Pad Thai - ผัดไทยกุ้งสด

Ingredients
1/2 package Thai rice noodles
1-1/3 cup bean sprouts Optional
1/2 banana flower Optional
1-1/2 cup Chinese chives Optional
2 tablespoon cooking oil
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
2 tablespoon sugar
1 minced shallots
1 tablespoon preserved turnip Optional
1/3 cup extra firm tofu
1/2 lime
2 tablespoons peanuts Optional
1/2-1/4 lb shrimp Optional
ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground dried chili pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
4 teaspoons fish sauce
1 egg

Prepping
Start with soaking the dry noodles in lukewarm or room temperature water while preparing the other ingredients. Getting the noodles just right is the trickiest part of making Pad Thai. Make sure that the noodles are submerged in plenty of water. Check out Tips and Substitutions for in depth explanations. By the time you are ready to put ingredients in the pan, the noodles should be flexible but not mushy. Julienne tofu and cut into 1 inch long matchsticks. When cut, the super firm tofu/pressed tofu should have a mozzarella cheese consistency. You can fry the tofu separately until golden brown and hard, or you can fry with other ingredients below.

Cut the Chinese chives into 1 inch long pieces. Set aside a few fresh chives for a garnish. Rinse the bean sprouts and save half for serving fresh. Mince shallot and garlic together.

Cooking

• Use a wok. If you do not have a wok, any big pot will do. Heat it up on high heat and pour oil in the wok. Fry the peanuts until toasted and remove them from the wok. The peanuts can be toasted in the pan without oil as well. Add shallot, preserved turnip, garlic and tofu and stir them until they start to brown. The noodles should be flexible but not expanded at this point.

• Drain the noodles and add to the wok. Stir quickly to keep things from sticking. Add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce and chili pepper. Stir. The heat should remain high. If your wok is not hot enough, you will see a lot of juice in the wok at this point. Turn up the heat, if it is the case.

• Make room for the egg by pushing all noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the egg onto the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Fold the egg into the noodles. The noodles should soft and chewy. Pull a strand out and taste. If the noodles are too hard (not cooked), add a little bit of water. When you get the right taste, add shrimp and stir. Sprinkle white pepper around. Add bean sprouts and chives. Stir a few more times. The noodles should be soft, dry and very tangled.
• Pour onto the serving plate and sprinkle with ground pepper and peanuts. Serve hot with the banana flower slice, a wedge of lime on the side, raw Chinese chives and raw bean sprouts on top.
• As always, in Thailand, condiments such as sugar, chili pepper, vinegar and fish sauce are available at your table for your personal taste. Some people add more chili pepper or sugar at the table.

Kway Teow Tom Kha Gai (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวไก่ต้มข่า)

Rice Noodle with Coconut Soup Recipe (Kway Teow Tom Kha Gai)

Ingredients

2 oz (60 grams) chicken meat

1 handful thin rice noodles (*soaked)

3/4 cup (170 ml) water

(1/2 cup) 100 ml coconut milk

4-5 pieces galangal (sliced)

1/2 stalk lemongrass (sliced)

2 kaffir lime leaves

1 Thai shallot (press gently)

2 small green chillies (press gently)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon crispy fried garlic

Preparation

Put the coconut milk in a pan and bring to the boil then add the chicken and mix them well. 

Stir until it is half cooked then add the water and fish sauce, sugar and lime juice then mix them well.

Add all the herbs and wait until it boils and then pour over the noodles. 

Garnish with crispy fried garlic and serve.

*Note: Before cooking, soak the rice noodles in cold water for 20-25 minutes until they become soft, then drain. In a pot, bring 1 liter of water to the boil. Dunk the noodles for 2-3 seconds in the boiling water; set aside in a bowl.

Roasted Chicken

What's life if you haven't tasted that amazing whole chicken roast? Rather, there is a latent pleasure in knowing how to cook it well.Roasted chicken is popular in its own right all across the world. Here's how you can cook it. 

For this you'll need :
-  A whole cleaned chicken about 1.5 kgs in weight
-  1/2 lemon
-  6 garlic cloves, unpeeled 
-  Bunch thyme
- 1 tablespoon butter
-  Sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 desiree potatoes, peeled
-  A dozen baby carrots, peeled
-12 eschallots, peeled, left whole
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Rosemary bunch
- Watercress

And this is how you can make it :

Heat the oven to 220 C. Clean the chicken and wipe dry.  Tuck lemon, two garlic cloves and two thyme sprigs into the cavity, and tie legs together with kitchen string. Coat chicken with dabs of butter, scatter with sea salt, pepper and oregano, and place in a lightly oiled baking tray. Cut potatoes in half lengthways and cut each half lengthways into three wedges. Coat potatoes, carrots, eschallots and remaining garlic cloves in olive oil, and arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Strew with half the remaining thyme and half the rosemary and bake for one hour in the oven with the chicken. Roast the chicken breast-side down for 15 minutes, then turn breast upwards and roast for a further 45 minutes, until the skin is golden and the juices run clear when pierced. Rest chicken for five minutes. To carve, remove legs and cut leg joints in two, then slice breast meat at a slight angle. Serve with vegetables, watercress and remaining thyme and rosemary.

