Tom Yum Boran (Ancient Soup)

And so it’s the end of the year and a final post for 2014. Tom Yum Boran (Ancient soup) a little known, old fashioned Thai recipe that was very easy to make,being sort of a cross between a Pad Thai and hot and sour soup or quite like a Thai version of a bowl of Japanese ramen. It is an excellent one for clearing heads and is both light and cleansing too. A perfect healthy new year food.


In just 6 months I’ve gained 233 lovely followers, thanks for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy reading my blog and hopefully are inspired to try out some of the recipes. Have a wonderful 2015! Naomi x


For two people, use:

• Two small nests of dried egg noodles


• a small handful of thinly sliced lean pork


• Two handfuls of bean sprouts


• Juice of a lime 


• 4 spring onions, chopped


• a small handful of peanuts, crushed


• a pinch of chilli flakes


• half a pint of water


• a big piece of galangal,bashed


• two stalks of lemongrass, bashed


• 3 cloves of garlic,bashed


• 2 small Thai chillies, split


• 6 ish kaffir lime leaves, ripped up


• a splash of fish sauce (nam pla)


• a big splash of tamarind concentrate or if you can’t get this, an extra half juiced lime

In a large pan, heat the water with the meat, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, chillies and lime leaves on a gentle heat for around 30 minutes to infuse the flavours of the herbs. If the water reduces too much,add a bit more. After the infusing time, strain out and discard all the solid herbs, leaving the meat behind. Add in the tamarind, lime and fish sauces before stirring briefly.

In a separate pan, boil water and cook the noodles before straining out and dividing the noodles between bowls. Briefly boil the bean sprouts, 30 seconds will do, before scooping out and topping the noodles with them.

Distribute the soup and pork between the bowls and sprinkle over the spring onion, peanuts, chilli flake and an extra squeeze of lime.

Khao Kluk Kapi (Shrimp Paste Fried Rice with Toppings)

This will be the last post before Christmas and I wanted to do something a little different so set about researching some lesser known Thai dishes and came across this one. The rice is simply fried with a *small* amount of very pungent shrimp paste and oyster sauce and piled up with lots of tempting toppings. Each spoonful can be a different combination of tastes and textures- it’s kind of fun to eat!


For two people use:

• 2/3 of a cup of white rice


• ½ a teaspoon of shrimp paste (kapi) available from Asian supermarkets


• a big splash of oyster sauce x 2


• a couple of Chinese sausages, sliced thinly on the diagonal (salami or kabanos would also work well)


• a small handful of pork or other meat, cubed


• a big pinch of sugar


• small heap of green mango or papaya, shredded (I did a som tam at the same time to use all my papaya up)


• a few green and/or red chillies, chopped


• ¼ of a red onion or 4 Thai shallots, finely sliced


• 2 eggs


• a small wedge of cucumber, cut into slices


• vegetable oil for frying.

As with most fried rice dishes, the rice needs to be pre cooked, so this recipe works best with rice that has been cooked either yesterday or earlier in the day. Boil the rice until cooked, then rinse and leave it to completely cool and dry out a bit.


Make/ prepare all the toppings-

For the omelette, whisk the two eggs, heat some oil in a small frying pan until hot and fry until fully set, turning over half way. Blot on kitchen paper then roll it up and shred.


For the sausage- heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a pan and fry the sliced sausage for a few minutes until crispy.


For the sweet pork- again heat a little oil in a pan, fry the pork until half cooked then add the sugar and a splash of oyster sauce, cook until caramelised and sticky.


The rice- heat a small splash of oil in a large frying pan or wok, fry your small amount of shrimp paste- it’s very powerful stuff so open windows, put on extractor fans! and fry for about 30 seconds before tipping in the rice. Coat everything well then add a splash of oyster sauce, mix everything well- the rice should only look a pale brown.


Put the rice in the centre of a plate and pile up all the other ingredients around. Feel free to experiment with other toppings.

Gaeng Hang Lay (Northern Curry)

I’ve been enjoying exploring some of Thailand’s lesser known curries recently. Green and red are so popular here in the UK, with Massaman, Penang and Jungle following behind somewhere. Along with the recipes I’ve posted recently for Gaeng Kari (Indian style curry) and Khao Soi (Burmese style curried noodles) I feel there are still some amazing Thai curries that need better representation here in the UK, Gaeng Hanglay is one of them. It’s a dish from the north of Thailand, and like another northern curry, Gaeng Pha (jungle curry) it doesn’t use coconut milk. It shares ingredients from both Burmese and Indian cuisines. As there are a few stages to making this curry, it does take a bit of time, around 3 hours altogether, but it is definitely worth it.


This recipe gives three big portions or four small ones:


For the hang lay spice mix:

Toast the following spices in a dry frying pan until starting to brown (but not burn!) then grind in a pestle and mortar:

• a heaped teaspoon of Szechwan peppercorns


• 6 dried red chillies


• a heaped tablespoon of coriander seeds


• a heaped teaspoon of cumin seeds


• ½ nutmeg, crumbled


• a heaped tablespoon of powdered turmeric

For the pickled garlic use:

• a bulb of garlic, peeled


• a pinch of sugar


• a pinch of salt


• a big splash of white wine/ rice wine vinegar


• a splash of water.

Mix everything and leave to pickle for at least an hour. This will keep for a week at least.


For the curry paste:

Pound up all these ingredients in a pestle and mortar, start with the tougher ingredients and add the spice powder and shrimp paste (if using last). It’ll take a while but pestle and mortar does give the best results:

• a tablespoon of your hang lay spice mix


• 3 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed, outer layer peeled off and finely chopped


• ½ red onion, roughly chopped


• 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped


• a finger sized piece of galangal, roughly chopped


• a few pieces of fresh turmeric, roughly chopped (use a tablespoonful of dried if you can’t get fresh)


• a heaped teaspoon of shrimp paste (leave out if you don’t have access to an Asian supermarket.

For the curry use:

• 300g of pork, cubed. I used pork loin but left the fat on


• about 20 Thai shallots/ regular shallots are fine too, peeled but left whole


• a handful of peanuts


• a large piece of ginger, peeled and cut into strands


• your pickled garlic + a big splash of the pickling liquid


• the rest of your hang lay spice mix


• a big splash of dark soy sauce


• a big splash of fish sauce


• a big splash of tamarind juice (use lime if you can’t get tamarind)


• water  as needed


• a big pinch of sugar


• a small splash of vegetable oil for frying

In a bowl, start by mixing together the meat, curry paste and dark soy sauce, letting it marinate for an hour or more, if you have time.

In the meantime, toast the peanuts in a dry frying pan, when they have brown edges, turn them out and leave for later.

When the meat has marinaded, heat the oil in a wok or heavy frying pan. When it’s hot, add in the meat and fry to seal the meat and render out some of the fat. After 5 minutes of cooking, add in the shallots and fry for another few minutes before adding in the pickled garlic and juice, peanuts and ginger. Give everything a good stir then add in the rest of the spice mix. Stir again before adding the fish sauce, tamarind and the sugar. Slowly add in water until you can only just see the tops of the ingredients poking out before leaving the curry to simmer for at least an hour. From time to time, give the curry a stir and check the water level; adding more if needed. The pork should be soft and the sauce shouldn’t be too thin when it’s ready.

Serve with fluffy or sticky rice.

Guay Teow Rad Naa (Noodles in Gravy)

Hello, I’m back! I’ve been back at home in Lancashire for almost a week, things are sorting themselves out and I’ve even got a new job this week so now,with things a little calmer, it’s time to get some recipes under way again. Today I’m posting a recipe for Rad Naa noodles, an uncomplicated, comforting stir fried dish. It’s got very few ingredients, can be made in about ten minutes and is perfect if you need a gentle introduction to Thai food- there’s no chilli in the recipe although (as ever with Thai food) you can add some to your own tastes.


For two people use:

• A pack of fresh wide rice noodles (use dried if you can’t get fresh and soak first), loosened into strands


• 200g of lean pork, finely sliced


• two handfuls of green Asian veggies, roughly chopped- pak choi, choi sum, bok choi etc.


• a small handful of oyster mushrooms (optional) they were growing on a log in the garden and were just at the right size for using!


• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced


• a heaped teaspoon of cornflour, dissolved in a bit of water


• a big splash of yellow bean sauce


• a big splash of water or chicken stock.


• a small splash of dark soy sauce


• a small splash of fish sauce


• a pinch of sugar


• a big pinch of white or black pepper


• vegetable oil for frying.

Heat a wok with a splash of oil in until very hot. Add the noodles and cook briefly, perhaps a minute, let them get a bit of colour but don’t let them get too sticky. Divide out onto serving plates. Heat oil again and throw in the garlic, stir frying for just a few seconds before you add in the pork, cooking it most of the way through (about 3 or four minutes). Now add in the green veggies and mushrooms (if using), cooking for a further minute. Now add in the sauces (yellow bean, dark soy and fish). Add the cornflour mix and stir. Add in water/ stock until you end up with a gravy like consistency- not too thick or too thin. Season with sugar and pepper to taste before pouring over the noodles and serving.

Pad Bai Horapha Pla Muk Nor Mai (Squid and Bamboo Shoots stir fried with Sweet Basil)

Well, this is the last recipe from my North Yorkshire kitchen. Moving back to Lancashire in a few days so there may be a short break in service!!

