Gaeng Hed Fang (Straw Mushroom Curry)

Sometimes you just want a simple, healthy, quick to make dish. This was just a it- a quick mushroom and bamboo shoot ‘curry’ with lots of herbal flavours. Satisfying and comforting, it would be a great cold weather dish. I’m a big fan of texture in food and this was lovely, crunchy bamboo shoots contrasting with the slippery mushrooms.
This is northern Thai cuisine and starts with a simplified red curry paste. It has predominantly a salty/sour/hot flavour and if you don’t want it to be vegetarian/vegan, you can definitely add some meat into the mix.
For two people use:

• A drained tin of straw mushrooms, halved
• 150g or thereabouts of drained sour bamboo shoots (or use regular plus the juice of half a lime) cut into strips/small pieces
• a big handful of Thai sweet basil (bai horapha) leaves
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 100ml of stock
• a big splash of light soy (or fish sauce if not needed to be vegan/veggie)
• a small amount of vegetable oil for frying

For the paste, pound together:

• 1 lemongrass stalk (peeled and chopped first)
• 5 dried red chillies, ripped up
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 4/5 shallots, peeled and chopped
• a big pinch of salt

Heat the oil in a wok and when hot, briefly fry off the paste for 30 seconds or before adding the stock and soy (or fish) sauce. Pop in the bamboo shoots and mushrooms and let it reduce a little (say 5 minutes).
Just before serving, sprinkle in the basil leaves and spring onions.

Tub Tim Grub (Crunchy Rubies)

The blog is definitely overdue another Thai dessert, it’s nothing personal, it’s just I’m a bigger fan of savoury than sweet. However, we’ve been having some warm days lately so a cool and crunchy pudding seemed in order and this dessert was one I’ve been meaning to get round to for ages- it’s a really popular well known hot weather dish in Thailand.
‘Tub tim’ can mean either rubies or pomegranate in Thai- it’s easy to see why this dish shares that name. The cool, sweet coconut milk is an awesome contrast to the jelly coated crunchy water chestnuts.
I only had tinned water chestnuts and coconut milk available to me but if you can get fresh, I would definitely use them.
For two people use:

• a handful (roughly 12) peeled water chestnuts- note: if using canned, drain and leave them to soak in fresh water for 12 hours, changing the water over several times to reduce the ‘tinned’ flavour. Cut each chestnut into 4 equal bits
• 1 cup of tapioca flour
• half a can of coconut milk (200ml)
• 100ml of water
• a teaspoon of red food colouring, mixed with a small splash of water
• a tablespoon of sugar
• crushed ice

Put the water chestnut pieces into a bowl with the red food colouring and water. Turn them gently and leave them to soak for 15 minutes.
Get a pan of water boiling
Drain the water chestnuts of excess colouring and put them in another bowl with the tapioca flour and coat them well.
Shake off the excess flour and gently lower them into the boiling water- you’ll see the bright red colour become visible. After just two minutes, they’ll float to the surface. Use a strainer to scoop them gently out and transfer into a bowl of very cold water for a minute.
Dissolve the sugar in the 100ml water and add the coconut milk and crushed ice. Pour into serving bowls.
Scoop the ‘rubies’ out of the cold water, gently shaking off the water and divide amongst the coconut milk.

Bangkok bomb: Deadly blast rocks Thailand capital - BBC News

Link: Bangkok bomb: Deadly blast rocks Thailand capital - BBC News

Sending my support and sympathies to all the Thai people and foreign visitors caught up in the terrible bombing attack at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.

Yam Woon Sen (Glass Noodle Salad)

Just a quick, fresh salad here, perfect for a warm summer’s night- fresh, hot, crunchy and vibrant flavours and it can easily be substituted with whatever you have in. Also great cold the next day in a lunch box! The glass noodles are incredibly fine and have a good bite to them, they shouldn’t be mushy.
As always, I did way too much but let’s say this does 2 main meals and 2 small lunch portions…

• 3 blocks of glass (mung bean) noodles/ or roughly 2/3 of a whole packet
• 3-4 Thai shallots, finely sliced
• 2-3 spring onions finely sliced
• a small piece of lean pork (200g or thereabouts), chopped into small bits
• a big handful of coriander leaves, torn
• a small handful of peanuts, crushed
• 1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
• 3 small red chillies, finely chopped
• juice of 1 large or 2 small limes
• a big glug of fish sauce

