Gai Khua Kem (Salty Roast Chicken)

I've been making this for years now and had affectionately named it 'stinky chicken' due to the huge amount of garlic and chillies I use in it but only recently did I discover it is actually made in Thailand and even has a name; Gai Khua Kem (Salted Roast Chicken).

I eat this as a guilty pleasure usually over pork ribs or just with chicken wings but this version can best be described as a form of a 'hash', I guess. Anyway, it's a great way to use up a roast chicken.

For 4 small or 2 large portions, use:

• A roast chicken (or part of)- I had used the breasts for another recipe so mine was mostly comprised of leg, crispy skin, wings and some spare bits from underneath! I chopped the roasted chicken into varying size bits, keeping some on the bone. This allows for a range of textures in the final dish.

• A whole bulb of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 3-5 hot Thai chillies, or more if you wish
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• A small splash of oyster sauce
• A small splash of light soy sauce
• A big pinch of salt
• A teaspoonful of ground black pepper
• A large splash of vegetable oil for frying

Heat the oil in the wok to a low/medium temperature. Add in all the chopped garlic and gently fry, stirring from time to time for 3-5 minutes over a fairly low temp until the garlic is a light brown and crispy. Scoop out and drain on kitchen paper, leave the garlic oil in the wok.

Turn up the heat on the garlicky oil and pop in the chopped chicken, Toss the chicken every now and then to allow crispy bits to develop. Fry for around 5 minutes so the chicken has time to get some colour and crisp.

Throw in the salt and pepper and mix well. Pour in the oyster and soy sauces and stir. Cook until the liquid has evaporated and the sauces have coated the meat well (about 2 minutes).

Next fling in the chillies, stir, then the crispy garlic, stir again and lastly, the spring onion.

Serve with some fluffy white rice.

Khao Moo Tod Gratiem ( Rice with Crispy Pork & Garlic)

So along with the Yam Makeua Yang (grilled aubergine salad), I served this little beauty- khao moo tod gratiem- marinated pork, fried until crisp, along with freshly cooked rice, a runny fried egg and crispy fried garlic. This dish makes no pretense- it's totally unhealthy but as a treat, it's a cracker. You can find these classic one plate dishes served up at food carts up and down Thailand- they're popular for a reason!

For two people you'll need:

• Two bowls of freshly cooked white rice
• Two fried eggs (fry lightly and leave on kitchen paper in a warm oven)
• Around 300g of lean pork shoulder, cubed
• 3 cloves garlic
• teaspoon of white peppercorn
• small splash of fish sauce
• big splash of soy sauce
• big splash of oyster sauce
• 1/2 bulb of peeled and chopped garlic
• a big splash of vegetable oil for frying
• token gesture sprig of coriander!

Use a mortar to pound up the peppercorns and the 3 cloves garlic into a rough paste. Put this with the cubed pork into a bowl and add in the three sauces. Leave to marinade for about an hour. 

In the meantime, fry the garlic. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok on a low-medium heat and gently fry the garlic until a light golden brown (takes 6-10 minutes). Then scoop out and drain onto kitchen paper, retaining the oil.

Next cook the rice and keep covered until ready to serve.

Finally, heat the flavoured garlic oil and when hot, carefully spoon in the pork. Fry on a medium heat until the pork is crisp and dark golden brown.

Plate up over the rice, pop on the fried egg and sprinkle over the crispy garlic. Serve with some green stuff!

Giew Nam (Dumpling Soup)

What could be better than fragrant pork stuffed wontons in a savoury broth topped with crispy fried garlic? I love this recipe and it's a firm favourite in our house. It doesn't take as much time to make as you might expect and is just what you want on a dark wintery evening. There's a clear Chinese influence with this dish but with a subtle twist to make it firmly Thai. Enjoy slurping your way through your bowl of giew nam, just make sure there's enough for a second bowl!

For 4 bowls of giew nam use:

• A pack of wonton dumpling skins (I buy them frozen but leave them to slowly defrost still sealed in their packet throughout the day)
• around 300g of pork mince
• a fist size chunk or thereabouts of napa cabbage, very finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• a few springs, stalks and roots of coriander
• a spoonful of oyster sauce
• a small splash of soy sauce
• a big pinch of black pepper
• 3 spring onions, sliced finely
• 300ml of chicken stock
• half bulb garlic, cloves peeled and chopped finely
• a big glug of vegetable oil for frying the garlic

Make a quick paste out of the 3 garlic cloves, coriander and black pepper and mix this well with the pork mince. Add in the oyster and soy sauce and then the chopped napa cabbage and mix into a smooth paste.

Take up a wonton skin and dipping your finger into a small cup of water, wet lightly around the edges of the skin. Place a walnut sized ball of the pork mixture in the middle and press the sides evenly together, sealing in the meat- if you want to be fancy, try pleating the edge! Leave them to one side for now...

Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan on a fairly low heat. Add in all of chopped half bulb of garlic- it should gently sizzle. Cooking it over a low flame will take about 5-6 minutes to turn the garlic crispy and light golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the garlic and drain onto kitchen paper.

Heat a large pot of water until boiling and working in batches, gently place the prepared dumplings into the water. As they cook, they will rise to the surface. Three minutes should do it.

Scoop them out and place to one side on a large plate. Don't try and drain all the water off them- keeping them in some of the residual hot water will stop them sticking to the plate and each other.