Not the prettiest of photos today, sorry about that! I was hungry!! I’ve done a stir fry with Thai sweet basil before and this is more or less the same, the main ingredient is now squid and I’ve added fresh bamboo shoots. Like pad grapao gai, it works really well served with a crispy fried egg!

This is perfect Thai sea side food and the cooking part only takes a few minutes so perfect for a really quick supper :)


For two people use:

• 1 big squid tube, cleaned, trimmed, scored in a grid pattern and cut into small squares


• 1 fresh bamboo shoot/ a small tin of bamboo shoots 


• 4 cloves garlic


• 3 red Thai chillies (more or less if you like)


• a big handful of Thai sweet basil (use tarragon as a substitute, not Mediterranean basil!)


• a big splash of light soy sauce


• a big splash of oyster sauce


• a pinch of sugar


• vegetable oil for frying

If you have managed to track down fresh bamboo shoot from an Asian grocery, start here first, if not- skip on a bit. Peel off the tough outer leaves until you reach the yellowy core, trim off both ends and then use a knife to cut the whole thing in half and into strips. Now this is the important bit- raw bamboo shoot is toxic- boil the bamboo shoots for at least 30 minutes then drain and rinse them well under cold water.


Pound up the garlic and chillies in a pestle and mortar, you’ll be needing it in a moment. Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a wok, and when hot, throw in the garlic and chilli paste, just for a few seconds before adding in the squid. Stir fry it for a minute, no more, before adding in the bamboo shoots, sugar and the sauces, stir frying for another minute before turning off the heat and stirring in the sweet basil. Phew, done!

Moo Grob Pad Pak Got Shanghai (Deep fried pork stir fried with pak choi)

MMMMmmm, very satisfying and with all the greenery you can even convince yourself this is healthy- just don’t think too much about the deep fried pork belly. The textures are pretty wonderful, really crunchy.

It didn’t take long to do and to me is perfect Thai street food.


For two use:

• a slab of pork belly (roughly A5 in size), rind off but fat left on, cuts into chunks


• 2 pak choi, cleaned, trimmed and cut into large chunks


• half a bulb of garlic, peeled


• 3 small red chillies, chopped


• a big splash of oyster sauce


• a big splash of light soy sauce


• a small splash of fish sauce


• a small splash of water


• vegetable oil for deep frying

set up a deep pan or wok and fill it half way with the vegetable oil. Heat until hot (but not smoking) and drop in a piece of pork to gauge if it the right temperature; if it is, add in the pork, cooking in small batches. Once it is crispy and a light brown colour, roughly about 6-8 minutes, strain out and drain on kitchen paper. Leave to one side for now.


In a pestle and mortar, mash the garlic and chillies roughly. Heat a further small amount of fresh oil in a clean wok and when hot, very briefly stir fry the garlic and chilli- only for about ten seconds before adding in the white parts of the pak choi and pork. Stir fry for about a minute before adding in the leafy green bits and then add the three sauces and if needed, a small splash of water. Cook for just a minute or so more.

Serve with fluffy rice :)

Gaeng Kari Moo & Ajaad (Pork Indian style curry & cucumber pickle)

This was just the right kind of dish for a cold evening, warm and comforting, spicy but not hot. It’s as close a dish as you’ll find in Thailand to how we stereotypically think of a curry. It’s name (Gaeng= Curry in Thai, Kari = Curry in Tamil) basically means that it is a Thai interpretation of an Indian curry and as such has a lot of spices that you would normally find in garam masala. In terms of looks and main ingredients, it is also quite similar to a Massaman curry and is kept very simple, using just meat, onions and potatoes but the paste has some obvious differences. Feel free to change the meat to chicken or other veggies. The ajaad (pickle) adds sharpness and acidity to balance the mild and slightly sweet curry sauce.


For two big portions use:


For the yellow curry paste-

• half a red onion/ 6 thai shallots, peeled and roughly chopped


• 1 stalk of lemongrass, peeled, trimmed and roughly chopped


• 1 bulb of garlic, peeled


• a thumb sized piece of galangal, roughly chopped


• 2 red chillies


• a tablespoon of coriander seeds


• a heaped teaspoon of cumin seeds


• a teaspoon of fennel seeds


• a tablespoon of tumeric powder


• a heaped tablespoon of mild curry powder

in a dry pan, add the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds and lightly toast over a gentle heat until they smell fragrant and are just starting to go brown. Get them off quickly otherwise they’ll burn and be useless. Pour them into a mortar and grind into a fine powder. After, add in the powdered turmeric and curry powder, stir and pour out into a bowl.

Take the fresh herbs (garlic, chillies, galangal, lemongrass and onion) and like I did for the Khao Soi recipe, put these ingredients into a tin foil parcel and place directly over a low flame or place in the grill. This will roast/ char the ingredients but keep an eye on them all the time and keep moving the foil parcel- especially if you use direct flames. Take off after 5 minutes or when the herbs have softened and have some colour on them.

Put them into the mortar and bash them up until you have a paste. Put the paste into the bowl with the dry spices and mix well.

That’s the curry paste done. Now onto the pickle….


For the pickle use:

• about ¼ of a cucumber, thinly sliced and cut in half


• about 50ml of white wine vinegar


• about 50 ml of water


• ½ a big red chilli, sliced


• a sliver of red onion/ 1 shallot, very finely chopped

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and let them steep in the vinegar while you make the rest of the curry


Finally, for the curry, use:

• 200g of lean pork leg, cubed


• 8 new potatoes / 2 big potatoes (peeled), cut into bite size pieces


• 1 white onion, cut into bite size pieces


• 200ml of coconut milk


• 300ml of water


• a splash of liquid seasoning (stock/ maggi/ a stock cube etc)


• a big pinch of sugar


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla)


• fresh coriander for garnish.

In a wok, heat the coconut milk on high, try not to stir and after a few minutes it should start to split,and the oils will become visible. At this point add in the curry paste and stir well. It should become a very thick sauce. Cook for a minute before adding in half of the water, the stock, the pork, onions and the potatoes. This bit takes the longest; depending on your potatoes, it can take up to 30 minutes for the potatoes to soften. Keep an eye on the liquid, and keep topping up the sauce if needed. When the potatoes have softened, add in the sugar and fish sauce and have a taste. If everything’s fully cooked and to your liking, serve with fluffy rice or even flatbread and sprinkle over the coriander, serving the ajaad on the side.

Yam Neua Yang Nam Tok (Waterfall Grilled Beef Salad)

Leafy bland western salad VS pungent, fresh, filling Thai salad= no competition.

This dish shows why I love Thai salads so much. They’re incredibly healthy (yes lean beef is healthy) they punch weigh above their weight in flavours- mouth wateringly sour and tangy from the lime, aromatic and cleansing from the herbs, crunchy and crisp from the veggies, vibrant and warming from the chillies and feeling full afterwards.

There’s various debates about why this is called Nam Tok (waterfall) some say it’s because the meat is cooked rare and the juices drip out during the grilling, others because the beef is so juicy. If you’ve been following my blog recently, you’ll see this dish shares a lot of ingredients with the larb moo recipe that I posted a few weeks back.


Anyway, enough talk, for two people use:

• 2 small, very lean steaks


• ½ red onion, thinly sliced


• a big handful of coriander leaves


• 1 large red chilli, sliced


• 1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed, outer layer peeled off and sliced fine


• juice of 1 big lime


• a big splash of nam pla (fish sauce)


• a tablespoon of khao khua (toasted rice powder- see below)


• a few slices of cucumber (for the side of the plate)


• a small splash of dark soy sauce


• a small splash of light soy sauce


• a bigger splash of nam pla (fish sauce)

You want to get your steaks marinating first off. Pop them in a bowl, adding the two soy sauce and a good splash of fish sauce. Leave this for a while, while you prepare all the other ingredients and make the toasted rice powder.

For the khao khua (toasted rice powder); put a small handful of plain white rice into a dry wok and turn on the heat. Keep gently moving the rice round and after a few minutes, it will start to toast and have a good nutty smell. Once it’s reached a light brown colour, quickly pour the rice into a mortar before it starts to burn. Grind up the rice into a fine powder and keep in a sealed tub for when you need it.

So after the meat has marinated, lets say an hour or two. Heat a non stick frying pan up (no oil) or turn on the grill (whichever method you prefer). You want to cook the steak for only a minute or two either side so it ends up rare- medium rare. After the steak is cook, slice it into fine strips and put it, along with any juice into a bowl. Throw in the rest of the ingredients (onions, chillies, coriander, lemongrass, lime juice, fish sauce and the rice powder) mix very quickly together and serve on a plate with the cucumber slices on the side.

Tom Kha Gai (Galangal Chicken Soup)

As it’s getting to winter and getting pretty cold and foggy here in North Yorkshire it’s time to step up the comfort factor. Tom kha gai is a herbal chicken and mushroom soup that hits all the Thai flavour notes- sweet, sour, salty and spicy. It shouldn’t be too spicy and certainly shouldn’t be too sweet although as ever, with all Thai food, these can be customised to your particular preference. As it’s a soup the liquid should be quite thin, not thick like a curry sauce. This dish shouldn’t cause too many problems as most of the ingredients can be found in a regular supermarket.