Place the noodles in a glass or ceramic bowl and pour over boiling water to soften the noodles. Leave for 5/10 mins then drain and snip them up a bit with scissors.
While the noodles soften, heat a small pan of water until boiling and drop in the pork. It’ll be cooked in just a few minutes, skim off any scum, the drain when cooked.
Mix all the cooked and raw ingredients together in a bowl well, let it sit for around 5 minutes to absorb some of the dressing.
Serve, sprinkling over some extra coriander leaves and/or peanuts if you wish.
Best served with a cold beer and eaten outside :)

Miang Kham (Wrapped Bites)

Something totally different today, thanks to another trip to Siam Smiles Thai supermarket in Manchester yesterday. We had some more amazing food there and will do a write up on the next post. The main ingredient for this dish- the bai cha plu (wild pepper leaves) we picked up there, it’s something I’ve yet to come across in the UK and seeing how it’s essential for miang kham, it would have been a shame to not grab a pack at just £1.65.
Miang (wrapped) kham (bites) are made of of the glossy wild pepper leaves (incorrectly often confused with the stimulant/carcinogenic betel leaf). They have an incredible perfume and taste which I found hard to describe as they seem to be made up of so many elements. Initially they have spicy hits of star anise then something akin to kumquat with a bitter-sweet citrus note. Exciting stuff!
Into the leaves comes an assortment of sweet, sour, spicy, salty, bitter, fishy, chewy and crunchy goodies- your mouth won’t know what’s going on- but it’ll want another one!!
This recipe will make around 20 pieces.
Start by making the sauce:
Bash together in a mortar:

• A small handful of dried pink shrimp
• A small handful of peanuts, toasted in a wok until lightly browned
• A small handful of fresh or dried coconut, toasted in a wok until lightly browned.

Then pour this mix into a small saucepan with

• A very big splash of nam pla (fish sauce)
• Half a cup of water
• A tablespoon of palm or light brown sugar

Cook this mixture down until it’s quite thick and sauce-like. While it’s cooking, prepare the fillings…

• A big handful of peanuts
• 6-10 red and/or green small chillies, finely sliced
• A big nobble of ginger, peeled and diced fine
• A big handful of fresh or dried coconut, toasted in a wok until light brown
• 8-10 peeled and diced shallots
• Half a lime, skin left on (if you like the bitterness), peeled otherwise, cut into very small segments
• A handful of small dried pink shrimp

Serve everything together, make a cone shape of the stalk end of the leaf, load up with a couple of pieces of each of the fillings then spoon over some sauce, roll the leaf up and experience a mouthful of flavour madness!

Nam Prik Ong (Spicy Pork Dip)

Nam Prik’s come in many varieties- they are sauces, dips, snacks and starters and nearly always served with a variety of fried things and crispy vegetables to dip in. They come mainly from the north of Thailand and mix together, fresh, sour, chilli, smoky and fishy flavours; in short an unusual and exciting blend of flavours.
To make a bowl of nam prik ong you’ll need:

• around 300g of pork mince
• 5 or 6 cherry toms, halves
• ¾ spring onions, sliced
• 5 shallots, sliced thin and fried in oil until crispy
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 dried red chillies, ripped up
• 1 egg
• a small blob of kapi (shrimp paste)
• a splash of fish sauce
• a large handful of coriander, ripped up
• vegetable oil for frying

and to serve along side…

• Thai prawn crackers and/or pork cracklings
• cucumber slices
• crunchy veg like long beans, cabbage
• a few small red and green chillies if you’re feeling brave

Start by making a paste of pounded up garlic, half the coriander, the shrimp paste, the 3 chopped shallots and dried chillies until it’s smooth and of the same consistency.
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, when it’s hot, start frying the pork mince for a few minutes before adding the paste and frying- it will be quite pungent! Add in the egg- you’re not aiming for fluffy like with fried rice, the egg should be mixed through to give the pork and paste a smoother, dip like consistency. Add a splash of water if needed to keep it loose. Throw in the halved tomatoes and stir them about in the dip to crush them slightly.
Pop the dip in a bowl and sprinkle over the spring onions, other half of the coriander and the crispy shallots.
Serve alongside all the extras