
100 gm of zucchinis
100 gm of green beans
10 gm of basil
3 lime leaves
a large pot, and a big spoon.
Preparation:
1. Cut chicken in the thin strips.
2. Chop green beans into length of 4 cm’s.
3. Slice zucchinis length ways into four and chop into pieces.
Method:
1. Pour vegetable oil into the pot and heat it.
2. Put green chilli paste in the pot and stir it for a little while. (watch
out for the “dancing” oil)
3. Put in the lime leaves. Keep stirring.
4. When the ingredients give a beautiful smell, add the chicken pieces and keep
stirring until cooked.
5. Pour in coconut milk in and stir. Add fish sauce and sugar.
6. Taste and adjust by adding fish sauce and sugar. Put the lid back on.
7. When coconut milk begins to boil, add zucchinis and beans. (it may stop bubbling.)
When the coconut milk starts to bubble, turn off the heat.
8. Add basil leaves. Put the lid on again.
9. Leave it for a minute or two.
10. Serve on a bed of Jasmine rice. Enjoy your meal.
This Thai dessert goes well with ice cream.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
3 small, green bananas
1 large can (560 ml) of thin coconut milk
½ cup sugar
a large saucepan
Preparation:
1. Slice bananas lengthways, then into quarters.
Method:
1. Pour coconut milk into the saucepan and add the sugar.
2. Bring to the boil.
3. Add the banana.
4. Bring to the boil for two minutes.
5. Serve in individual serving bowls - either hot or cold.