For two- three bowls use:

• 2 skinless, trimmed chicken thighs/ 1 breast- chopped small


• 1 small red onion, cut into chunky wedges


• a big handful of oyster mushrooms, ripped up


• 2 tomatoes, cut into chunky wedges


• 200ml of  coconut milk


• 200ml of water


• a splash of chicken stock/ 1 stock cube


• some red small chillies (I used 3) cut into a few pieces


• a handful of fresh coriander leaves


• a small chunk of galangal, cut into thin slices


• 6 kaffir lime leaves, ripped (use lime peel if you can’t get leaves)


• 2 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed, outer layer removed and cut into a few pieces and lightly bashed.


• juice of 1-2 limes


• a splash of fish sauce (nam pla)


• optional chilli flakes for serving

Start by heating the coconut milk up gently in a pan and throw in the tough herbs- galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves and chillies. Once it’s hot, cook for about five minutes and add the chicken, poaching in the soup. Give this about 5 minutes, making sure at all times the coconut milk doesn’t boil. Add in the water and stock, onions and mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes, watching it so it doesn’t boil and stirring gently from time to time. Next add the tomatoes and a splash of fish sauce. Give it just five minutes more and while it has it’s last few minutes on the stove, squeeze the lime juice equally amongst the serving bowls. Divide the soup out on top of the juice and top each bowl with a few coriander sprigs and (optionally) some chilli flakes. When eating it’s up to you if you want to eat the tougher herbs; I tend to eat it all apart from the lemongrass!

Laab Moo (Chopped Pork Salad) Version 2

Laab Moo (Pork Salad) version 2


Some of you that have been following me since the early days may have seen my first incarnation of laab which although I really like this version, isn’t quite laab, though it does share some similarities. I guess this version demonstrates that less is sometimes more. It’s crunchy, tangy, spicy and fragrant and ridiculously easy to make.



For two use:

• 200g pork mince


• half a red onion, finely sliced or 8 Thai shallots


• 2 spring onions, finely chopped


• a handful of mint leaves


• a few sprigs of coriander, roughly torn


• a spoonful (your choice) of chilli flakes or chopped red chillies


• juice of 1 lime


• a big splash of fish sauce


• a pinch of sugar


• a spoonful of ground toasted rice (see below)


• a small amount of oil for frying

Heat a wok and add the spoonful of uncooked rice, keep the rice moving and toast it until it turns to a light brown and smells nutty. Pour the toasted rice into a mortar and grind into a reasonably fine powder. Set aside for a moment.

Back in the wok, heat the oil and when hot, fry the pork, breaking it up as it cooks. When it’s cooked turn it out into a bowl along with all the other ingredients. Mix well and serve.

Yam Som O (Pomelo Salad)

I wasn’t totally won over by this one; some of the flavour combinations weren’t totally to my taste. You wonder why then am I posting it, well everyone’s tastes are different- I think it was the slightly bitter and sweet combo that didn’t do it for me but it was very easy to make and had nice bright colours to it. It is pretty healthy too so give it a go, and see if it works for you- it is totally unlike any other Thai salad I’ve posted so far.


For a big one person portion use:

• a handful of raw or cooked big prawns
• a pomelo or red/pink grapefruit, peeled, segments skinned and flaked
• 2 cloves of chopped garlic
• half a red onion, sliced
• a small handful of peanuts
• a small handful of coriander, roughly torn
• 2 red chillies, finely sliced
• juice of a lime
• 50ml of coconut milk
• a small splash of fish sauce (nam pla)
• a pinch of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of nam prik pao (roasted chilli paste) optional
• small splash of vegetable oil for frying

Fry the red onion in the oil for five minutes or so until they get a bit crispy and golden. Throw them into a bowl. Cook/heat through your prawns, cooking raw ones fully. Add them to the bowl. Add in the garlic, chillies, peanuts and pomelo/grapefruit and torn coriander. In a separate jug/ jar mix up the dressing- optional roast chilli paste, coconut milk, lime juice and fish sauce. Pour this over the ingredients in the bowl and mix everything briefly together. Serve quickly otherwise things start to get a bit limp…. so to speak.

Thought for the day!

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Purchase the print

Available in 6 colors.

Nice thought for the day :)

Khao Soi (Curried Noodles)

This is another new favourite- my husband has requested this as a regular in our house.

In other news (and I’ll come back to the noodles very soon) I’m soon to be relocating back to my home city in Lancashire :) which means I’ll no longer be stuck in a small town in North Yorkshire! Sadly this will mean an end to my Thai food stock up trips to Nong Fern in Leeds but does mean I have two Asian supermarkets on my doorstep! The very good news is, the recipes will all be continuing!

Back to the Khao Soi- for once I wasn’t lazy and did make the simple curry paste from scratch- you could use a yellow or red Thai curry paste but it’s worth giving this one a go as it’s a bit different due to the roasting process. Khao soi is a northern Thai dish and is said to take a lot of it’s influence from nearby Burma. It’s a creamy, rich satisfying noodles dish, not too hot at all.

For two people use:

• 2 skinless small chicken breasts/ 4 thighs, chopped into small pieces


• 400ml coconut milk


• 100ml water


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla)


• a big pinch of sugar


• 2 sachets of egg (yellow) noodles


• vegetable oil for deep frying


• a lime, halved

For the curry paste, use:

• 4 cloves of garlic


• 2 stalks of lemongrass (ends trimmed and outer layer peeled off)


• 6 lime leaves


• a finger sized piece of fresh tumeric


• a finger sized piece of ginger


• 3 red chillies


• a small handful of coriander roots or stalks

• 4 red shallots/ half a red onion cut into a few bits


• 4 brown/ 10 white cardamom pods


• a small handful of coriander seeds

Start out by placing all the curry paste ingredients into a packet made from tin foil. Place this foil packet over a low-medium heat hob- I did this on electric, gas works best. Don’t let the foil packet sit for too long, keep it moving to stop the contents from burning. After 5 to ten minutes, take a look inside; there should be some charring and everything should have softened up. This provides a really nice smoky flavour to the paste. Pop everything into a pestle and mortar and pound, pound, pound away until you have a course paste. I cheated a bit after a while and transferred the pounded paste to a mini herb chopper, just to get it really fine. 

Once the paste is done, heat a wok and pour in the coconut milk. Let it sit for quite a while, until reduced by half and the oils are visible on the surface. Add in all the paste and stir fry for a few minutes until cooked down. Add in the water, fish sauce, sugar and chicken and let it cook for at least ten minutes, more if you like a thicker sauce.

While the curry is cooking, boil water for the noodles, cooking for as long as needed. In another small pan, heat the oil until hot. Take a few strands of cooked and well drained noodles at a time and gently drop them into the hot oil. They will fizzle and puff up instantly. Scoop them out, and drain on kitchen paper. 

Assembly time- place the drained noodles in the bottom of a serving bowl. Spoon over a ladle of the curry. Place some of the crispy deep fried noodles on top and finally squeeze over the lime juice.

Wun Gati Bai Toey (Coconut & Pandan Dessert)

I’ll be honest, this Thai dessert was something of an acquired taste but it did look really pretty. It’s two distinct flavours, a sweet coconut milk jelly and a very unusual pandan leaf extract one that was a sort of a sweet grassy flavour. This was the second recipe I did with the pandan; pandan being a really popular Thai ingredient for desserts too.

For servings for 4 or even more use:

• 2 sachets (2 x 5g) of agar agar or vegegel


• 525ml of water


• 150g sugar


• 250 ml coconut milk


• 4 pandan leaves (finely chopped)

Start by pureeing the leaves and 100ml of the water then strain this to get rid of the tough fibres, you’ll be left with bright bright green liquid.

Heat 300ml of water in a pan, add in the agar agar, stirring quickly so it all dissolves before adding in the sugar and letting that dissolve too. Add in and stir the green pandan juice. Leave on a very low heat so it doesn’t set.

In another pan, heat the remaing 125ml of water adding your other sachet of agar agar, dissolving fully. Add in the sugar, dissolve and then add in the coconut milk. Keep this mixture also on a very low heat.

In a serving dish or jelly mould, pour in a thin layer of coconut jelly, let this set- it happens very quick in about 3 minutes, then add a pandan layer and so on until all the mixtures are used. Let the whole thing firm up in the fridge, again it doesn’t take long. 

When you cut it up, take it very steady as it’s slippery and the layers can separate out again!

Gaeng Phed Gai (Red chicken curry)

I tend not to make too many coconut based curries, partly just because there’s so many other Thai dishes to make and red/ green curries crop up just about everywhere but since I was in the mood for one, and I hadn’t covered the recipe for it to date, saw no reason not to include it; there’s a reason it’s one of the most well known Thai dishes! I’ve mentioned it before in the post I did for Green curry http://iwishiwasinthailand.tumblr.com/day/2014/07/27/  but I prefer to use a thinner, less sweet sauce so use half coconut milk half water. By all means if you prefer a thicker, sweeter sauce, use all coconut milk.