Beef & Mushroom Ragout

Cook Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds of stew beef, cut in chunks
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 pound of leeks, trimmed and sliced
1/2 cup of Metaxa or brandy
4 1/2 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
2 pounds of fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 teaspoons of salt
Preparation:
In a stew pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Add the leeks and cook until soft. Douse (deglaze) with brandy. Add the water slowly, stirring well. Add pepper, bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour and 35-40 minutes.
20 minutes before cooking time is up, stir in mushrooms and salt.

Pork and Shrimp Shumai (Shiu Mai) – Chinese Dumplings

Ingredients:
1/2 package wonton wrappers, round*
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound shrimp, deveined and finely chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Method:
Garnish: 1 small quarter of a carrot, minced
Special equipment: 1 or 2 large bamboo steamers with lid, pastry brush
*If all you have on hand is square wonton wrappers, stack about 10 together at a time, place a round cookie cutter or drinking glass on top as a guide, and slice into circles with a small knife.
1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the pork, shrimp, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the filling into the center of a wonton wrapper. Lightly brush the sides of the wrapper with egg wash. Squeeze the sides up until the wrapper forms a cup, tucking in the sides and leaving the filling exposed on top. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers. Garnish with orange roe or chopped carrots.
3. Line 1 or 2 large bamboo steamer with parchment paper. Fit the steamer basket(s) in the wok and pour enough water into the wok until the water line is 1 inch below the bottom of the steamer. Steam the siu mai for 12 to 15 minutes, until filling is firm to the touch. Serve with soy sauce, chili sauce, or chili oil.

Beef and Bean Quesadillas

Ingredients:
1 tsp. (5 mL) vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb. (250 g) lean ground beef
1 can (19 oz./540 mL) kidney, pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (250 mL) salsa, any kind — spicy or mild
12 large (10-inch/25-cm) flour tortillas
2 cups (500 mL) shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Method:
1. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion, stir to coat with oil, then crumble in the ground beef. Cook, stirring to break up lumps, until the meat is no longer pink — about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the beans and salsa and continue to cook, stirring and mashing the beans slightly, for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture is heated through and flavours are blended.
2. Lay a tortilla on a plate. Spread with about 3/4 cup (175 mL) of the bean mixture — almost, but not quite all the way to the edges of the tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup (50 mL) shredded cheese (or a bit more, if you prefer). Place another tortilla on top, and press down lightly.
3. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Transfer the quesadilla to the griddle and let cook until the tortilla is lightly browned on the bottom. Flip over and cook the other side until browned and the cheese inside is melted. Slide onto a cutting board and let sit for a minute or two before cutting into wedges — serve hot.

Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp (tom yum goong, ต้มยำกุ้ง)

Ingredients:
2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 1″ pieces and smashed a bit (about 1/3 cup)
6 lime leaves (1 tablespoon), torn with center vein removed
2 tablespoons galangal sliced thin
1 tablespoon coriander roots, about 2 roots
2 tablesoons shallots, whole with skin removed (1-2 shallots)
1 cup tomato (about 1 medium tomato), sliced into 6-8 pieces lengthwise
2 cups broth (pork, chicken)
1/2 cup straw mushrooms, ends removed and halved
2 tablespoons (about 7) red medium-sized thai chilies, smashed
4 or 5 medium-sized saltwater shrimp, whole and uncleaned, the fresher the better
pinch salt
1 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons roasted chili paste
1 tablespoon lime juice (or more to taste)
3 tablespoons milk (from a cow not a coconut). *optional
3 small dried chilies, roasted *optional – add if adding milk
1 tablespoon coriander chopped
1. Prepare all the ingredients. Remove the outer layer of the lemongrass stalks and cut off the end. Cut into 1-2″ pieces and smash with the side of a heavy knife to release flavor. Tear the center vein off the lime leaves. Slice your galangal into thin slices. Cut the tomato into 6 pieces lengthwise. Peel the skin off the shallots and smash lightly. Clean your coriander roots well. Smash the fresh chilies with the back of a heavy knife, or in a mortar and pestle. If using fresh Thai straw mushrooms, slice the bottoms off and cut in 1/2 lengthwise. If making the version with milk: roast the dried chilies until fragrant and browned in a dry wok on medium heat (see note).
2. Clean the shrimp by peeling off the backs and snapping off the top part of the heads, but leave the fat on at the base of the head (the reddish brown goop). This is very important, as that fat imparts a signature flavor into Tom Yum Goong. Don’t discard it. Then, peel out the legs + intestine underneath, but leave the tails on. Set aside.
3. Boil the broth on high until it comes to a rapid boil. (see note about broth below). Add the lime leaves, lemongrass, coriander root, galangal, shallot(s) and tomato. Boil for 4-5 minutes until the broth tastes herbal. if you’re using fresh ingredients, 4-5 minutes should be enough. In a separate pan, boil the mushrooms in plain water.
4. After you’ve boiled 4-5 minutes, add a pinch of salt and the shrimp. Strain the cooked mushrooms and add them to the soup as well. Cook until shrimp turn pink, about a minute.
5. Add the fish sauce and remove from heat. You will now season the soup.
6. Add lime juice, chili paste, smashed fresh chilies. Taste the soup. Is it sour? Is it salty? If no, add a bit more, 1/4 teaspoon at a time.
7. If making the version with milk: Add the milk and dried chilies. If doing this step you’ll need to add a bit more lime juice and fish sauce as the milk tames it down a bit. Add about a teaspoon more of each.
8. Add cilantro and serve. This soup is best served really hot!