Heat the chicken stock and when ready to serve, quickly heat the dumpling up in the stock for a couple of minutes before ladling out a helping of the broth with 8 or so dumplings in. Sprinkle over the chopped spring onions and a good helping of the crispy fried garlic. 

Don't forget to add chillies or rice vinegar if you would like and eat as the Thai's do with soup dishes- use a spoon for the broth and chopsticks for the noodles (or wontons in this case)

Khreuang Puang (Thai Condiment Caddy)

Sorry, I’ve been quiet on the blog this week; I’ve not been very well following the typhoid vaccine for our up and coming Malaysia holiday and what with our house now on the market and people coming to view it, it’s been a difficult week to get in the kitchen and get some new recipes out. Following on from the staple Thai store cupboard ingredients post the other week, I thought I’d do a post about the Thai condiment caddy- the ubiquitous 4 pots of seasonings that can be found at every Thai table- whether a restaurant, casual street cafe or a Thai home. I hear that many Thai restaurants in the US will have these too although to date the only one I’ve come across in the UK to have a caddy is Siam Smiles in Manchester which I wrote about a month or two back here.

Often in the west, if we eat at a restaurant it can be seen as poor etiquette to receive a meal, only to start heaping salt/pepper on top of it. Not so in Thailand where it is expected that each diner will want to adapt the flavour of their dish to their personal tastes. The aim is to find your perfect balance of spicy, sour, salty and sweet (known as the 4 flavours). Noodle dishes in particular are most commonly ‘improved’ by additions from the condiment caddy. There are numerous options of sauces, flavourings and ingredients that might be found at a Thai table but here, I have settled here for the 4 that are commonly used (and eaten) by us at home.
In my caddy I have:

• white sugar (naam tam sai)
• chilli flakes (prik bon)
• roasted chilli paste (naam prik pao)
• sliced chillies & garlic in fish sauce and vinegar (naam pla prik gratiem)

Bu Pad Gratiem Prik Thai (Crab Fried with Garlic and Peppercorns)

A week or two ago now, we had a visit to Manchester which gave me chance to visit China town which has some fantastic food stores and restaurants. I’ve been cooking up a whole bunch of new recipes with the ingredients I picked up from Siam Supermarket this is the first of four to come. The supermarket also features a cafe called Siam Smiles which we ate at and it really did make me smile! It was a typically casually affair, like all good Thai cafes and I was thrilled to see a flavour caddy on the table (way better than regular salt and pepper) and a little pot of nam prik pao (chilli paste). I ordered the Laab Mu (chopped pork salad) which was meaty (pork and I think, liver), lots of herbs, sour and salty and a perfect amount of chilli. My husband chose the Khao Pad Moo Grob (deep fried pork fried rice) which I have re-created for a recipe later this week. The verdict- wonderful flavours, definitely not Westernised, great value for money- absolutely perfect and definitely one to return to the next time we’re back in Manchester.
Now back to the recipe; this is a dish that’s quick to prepare and cook, looks great for a special occasion or party but does require you to get hands on and messy when eating.
For two people use:

• 500g or thereabouts of fresh crab claws
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• a few stems of fresh green peppercorn, pulled off stems
• 1 large red chilli, sliced
• a big splash of oyster sauce
• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla)
• a big splash of light soy sauce
• vegetable oil for frying

Prepare the crab claws first by individually wrapping each in a tea towel and lightly crack them with a pestle or heavy rolling pin (discard any small shell fragments).
Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a large wok and when hot, throw in the garlic and chilli, stir frying for 20 seconds or so before adding the crab claws and peppercorns. Stir fry for 3 minutes before adding in the sauces. Fry for a further minute to make sure everything gets well coated and serve.
Don’t even attempt to use cutlery with this- it’s fingers all the way!

Gai Tod Gratiem (Garlic Fried Chicken)

Sometimes you just need deep fried food and Thai food has plenty of it to spare. These wings are WAY better than fast food fried chicken and they don’t need many ingredients or take too long to do. All the crispy garlic bits were particularly good. This is the kind of street food dish you can find up and down Thailand. Serve it alongside a healthy salad like Som Tam or a vegetable stir fry like Pad Pak Grachet. I served these wings with the same sweet chilli dipping sauce that I made to go with last week’s Po Pia Tod (click and scroll down for sauce recipe).


For two people use:

• a pack of chicken wings (about 10)


• half a bulb of garlic (or more if you like), peeled


• a dessert spoon of black peppercorns


• a big splash of Thai fish sauce (nam pla)


• a small splash of light soy sauce


• vegetable oil for deep frying

Prepare the chicken wings by using a heavy knife to trim off and discard the tip. Then find the joint between the upper and lower part of the wing and cut them into two. Place in a large bowl. In a pestle and mortar, bash up the peppercorns- it can be slightly coarser than a powder but don’t leave big bits- pour over the chicken. Lightly bash up the garlic, just to break it into pieces, not paste and add into the bowl. Pour the sauces over the chicken and give everything a good mix,leave to marinate for up to an hour.



Heat the oil in a heavy pan or wok. The oil needs to to be hot but not smoking otherwise the chicken and garlic may burn but the chicken inside could still be raw. Gently lower the chicken pieces in, including the garlicky bits (but discard any left over sauce). I had to do mine in two batches so the pan wasn’t crowded. Fry for around ten minutes, turning over half way. The chicken should be a dark golden brown and crispy. Drain onto kitchen paper,making sure you scoop out and sprinkle the crispy garlic bits over the top when serving. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

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!

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.