For 4 small portions/ 3 big, use:

• 2 small chicken breasts/ 4 skinless thighs, chopped into small cubes


• 50g of red Thai curry paste- use a good one without unnecessary fillers such as Maesri or Mae Ploy


• 200ml coconut milk (freeze the other half if using a tin)


• 200ml water


• mixed crunchy vegetables- I used a packet of pea aubergines, 8 baby corn, halved, a small tin of bamboo shoots and a small handful of green beans, trimmed and halved


• 5 red chillies, chopped


• a nobble of galangal, peeled and finely shredded


• a big splash of fish sauce


• a big pinch of sugar


• 4/5 kaffir lime leaves, rolled into a cigar and finely shredded


• half a packet of Bai Horapha leaves (Thai sweet basil)


• small splash of vegetable oil for frying

Heat the oil in a wok and throw in the curry paste- many kudos if you’ve decided to make your own version (I’m just too lazy and I think the Thai branded versions are excellent). Stir fry the paste for about 30 seconds, making sure it doesn’t burn before adding the coconut milk. Keep stirring, and you should start to see some of the red oils on the top. After 5 minutes of so, add in the raw chicken- stir, and cook for about 5 minutes before adding in the water and tougher vegetables such as the pea aubergines and green beans. Give it another 5 minutes or so before adding in the rest of the veggies, fish sauce, galangal and sugar and cook for a final 5 minutes. When cooked, lightly stir through the sweet basil leaves, they don’t need any cooking as such and sprinkle over the shredded lime leaves and red chilli.

Gai Haw Bai Toey (Chicken Wrapped in Pandan Leaf)

Totally fallen in love with these little guys! I’ve had them once or twice before in Thai restaurants but they always seemed dried out and kind of bland- not so with this recipe. Pandan (or screwpine) is basically just a stiff spiky leaved South East Asian plant that has a slightly perfumed/ grassy flavour when fried. The leaves are just a wrapper, and are not meant to be eaten. I did make a pandan and coconut jelly with the spare leaves but that’s another story for another day….

for 2 people/ starters for 4, use:

• two chicken breasts/ 4 thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into chunks bigger than bite size


• a pack of pandan leaves (only available at Asian grocers), banana leaves are a good substitute.


• a big hefty shake of oyster sauce


• a big splash of light soy sauce


• a small splash of sesame oil


• a small splash of Shaoxing rice wine/ sherry


• a pinch of sugar


• a small handful of fresh coriander, roughly torn


• 4 cloves garlic, peeled


• a big pinch of black pepper


• vegetable oil for frying

Pound up the coriander into a paste, add in the garlic cloves and black pepper until you have a reasonably fine paste. Throw this into a bowl and on top, add the four sauces and sugar. Put into this mix the chunks of chicken and give everything a good stir through. Leave to marinade for one hour, making the dipping sauce in the meantime.

For the dipping sauce, gently warm through…

• a big splash of light soy sauce


• a small splash of dark soy sauce


• a small splash of water


• a finely chopped red chilli


• a sprinkle of sesame seeds

There are basically two ways to wrap up your chicken in the pandan leaves. The easiest way is to take half a strip and just keep wrapping it round the meat, pinning in place with a cocktail stick. The other way is to use the top halves of two leaves ( the pointed tip end); hold these in a V shape, with the base of one leaf on top of the other. Place the chicken ontop of the intersection of the leaves folding left over, then right over, alternating until you reach the end and everything is encased in a little parcel. See my photo above for both types of wrapping.

Set up a steamer/ colander over boiling water and steam the pandan parcels for 10 minutes. They’ll now be cooked but look pasty and dull. Fill the bottom on a wok with oil and now fry them for 5 minutes or so until the leaves are crisp and the chicken has taken on a golden brown colour.

Unwrap and discard the leaves (they’re not meant to be eaten) and dip into the sauce.

Sa Coo Maphraw (Tapioca Coconut Pudding)

I finally used my tapioca pearls to make this gorgeous little dessert Sa Coo Maphraw. Tapioca pearls have a great chewy texture that contrasted really nicely with the creamy sweet, rich coconut and there’s some young coconut blended through and on top for a bit of a slippery crunch. A perfect way to round off a Thai meal.

For two huge portions (or 4 smaller ones) use:

• Half a packet of pre made (coloured) tapioca pearls- the sort used in bubble tea. Had to buy at an Asian grocery shop


• 1 can (400ml) of coconut milk


• 1 young coconut (if available) or half a regular one.


• half a cup of sugar

Start with the whole coconut. Use whatever method works for you to hack your way into the coconut, enjoy the water inside as it’s not needed for the recipe and scrape nice long pieces of coconut from the shell. Leave these for now. Heat a pan of water and boil the tapioca pearls for 5 minutes or however long the packet recommends. While the tapioca pearls are cooking, gently heat the tin of coconut milk and sugar in a separate pan but don’t let it boil. Stir regularly to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved. When the tapioca pearls are done, drain them and put them straight in to the coconut milk or they will start to stick together. Add in half of your fresh coconut peelings and stir everything together. You’re done- just divide the mixture amongst your serving glasses and top off with the remaining fresh coconut. Best served warm but can be left to go cool if you  prefer.

No to Mediterranean Basil in Thai Food !!!

This winds me right up- so much so I just made the silly sign above to prove it. Thai restaurants in the UK (and in the US too?) that use Mediterranean basil instead of Thai basil.

I went out to a Thai restaurant for a friend’s birthday last night and ordered my favourite meal- chicken with Thai sweet  basil and let me say, on the menu had the Romanised Thai name Phad Bai Horapha which means sweet basil. What was otherwise a pleasant dish came with feckin Italian basil leaves on the top!! Nearly every Thai restaurant I’ve been to in the last 5 years does this. Every time I feel cheated and it does nothing for the flavour. ARRRRGGGGHH! Thai restaurants of the UK- for God’s sake if you can’t source Thai basil, holy, sweet or otherwise, stop pretending your customers are too stupid to tell the difference between something that should be on top of a pizza and something that should belong in a Thai curry! Rant over.

Yam Hua Plee Gai (Banana Blossom & Chicken Salad)

This was one tasty salad- a bit like my favourite Som Tam, it’s kind of an addictive salad- fresh, crunchy, nutty, salty, hot, sweet and sour- it’s pretty much perfect! I think there must be a lot of Vietnamese/ Cambodian influence in this salad as it’s so similar in style- lots of mint and crunchy raw veggies. The banana blossom although looking beautiful isn’t really essential and could easily be substituted with white cabbage.

For two portions use:

• two chicken portions ( thigh/drumsticks or breasts)


• half a red onion, shredded


• 1 banana blossom or ¼ of a white cabbage


• white (wine) vinegar if using a banana blossom


• a small handful of peanuts


• 1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed, outer layer peeled off, finely chopped


• a few kaffir lime leaves (optional) ripped into small bits


• a big handful of mint leaves


• 4 cloves of garlic, 2 finely chopped


• 2 red chillies, roughly chopped


• a teaspoon or so of chilli flakes


• juice of 1 lime


• big splash of fish sauce


• a big pinch of sugar


• a small amount of veg oil for frying

Start by poaching your chicken, plain water is fine, until they are fully cooked, 30-40 minutes should do it.

While this is going on, prepare the banana blossom if you are using one. In a bowl fill it half way with cold water and add a hefty splash of white vinegar- this will stop the banana blossom oxidising and going brown after its peeled. Start by peeling off all the purple outer petals, stopping when you get to the creamy white ones. Trim the stalk and tip and cut the whole thing in half lengthways. Place the flat side down on your board and slice thinly widthways. Get the sliced blossom submerged in the vinegary water straight away. 

Make the dressing- pound up the chillies and 2 whole garlic cloves until you have a rough paste. Add in the sugar, pound, then stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Leave this to one side for now.

The frying bit- add a small amount of oil to a wok or frying pan and heat quite high. Fry the red onion until it starts to get a bit crispy, throw in the chopped garlic, lemongrass, peanuts and lime leaves for the last minute or so and then turn the whole thing out into a bowl. 

Once the chicken’s cooked, leave it to cool for a while before shredding all the meat. Mix this with the cooked ingredients, mint leaves, chilli flakes and (drained) banana blossom. Tip the dressing over and use your hands to give everything a good stir though. If you’ve used them, serve the salad on top of the banana petals.

Pla Pao (Salt Crusted Baked Fish)

More lovely fish :) One of the good things to have come out of my move to North Yorkshire is access to a new supermarket (Morrisons) which (imho) has much better fish than the other major supermarket chains. So I’ve been eating much more of it of late. This is a great recipe, fun to do and fairly quick and easy- the salt crust keeps everything really juicy inside.

For two people you’ll need:

• Two fish (tilapia, sea bass, bream etc.) LEAVE SCALES ON THE FISH! Very important!!


• 500g salt


• a handful of flour


• a splash of water


• a few sticks of lemongrass, bashed

and for the Nam Jim seafood sauce use:

• juice of 1 lime


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla) all supermarkets sell it


• 3 more garlic cloves, peeled


• 3 or 4 green Thai chillies


• a small handful of coriander, finely chopped


• a pinch of sugar

Heat the oven to about 180 degrees/ 350F/ gas 4. In a bowl mix up the salt, flour and splash of water- you should have a thick paste. Take the fish (and remember the fish wants it’s scaled LEFT ON for this recipe) and stuff the bashed lemongrass stalks inside the cavity. Place the fish onto a baking tray and press a thin coating of the salt paste all over the fish but avoid getting in inside the cavity. Bake it in the oven, very gently turning it over after 20 minutes or so. Altogether it should take about 30-40 minutes or until the crust is rock hard and brown. 

While the fish is baking, make the Nam Jim seafood sauce. In a pestle and mortar, bash up the 3 garlic cloves and green chillies for a moment till you have a rough paste. Add in the chopped coriander, pinch of sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Stir it well and pour out in a small bowl for later on.

When the fish is done, very carefully lift it out, peeling the whole crust and skin off the fish- try to keep the all the salt away from the freshly exposed fish. Serve alongside some coriander and the nam jim seafood sauce.

Stock up at Nong Fern, Leeds

Took a trip to Nong Fern Thai Leeds yesterday for supplies. Picked up some exciting Thai ingredients so this week will be making banana blossom and chicken salad (Yam Hua Plee Gai) and Tapioca pearl coconut pudding (Sa Coo Mapraw)

Hoi Lai Pad Nam Prik Pao (Clams fried in roasted chilli paste)

I’ve been wanting to make this for ages but despite living on an island, we don’t always have access to great seafood here in the UK, much of it being exported or used in the restaurant trade. However, Booths (which is a top end northern England family supermarket chain) sells fantastic, fresh food, including shellfish so as a treat I collected my pre-ordered clams (and was given a free extra handful- ‘just in case’) which came to just over £8 and would have comfortably served 3 people and toddled off home to make this for tea.

With reference to Thailand, shellfish is not overly expensive and for those living nearer the coast, it is everyday food. It was also the first time I got to use one of my new ingredients- Nam Prik Pao, which is a roasted chilli paste and contains (along with chillies) tamarind, shrimp paste and a host of other ingredients. So overall, I make no apologies- this one isn’t an easy substitution dish as it contains quite a few specialist Thai ingredients.

For two people use:

• 500g of very fresh clams (or mussels), cleaned and dead ones (they don’t close when squeezed) thrown away


• a tablespoon of nam prik pao (roasted chilli paste)


• 4 or 5 red Thai chillies, sliced


• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine


• a small splash of fish sauce (nam pla)


• a small splash of oyster sauce


• a small splash of water


• a handful of sweet Thai basil (bai horapa)


• a pinch of sugar


• vegetable oil for frying

Heat the oil in a wok and when hot, throw in the garlic. Stir fry it for a few seconds before adding in the roasted chilli paste. Give this a good fry for about 30 seconds before adding the chillies, sugar and all the sauces/ water. Throw in the cleaned clams and stir fry. Ideally- find a lid or kitchen implement that can cover the wok so the clams begin to steam, Keep frying and gently shaking the clams in the sauce for about ¾ minutes- they should all now be open. For the last few seconds, toss through the Thai sweet basil and serve alongside rice. 

Note- if any clams have failed to fully open, throw them out- they may have been dead before cooking began.

A little bit of inspiration for the day…

courtesy of Erika’s Travel Tips- http://www.facebook.com/erikastraveltips

Sankaya Mamuang (Mango Custard)

Hurrah!! I finally did another Thai dessert! this little lovely is a baked mango coconut custard; it’s very much like a soufflé in that it’s baked in the oven, rises and then sinks a bit after you take it out. It’s also good if you don’t like really sweet desserts. I’m also not totally sure if this is a ‘real’ Thai desert- sankaya is normally used inside a pumpkin and then steams as it cooks, you then get a big wedge of softened pumpkin and creamy custard inside. However, mixing in mango puree into the custard mix is much quicker and gives more predictable results.

For two people use:

• 1 juicy mango, pureed


• 2 eggs, beaten


• a small handful of sugar


• 150ml of coconut milk


• optional- shavings of coconut


• a very small amount of vegetable oil

Get the oven heated up, medium high, about 180 degrees/ 350F/ gas 4. Using just a few drops of vegetable oil, grease the bowls/ ramekins/ pots you will cook and serve in. Mix the pureed mango, beaten eggs, sugar and coconut milk in a bowl and pour this in until the mixture sits about a fingers width below the rim. Put the dishes into the oven and bake for about 35 minutes. Like a soufflé, it will rise and then fall as you take it out. Shave over some coconut flakes to serve and be careful- it will be really hot! 

Khao Mok Neua (Beef Biryani)

Biryani may not immediately come to mind when you think of Thai food but Khao Mok is an incredibly popular Southern Thai dish. It borrows a lot of flavours and it’s cooking style from Malaysia and Indian food and is popular in the south where the population is majority Muslim unlike central and northern areas of Thailand that have largely Buddhist populations. It does have a lot of similarities with Indian biryani’s but also has some classic Thai ingredients that makes it stand out as being quite different. Beef isn’t particularly common in Thailand and is considered by some to be of poorer quality compared to other meats but as this is a slower cooked dish and has been pre marinated, it becomes tender. Chicken is probably used more often for Khao Mok (Khao Mok Gai). 

For 3 big/ 4 small portions, use:

• 300g of beef (I used shin but feel free to use whatever cut you like), trimmed and cut into chunky cubes


• a  handful of coriander, finely chopped


• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped


• a thumb sized piece of ginger, finely chopped


• a big piece of fresh tumeric, finely chopped (morrisons sell it) or 1 teaspoon dried


• a big splash of fish sauce


• a big of salt

Mix all these ingredients up in a bowl. Leave them for a minimum of 1 hr, up to overnight if you have the time.

While marinating, make the dipping sauce. Use a small food processor, pestle and mortar or your chopping skills and mix together:

• 3 or 4 red or green chillies


• a handful of fresh mint leaves


• a handful of fresh coriander


• a small piece of galangal/ ginger or a mixture


• a big pinch of sugar


• a splash of vinegar (malt or white)

Set it aside for serving with the biryani at the end

Now to make the biryani. Use:

• 1.5 cups of white rice


• 2-2.5 cups of chicken stock


• about 20 Thai shallots or 1 red onion, finely sliced


• 1 chopped tomato


• a few cardamom pods


• a few bay leaves


• a few cinnamon sticks


• a big pinch of black pepper


• oil for frying

Heat oil in a pan, fry the onion/shallots until they have browned (about 5-10 mins). Add in the spices and fry for a minute or so. Add in the tomato, fry again for another minute. Now add the meat and all it’s paste. Fry well for about 5 minutes until it has some colour. Add in the dry rice next and fry this in the oils for a couple of minutes before adding 2 cups of stock (keep the other half cup on hand if it dries out too much). Give everything a good stir and pop on a lid. Let the whole thing cook on low for about half an hour, keeping an eye on the rice to make sure it hasn’t dried out too much. Add a bit more stock if it needs it.

Finally, turn off the heat and let the biryani rest and steam for it a bit. When you spoon it out don’t forget to get a few of the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan. Serve it with the minty dip, some cucumber slices and  a sprinkle of coriander over the whole thing.

Pad See Ew (Soy Sauce Noodles)

Finally, we’re having a break from pork with this super quick vegetarian noodle dish. It’s pretty standard street food fare up and down Thailand. Can become meaty, this is a tofu-ey version. This doesn’t require any complicated ingredients, everything can be easily found in a regular supermarket. Ready to eat in about 10 minutes!

For one person (multiply as needed for more portions)

• a small handful of dried rice stick noodles


• a fist sized chunk of broccoli, stem and floret, cut into small pieces


• a small handful of mange tout (or other crunchy veg)


• 1 egg


• half a pack of tofu (it freezes/thaws very well)


• 2 big cloves of garlic, finely sliced


• a small pinch sugar


• a splash of light soy sauce


• a splash of dark soy sauce


• a pinch of pepper


• 1-2 chillies, chopped and mixed in white wine vinegar, for sprinkling


• veg oil for frying

Start by chopping chillies and let them ‘pickle’ in the vinegar while you make the dish. You can make big batches of this and keep it covered in the fridge for your next Thai meal. 

Next, start soaking your dried rice noodles in warm water for about ten minutes- you don’t want them to feel soggy, just slightly softened.

Heat the oil in a wok, throw in the garlic and stir fry for a few seconds before adding the drained noodles, let them sit and get a bit crispy on the bottom before stir frying again. Add in the vegetables and fry for a minute before shoving these to one side of the wok, breaking in the egg and let it just sit and cook for 30 seconds, gently break up and let it sit again for another 30 seconds, break it up, sit for another 30 seconds, break it up and stir everything together. Throw in the tofu and stir/toss gently to mix everything through before adding the pepper, sugar and dark and light soy sauces, Toss through for a few more seconds before turning everything out onto a plate. Sprinkle over a bit more pepper and as much of the chillies in vinegar as you like.

Facebook Page ?

Just wanted to say thank you to all you recent followers, I’ve hit 50 followers today!  Where in the world is everyone from?

I also have a facebook page for my blog- http://www.facebook.com/iwishiwasinthailand

Would love to see you over there! Naomi x

Moo Pad Gratiem Prik Thai (Pork Fried with Garlic and Pepper)

Right, I promise no more pork for a while after this, but this one is a little different this time- This dish is a common one you’ll find in Thai restaurants over here and in Thailand but using chopped pork ribs is much more common in Thailand and, to be honest, much more satisfying as you have to get a bit messy and get hands on with your food.

You’ll need for two:

• about 6 meaty pork ribs, use a cleaver to cut them into inch long pieces (please use a good solid wooden chopping board- I did this on my plastic meat board and chopped it into two!)


• a whole bulb of garlic, finely chopped


• a very large pinch of ground pepper


• a small pinch of sugar


• a big splash of light soy sauce


• a big splash of oyster sauce


• lots of vegetable oil for frying

Heat a deep pan or wok with the vegetable oil. When it’s medium hot, add in the rib pieces. You want them to cook fairly slowly, that way they’ll get really crispy. If the oils too hot, they will cook too fast on the outside and not all the way through. They will probably need 10-15 minutes deep frying. When they’re brown and crispy, drain onto paper towels.

Empty out the wok and add a small splash of cooking oil. Heat the wok onto high, throw in all the garlic for just a few seconds before tossing the ribs back in with the two sauces and the sugar and pepper, stir fry for just another minute or so and turn out onto your serving plate. Sprinkle a bit more pepper over the ribs and serve with a salad- it’ll balance out the deep fried pork and you’ll think you’re being at least vaguely healthy!

Yam Moo Yang (Grilled Pork Salad)

I know I promised more pork and here’s the first of two. However, this must be one of the healthiest ways to eat pork, super lean, no oils and a load of veggies and spices. It took hardly any time at all to make and works really well as a lunch for next day (just don’t pour the dressing over until you eat it). A perfect example of using the Thai 4 flavours (salty, sweet, sour and spicy) to make salad come alive!

For two people use:

• a lean whole piece of boneless pork (tenderloin, leg etc.)


• half a white or red onion, cut into strips


• a stalk of celery, cut in thin slices


• about 15 cherry tomatoes, halved


• a big handful of coriander leaves and stems, ripped up


• a small handful of mint leaves, ripped up

and for the dressing use:

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled


• 3 red chillies, roughly chopped


• a big pinch of sugar


• juice of 1 lime


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla)

If you need to, trim the pork of any extra fat before placing in onto a foil lined tray and under a low-medium grill, keep a close eye on it and keep turning it so it doesn’t burn, depending on the size/shape of your pork, it may be about 15 mins. Once cooked, check to make sure its cooked all the way through before cutting into fairly thick slices. Leave to one side.

Now make the dressing, pound up the garlic and chillies in a mortar before adding in the sugar, lime and fish sauce. Put all the salad ingredients into a bowl, throw in the pork and briefly coat everything in the dressing before eating. 

That’s it, very easy!

Pla Rad Prik (Fish in Chilli Sauce)

There’s been a lot of pork on the menu recently and head’s up- there’s more to come. I can’t help it- pork is the commonest meat in Thailand and it tastes sooo good! For today though, still not exactly healthy- a deep fried fish in a sweet and sour chilli sauce. Very satisfying and pretty quick to make too.

For two people use:

• two whole white fish- the sea bass looked good today so I got those


• 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped


• ½ onion, finely chopped


• 5 or 6 red chillies, finely chopped


• 2 tablespoons sugar


• a big splash fish sauce (nam pla)


• a big splash of tamarind liquid (use juice 1 lime if you can’t get it)


• Some coriander leaves, roughly ripped up


• lots of vegetable/ sunflower oil for deep frying

Take a minute to make sure your fish have been scaled first otherwise this dish will be godawful. Then use a sharp knife to cut deep slits along both sides of the fish. Heat a wok half full of oil on a low- medium heat and when it’s reasonably hot, slide the fish in. They want to cook fairly slowly, don’t touch them AT ALL. Once the fish are in, start the sauce..,

Heat a small amount of oil in another pan, gently fry the onion, chilli and garlic until soft for about 3 minutes before adding in the sauces and sugar and a splash of water too. Let in reduce down while the fish continue to cook. 

After the fish has been cooking for 10 minutes on one side, use ladles/ spatulas, plates, whatever, to very gently turn in over. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes- it should end up being very crispy.

When the fish is done, gently lift it out onto a plate, pour over the chilli sauce which should be syrupy and scatter the coriander leaves around.

Moo Satay & Ajaad (Pork Satay and Cucumber Pickle)

(or the satay that isn’t really). If you’re wondering why there are no sticks that’s because I forgot to buy them before I made the recipe. It was too late to go out and buy them so just imagine the meat came on sticks ok?

This dish takes a little bit of prep time but is fairly straightforward to do, both the sauce and the pickle can be made ahead of time.


Ingredients for enough for two:

For the marinade:

• 200g of lean pork, cut into reasonably thin slivers


• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder


• 1 stalk of lemongrass, trimmed and very finely chopped


• a big splash of light soy sauce


• 1/3 can coconut milk


• a big pinch of sugar

For the peanut sauce:

• a heaped tablespoon of Massaman curry paste (some supermarkets sell this)


• the remaining 2/3 can coconut milk


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla) an easy supermarket find these days


• a large handful of salted peanuts


• a small splash of tamarind extract (if you can’t find this add the juice of half a lime)


• a heaped tablespoon of sugar


• 4 cloves of chopped garlic


• a small piece of galangal (use ginger if you can’t get it), very finely chopped


• 3 small red chillies, very finely chopped


• 4/5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded and chopped very fine (some supermarkets sell them fresh, dried are pretty rubbish- use lime zest instead


• 1 stalk of lemon grass, trimmed and very finely chopped

For the cucumber pickle:

• 3-4 inch piece of cucumber, peeled, seeds scooped out then finely chopped


• a small piece of red onion/ shallot very finely chopped


• 1 or 2 small red chillies, very finely chopped


• a big glug of white wine vinegar


• a big pinch of sugar

Start with the pork marinade- place the pork in a bowl and add all the ingredients listed. Stir well then leave somewhere cool for at least 1 hour, longer if you want.


While the pork marinades, make the pickle. Mix all the pickle ingredients in a small bowl and leave it to sit while you made the peanut sauce.


Start off by toasting the peanuts over a medium heat in a frying pan. Keep watching them and moving them about so they don’t burn, toast until they just begin to change colour. Take them off the heat, pouring in to a pestle and mortar and crush them. Take them out and put them to one side for now. Put all the herby ingredients (garlic, galangal, chilli, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves in the mortar and bash these up into a more paste- like substance. Into the empty frying pan, over a medium heat; add this paste and the leftover coconut milk and the remainder of the sauce ingredients. Let this heat through for 5 minutes, before adding the crushed peanuts. It’ll take a while, maybe 15 minutes, but very slowly reduce this down until you have a thick and gloopy sauce. this can now be kept to one side until serving time.


Back to the pork- thread the meat onto skewers and cook under a medium high grill for about 10 minutes, turning as needed. Let them get a little bit of char to them. If, like me you forget the sticks, just lay the pieces of meat onto a foil covered grill try in one layer and cook in the same way.


Finally, grab your three components and get dipping!

Sai Oua (Thai Sausage)

I’m back! I’ve been away for a week or so, having escaped from my little Yorkshire town for a bit- It’s been a busy week of weddings, conferences, visits to the capital and travelling up and down the country so time to enjoy some great Thai food again. Sai Oua (which actually means stuffed intestines- or basically sausages to you and me) are pretty much the same as our regular sausage, they usually come in the style of a Cumberland sausage, i.e. in a big coil but yellow from turmeric and full of Thai flavours. When buying at the Thai food stall you can ask for whatever length of grilled sausage you desire, or can even buy the whole coil. The picture below isn’t the prettiest but it is damn tasty and I wholly recommend you give the recipe a try.

This makes enough for 2 people:

• 6 pork sausages of your choice (please use decent ones though)


• 25g of red Thai curry paste (roughly a heaped tablespoon)


• two stalks of lemongrass, trimmed and very finely chopped


• a few stalks of coriander, stem is best, very finely chopped


• a small knob of galangal very finely chopped (some supermarkets have it)


• a few kaffir lime leaves, very finely chopped (some supermarkets sell fresh)


• a big teaspoon of turmeric powder


• a pinch of sugar


• a small splash of Thai fish sauce (nam pla) all supermarkets sell it

Into a bowl, squeeze out the sausage meat from the skins, then add all the other ingredients. Mix gently but thoroughly by hand until everything is well blended, and your fingers are probably bright yellow. Wet your hands and form the meat into sausage shapes again. I should say by the way, this recipe presumes you don’t have a sausage maker. If you do, by all means make a long coil in the traditional way. But otherwise, place your hand rolled sausages under a grill and cook on a medium heat until a little char forms and the meat is cooked right through, about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice and ideally a cucumber pickle (recipe to follow soon) or your favourite chilli dipping sauce.

Yum Tua Pu (Wing Bean Salad)

I made this recipe a few weeks ago now and wings beans, for me were a totally new ingredient. I went away and did a bit of research on the most popular ways to cook them and came out with this- Yam Tua Puu. It’s a side dish on it’s own but could definitely be a main dish for one over rice. It’s also quite hard to describe- the beans have a satisfying crunch to them and the sauce is creamy, sweet, salty, vinegar (rather than lime) sour. It’s a really moreish dish- if you can get hold of wing beans from an Asian supermarket, please give it a go.

For a small side dish use:

• 1 packet of wing beans, trim off the ends and cut them into inch long pieces. Use green beans otherwise

 

Wing beans (pic courtesy of ‘the food canon’)

• ½ an onion, finely sliced


• 3 cloves of garlic


• 3 red chillies


• 200ml coconut milk (if using a tin freeze other half)


• a small handful of peanuts (crushed)


• a big splash of light soy sauce


• a big pinch of sugar


• a big splash of white wine vinegar


• juice of half a lime


• vegetable oil for frying

Start off by heating plenty of oil in a wok or frying pan and deep fry the onion slices until their dark brown (but not burnt!) and crispy. Drain them on kitchen paper. Next pre cook the wing beans for just 2 minutes in boiling water, then drain them and set aside.In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic cloves and chillies into a rough paste.

Back to the wok/frying pan, heat the remaining oil and very briefly, fry the garlic/ chilli paste, a few seconds later add all the sauce ingredients- coconut milk, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and let this cook down for three or four minutes before adding the beans back in, along with the lime juice and cook for just a couple more minutes. Have a taste to check on the seasoning before pouring it out into a dish. Sprinkle over the crushed peanuts and crispy onions.

Gaeng Massaman Gai (Muslim Curry with Chicken)

The name reflects this curry’s historic roots. Massaman or Matsaman is a deviation of the word Muslim and this dish borrows it’s flavours from southern Thailand and Malaysian cuisine where the local population is of a majority Muslim faith. That said, you won’t find pork in this curry, unlike many other Thai dishes from central or Northern Thailand where the majority faith is Buddhism and pork is widely eaten. Massaman curries are easy to make, have very few ingredients, are creamy, salty, a little sweet and are very mild due to the lack of chillies.

For 3 big or 4 smaller portions, use:

• 2 big chicken breasts, cubed


• 2 big potatoes, cut in large chunks


• 1 onion, cut into large pieces


• a small handful of peanuts (lightly salted or unsalted)


• 50g Massaman curry paste (I’ve used Aroy- D brand but some supermarkets sell their own Massaman pastes)


• 1 can (400ml) coconut milk


• 1 cup water (maybe more, maybe less depending how thin you want your curry to be)


• a big pinch sugar


• a big splash of tamarind concentrate (use more lime juice if you don’t have access to an Asian supermarket for this) 


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla)


• a lime for squeezing over

Boil a pan of water, when boiling add the cubed potatoes and par boil for just 5 minutes. Drain and save them for later. In the now empty pan, heat on high and add the coconut cream- the thick part of the contents of the tin, throw in the curry paste and stir to mix through, you should start to see the red oils separate. When this happens, add the chicken and stir for a moment before adding the thin coconut milk, stir and turn the heat down to a simmer. Add the water. I prefer a thinner curry so use almost equal amounts of water and coconut milk. If you prefer a thicker curry, use less or even no water. Let this cook for 10 minutes before adding the onions and potatoes. Add in the fish sauce, sugar and if you have it, the tamarind (or lime juice). After another 5 minutes it should be ready. Stir half the peanuts through and sprinkle the other half over the top of the curry when you dish it out. Squeeze more lime over and serve with hot fluffy white rice.

Guay Tiew Reua (Boat Noodles)

Boat Noodles are a Bangkok speciality; a spicy bowl of aromatic broth, filled with rice noodles, meat and/ or fish, raw veggies and herbs before being adjusted to the taste of the eater with lime, fish sauce and sugar. They are usually served up in small bowls and it’s common to order up numerous bowls during the course of a meal! These aren’t totally authentic due to my squeamishness; the real ones usually contain liquid pig’s blood to thicken and darken the broth. Once the broth is made, everything else is literally dipped into the broth for a few seconds to heat through before being piled into a bowl. This is a recipe for the committed; it takes a while to make and prepare!

For two people ( a few bowls each) use:

For the broth:

• half of a pork tenderloin


• 1 litre water


• a big splash of light soy sauce


• a small splash dark soy sauce


• a big piece of galangal (available in some supermarkets) or ginger, in slices


• 2 or 3 lemongrass stalks, bashed up and left whole


• a small handful coriander stems/roots, ripped up


• 4 garlic cloves, bashed up


• a big pinch sugar


• a big pinch pepper


• 5 star anise (supermarkets sell this in the spices section

Fillings:

• The cooked pork tenderloin (see broth)


• Two nests/packets of dried rice noodles


• A packet of pork or fish balls (only available in Asian supermarkets- substitute more meat, veggies or seafood


• half a bag of bean sprouts


• a handful a green leafy veggies (pak choi, choi sum, spinach) 


• 4 spring onions, finely sliced


• a small handful of coriander leaves

Toppings:

• 1 lime, cut into wedges

and mix together:

• a big splash of nam pla (fish sauce)


• red chillies, chopped fine


• 1 clove garlic, chopped

Start with the broth. Put all the broth ingredients into a very large pan. Bring it slowly up to the boil before turning it down and letting it simmer gently for an hour or so. Top up with more water if needed. After an hour, take out the pork and put to one side. Sieve out all rest of the solid broth ingredients and get rid of them, they’ve done their job. Slice the pork loin thinly and leave for the assembly stage.

Assembling the noodles. Put the pork or fish balls into the simmering broth and let these cook through for 5 minutes. In the mean time, prepare the dried rice noodles as per the packet instructions, usually they need soaking for a few minutes first. For this next bit you’ll need a small sieve or metal slotted spoon or a Chinese spider utensil in which to dip and cook your filling ingredients in the broth. Place half the noodles into your utensil and lower them into the hot broth until they are just submerged. Swirl them about in the broth for about 20 seconds to cook before turning them out into 2 bowls. In turn, repeat this process with the half the leafy veg, then half the bean sprouts. Next the sliced pork loin- dip and place a few slices over the noodles. Scoop out a few of the floating pork or fish bowls and add these to your bowl before sprinkling over some of the sliced spring onions and a few sprigs of coriander. 

Finally (breathing a sigh of relief) sprinkle over some of the chillies in fish sauce and squeeze a lime wedge over before sinking in to your well deserved bowl of boat noodles (don’t forget you still have equal amount of ingredients for bowl number 2!)

Pad Thai Talay (Seafood Fried Noodles)

I’ll say straight up, Pad Thai, despite being probably the second most famous Thai dish, sitting just after green/red curries, is one of my least favourite Thai meals, but it is one of my husband’s favourites. I’ve been cooking a lot of dishes with rice on the side recently so promised him a noodle dish for a change. I also had both squid and prawns in so a seafood Pad Thai it was. Saying that, I did still really enjoy it!

For 3 smaller portions/ 2 hungry portions use:

• Rice noodles (made to packet instructions- usually pre soaked then stir fried to finish ) or 3 sachets of ready to wok rice noodles (Amoy’s brand aren’t bad)


• seafood of your choice- I’ve used half a bag of raw king prawns and 100g baby squid, cleaned, trimmed, scored in a cross hatch pattern on both sides so it’ll curl up when fried then cut into inch square pieces


• a really big handful of bean sprouts


• 2 eggs, beaten in a cup


• a small handful of coriander, loosely ripped


• a small handful of peanuts, roughly broken in a pestle and mortar


• 3 spring onions, finely chopped


• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped


• a big splash fish sauce (nam pla- available in all supermarkets)


• a big pinch of sugar


• juice of 1 lime, plus another sliced in half for squeezing over


• a few chillies, chopped for sprinkling over


• a big splash of vegetable oil for frying

Heat the oil up in a wok until it’s really hot and throw in the garlic for just a few seconds before adding the seafood, keep stirring and fry for 2 minutes until the prawns are pink nearly all over. Shove this off to one side of the wok and pour the beaten eggs into the empty side. Let them sit for a few seconds, then scramble, leave and scramble, repeat until the eggs are fully cooked then stir everything back together. Throw in the spring onions and bean sprouts, stir frying for another minute before putting in the drained noodles (or sachet noodles if using ready to wok). Stir fry for 1 minute, leave them to sit for a minute if you like a bit of char on your noodles. Next add in the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice, stir and have a taste to see if it needs any more.

Turn the Pad Thai out onto a plate and top with the crushed peanuts, coriander, chopped chillies and squeeze over half a lime.

Moo Pad Med Mamuang Himmaparn (Pork fried with cashew nuts)

I love the Thai name for cashew nuts- mamuang = mango, himmaparn = paradise. Mangoes from paradise! How did we end up with that? It’s not a healthy dish as the pork is deep fried, in fact it’s very much like a something you’d get from a Chinese takeaway, from where this dish originates. I remember eating this stir fry on the night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai back in 2006. Along with traders hopping on and off the trains to try and sell you snacks, there’s also a kitchen car on board and at some point in the journey a man will come round with a laminated menu, you pick what you want and some hours later at dinner time, your styrofoam box arrives with your order…

For 3 portions use:

• 300g of lean pork, cut into small chunks


• a small handful of green beans, chopped into inch pieces


• 1 small onion, cut into big pieces


• 4 dried red chillies


• a big handful of unsalted cashews


• 3 spring onions, cut into inch long pieces


• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped


• 1 cup plain flour


• a big splash of soy sauce


• a big splash of oyster sauce


• a small splash of dark soy sauce


• a small splash of sesame oil


• a small splash of fish sauce


• a pinch of sugar


• vegetable oil for deep frying/ frying

Start by heating some oil in a frying pan. Throw in the dried red chillies and heat on high, the chillies will turn darker, but don’t let them burn. After 30 seconds, take them out and drain on kitchen paper. Keep the oil on and now fry the cashew nuts, this will take about 2 minutes, keep them moving and again, don’t let them burn but let them take on some colour. Spoon out and drain on kitchen paper. Put the flour in a bowl or clean plastic bag and add all the pork, shaking it about so it’s fully coated in flour. 

In a deep pan or wok, heat enough oil up to deep fry. When it’s very hot, add the pork, shaking off the extra flour. Do it in batches if you need to and deep fry until crispy for about 3-4 minutes. Once again, when all the pork is fried, put it into kitchen paper to drain.

Back to the frying pan, and add a little bit more oil if it needs it. Start by frying the onions, let them get a bit of char, after 2/3 mins add in the garlic and green beans. Fry for 2 more mins and now throw in the cooked pork and spring onions. Cook for 2 more minutes and add the cashews and chillies, stir for a minute or so more before adding in all the sauces and seasoning. Just a few more minutes of stir frying and it’s ready to eat!

Moo Pad Prik Gaeng (Pork Stir Fried in Red Curry Paste)

After an eventful weekend back home involving running down mountains in a thunderstorm, getting wasps in places where wasps definitely shouldn’t be and spending some quality time with friends at weddings and indoor BBQs, it was time to cook up a simple and quick Thai dish when I got back to Yorkshire. This quick street food dish needs just 6 ingredients…


For two portions use:

• 200g lean pork, sliced thinly


• a handful of green beans, cut in half


• 50g of red curry paste (Mae Ploy is a good one if you can get it)


• a big splash of Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce)


• a pinch of sugar


• about 6 kaffir lime leaves (Sainsburys sell them fresh, use lime zest otherwise), ripped up


• Vegetable oil for frying (and no I’m not counting this as an ingredient!)

Heat a splash of oil in a wok, when it’s hot, add the curry paste, stir fry for around 30 seconds- it should be smelling really pungent. Add in the pork and stir fry for 3 minutes until it’s almost cooked. Throw in the beans, cook for another minute before adding the fish sauce, sugar and lime leaves- and that’s it. Serve with rice.

Told you this was quick one!

Khao Niew Mamuang (Sticky Rice & Mango)

Okay so it’s about time I did a dessert, even though I’ll admit I’m not a big dessert person. Thai desserts (to me anyway) seem to fall into three categories, heavy starch based dishes; usually sweetened, such as this one, incredibly sweet confectionery based ones or prepared fruits. There’s also the ubiquitous Thai pancake which is always popular with visiting tourist, usually filled with combinations of bananas and condensed milk. This one should be familiar to anyone who’s ever had rice pudding.


For two servings use:

• 1 ripe mango, peeled and cut in half (cut either side of the stone) and cut into wedges.


• 1 cup of rice (risotto, sushi, sweet or Thai sticky) all work


• 200ml of coconut milk (if using a tin, freeze the other half)


• 50g sugar

Start this the day/night before. Put the rice in a bowl of cold water and leave covered to soak until you want to start making the sticky rice. When you’re ready to start drain, (but don’t rinse) the rice. Now I don’t have a rice steamer, if you do, congratulations; follow the instructions on how to use it. Otherwise, get a pan of water boiling, place the drained rice in a sieve over the boiling water, making sure the water is sitting below the level of the sieve, cover it with a tight fitting lid and begin steaming the rice for 30-45 minutes until it’s soft and sticky. While it’s steaming, in a small part, gently heat the coconut milk and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.


When the rice is done, scrape it out into a bowl, pour over half of the sweetened coconut milk, cover it over and leave it to absorb for another 10 minutes or so.


When you’re ready to serve, place a spoonful of the coconut sticky rice next to the sliced mango and drizzle over the rest of the coconut milk.

Pla Tod Gratiem & Nam Jim Seafood

This has been my attempt to re create a dish I first had in Thailand 10 years ago. I can’t even remember exactly where I was when I ate it- I remember sitting nearby a river, it may have been Kanchanaburi. Anyway, it was a deep fried fish with a solid crust of minced garlic- way more garlic than I’ve used in my recipe and the crust of garlic had to be hacked away to reveal the fish inside. When we asked what kind of fish had been used we got a simple answer- river fish, perhaps it had been some sort of catfish. In my recipe I’ve used farmed bream. The sauce is another classic Thai dipping sauce (nam jim just means dipping sauce) and bizarrely, Thai’s do actually called it ‘Nam Jim Seafood’ or Sauce Seafood’!! This dish doesn’t require anything obscure, everything is easily found at a regular supermarket.


For 2 you’ll need:

• 2 meaty firm fish, sea bream worked very well


• 2-3 BULBS of garlic- minced


• a beaten egg


• a big pinch of salt and pepper


• vegetable oil for deep frying


• juice of 1 lime


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla) all supermarkets sell it


• 3 more garlic cloves, peeled


• 3 or 4 green Thai chillies


• a small handful of coriander, finely chopped


• a pinch of sugar

Start by making the Nam Jim Seafood. In a pestle and mortar, bash up the 3 garlic cloves and green chillies for a moment till you have a rough paste. Add in the chopped coriander, pinch of sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Stir it well and pour out in a small bowl for later on.


Next get the fried garlic prepared. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan. It doesn’t want to be too hot or the garlic will burn, keep the heat quite low. Add the garlic so it just gently sizzles and keep stirring regularly until the garlic lightly browns, may take up to 10 minutes. Once browned, scoop out (reserve flavoured oil) and drain on kitchen paper before transferring to a flat plate. On another plate, pour the beaten egg.


Now get the fish ready. Using sharp scissors, trim off all the fins but leave the head and tail. Most fish will already come gutted but will probably require scaling- don’t miss this, it’ll be horrible otherwise- use a sharp knife to scrape off all the scales under cold running water. Pat dry and cut a few deep slits on each side of the fish. Add more oil to the garlickly oil from just before and heat high. When it’s hot add your fish and cook on high for about 5 minutes either side, use a spatula and a plate to very gently turn them over. When the fish is fully cooked through, lift them out very gently and carefully dip the fish into the beaten egg- on both sides, before transferring it into the plate of crispy garlic, and coat both sides. Transfer the fish back to the hot oil, for just a minute on each side until the crust has formed.


Serve with rice, fresh coriander, a lime for squeezing over and the Nam Jim Seafood.

Tom Yum Goong (Hot & Sour Prawn Soup)

Another Thai classic and another one that features on Thai restaurant menus everywhere. I can highly recommend this one if you have a cold, are feeling under the weather or have been over indulging as it’s full of vitamins and will clear your head! It’s also extremely low fat but has plenty of protein so ideal if you want a healthy Thai option.


For two bowls use:

• 2.5 cups of chicken broth


• a big splash of fish sauce


• 2 sticks of lemongrass, bashed (all supermarkets sell it fresh)


• a few slices of galangal (some supermarkets sell it but use ginger if you can’t get it)


• juice of 1 big lime


• 5 or 6 six kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn (lime zest works well too)


• a small handful of coriander, roughly chopped


• a big pinch of sugar


• a handful of oyster mushrooms (or regular) shredded


• half a packet of large prawns


• 6 red Thai chillies


• 2 cloves garlic


• a small dribble of vegetable oil

Place 4 of the chillies and the garlic in a pestle and mortar, bash until it becomes a smooth red paste and add a little dribble of vegetable oil. Leave to one side. In a pan, add the stock, sugar, lemongrass stalks, galangal and the other two chillies, split down the middle. Let the broth simmer for about 10 minutes while you pour a splash of fish sauce and squeeze half a lime into each serving bowl. After ten minutes simmering time, add the mushrooms, prawns and kaffir lime leaves and let these cook for 5 minutes. Finally, get rid of the lemongrass stalks before adding the chilli garlic paste into the soup and stir, you’ll see some red oil on the top. Spoon the soup into the bowls and add the coriander to the top. Give the soup a mix before eating.

Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai (Sweet green chicken curry)

It’s a toss up between this and Pad Thai as to the most widely eaten dish found in Thai restaurants worldwide. It’s just as popular in Thailand, particularly with tourists and it’s a recognisable and very tasty dish. Strangely though, despite it being the Thai dish I’ve been cooking the longest, it’s also the one that has taken me the longest to get right. Like any Thai recipe, there’s a lot of personal preferences involved but I like my green curry with a thin sauce, not too sweet, pretty hot and with an equal balance of salty and sour.


For three portions, use:

• a small amount of vegetable oil, for frying


• two medium chicken breast, finely sliced


• a handful of bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks


• a handful of green beans, trimmed and cut into two


• your choice of extra veggies- I’ve used carrots cut into rounds, some pea aubergines and some water chestnuts that were leftover


• a big handful of Thai basil, or use tarragon


• 200ml of coconut milk (it freezes well if you end up buying a 400ml can)


• 50g of Thai green curry paste (If you can get it, use Mae Ploy brand which is excellent)


• 100ml- 200ml of water


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla) all supermarkets have it


• a big pinch of sugar


• 3 or 4 red chillies,cut into slivers


• 4 or 5 kaffir lime leaves (bigger Sainsburys sell them fresh and most other supermarkets sell them dried) rolled up in a cigar, and finely shredded 


• a wedge of lime

Heat the oil in a wok and when it’s hot, add in the green curry paste, stir fry for just 30 seconds, otherwise it’ll burn before adding in the coconut milk. Stir and after a few minutes you start to see the oil separating from the sauce- this is a good thing! Add in half of the water, the fish sauce and sugar and the chicken. Stir and cook for 5 minutes or so until fully cooked before adding in the veggies. Cook these for five minutes more before having a taste; if you think it needs it, add more water, sugar and/or fish sauce. Once the curry is cooked, turn off the heat and stir through the kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil for a few seconds. Turn the curry out into a serving dish, top with the chilli slivers and squeeze over the wedge of lime.