Pad Woon Sen (Stir Fried Vermicelli Noodles)

Pad woon sen, a speedy stir-fry dish for when you don't know what else to cook!! Joking aside this is possibly one of the most versatile dishes you will find in the Thai repertoire. There is very little that can't be substituted or skipped. As long as you're frying a combo of meats and/or vegetables with fine mungbean glass (vermicelli) noodles, you can't go far wrong. There does seem to be a common theme of cabbage, beansprouts, tomatoes and Chinese celery but, whatever you have can go in. It's another cross over dish- very definitely exported from Chinese cuisine along the way.

                                                                           *

I also want to give you a heads up that I'm going to be away on holiday for a few weeks- sadly, no not Thailand (although it is exactly one year already since I was in Malaysia- I do miss it and would love to go back to Kuala Lumpur again one day). This time we're going to be in the USA. We've been quite a few times already and tend to do big road trips; two years ago it was the Deep South, this time it's New England.

For the next three weeks, I'll be travelling and eating my way around Boston, Cape Cod, the Hudson Valley, the Adirondacks, Vermont/ New Hampshire, Mt Desert Island, Portland and Salem. Hopefully  eating a LOT of fresh seafood, buffalo wings, popovers, pies etc. I am particularly looking forward to experiencing Boston's Chinatown; I hope to post from there.

If you've any recommendations- it doesn't need to be Thai/Asian food, I love all food- then I would be thrilled to hear from you. And now back to my version of Pad Woon Sen....

                                                                             *

Okay so this recipe will make plenty for 2 and still enough for 3

You'll need:

• 2 sheets/nests of dried mungbean/glass vermicelli noodles (they're transparent)
• A small bag (200-250g) of raw king prawns/shrimp
• 2 small pork chops or steaks, fat trimmed off and cut into strips
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into coins
• About a 1/4 of a white cabbages, cut into large squares (cut a thin slice off one side, then chop)
• 3 or 4 stalks of Chinese celery, chopped into large pieces. Regular celery leaves are great too
• 3 or 4 spring onions, trimmed and cut into large pieces
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• A big splash of oyster sauce
• A big splash of light soy sauce
• A small splash of dark soy sauce
• A big pinch of sugar
• A big punch of black pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying

Soak your vermicelli noodles by submerging them in cold water for 10-15 minutes, breaking them up as they soften. Drain and keep handy.

Heat a wok up until very hot, almost smoking and add in the oil, swirling to coat the base. Throw in the pork and stir fry for 1 minute, until mostly cooked through. Add in the raw prawns and stir fry for a further minute until they've mostly turned pink. If by any chance you're using pre-cooked prawns, add them in later (at the point that the celery and spring onions go in).

Next in goes the garlic, just toss it very lightly for a few seconds before adding in the carrot and cabbage, stir frying for around 1 minute. Now shove all these ingredients to one side of the wok, leaving them for a moment and pour the beaten egg into the empty side. Let the egg start to cook before lightly scrambling it before letting it set again. Repeat the setting scrambling until it's 90% cooked before mixing all the ingredients back together again, making sure the egg's well distributed.

Now throw the celery and spring onions into the pan, stir fry them for minute before adding in the noodles, 3 sauces, pepper and sugar. Stir well,the sauces will soften and darken the noodles and mix all the ingredients today. Try and let the noodles stick to the base of the wok a bit; it'll give you some nice crunchy bits. Cook for a final minute or two and serve.

Nam Nuang (Grilled Pork Fresh Spring Rolls)

 

So following on from last Sunday's post about fresh spring rolls, here's part two- the Vietnamese style 'nam nuang'. I was initially quite confused by the name; 'nam' meaning liquid/water/sauce in Thai. After a bit of nosing around I discovered that they are known as 'nem nuong in Vietnamese (nuong simply means grilled in Vietnamese and across a few borders, they have become Nam Nuang in Thailand. These spring rolls are a simplified version of the original but are no less tasty for it...

This recipes makes about 8 rolls; use:

• 8 dried rice paper circles

• A shallow dish of cold water

For the sausages:

• 250g of pork mince

• a heaped teaspoon of black pepper, ground finely

• a small splash of soy sauce

• a small splash of oyster sauce

For the sauce:

• a very big splash of tamarind concentrate

• a big splash of water

• a small splash of fish sauce

• a big pinch of sugar

• a small handful of chopped peanuts

• a small pinch of chilli flakes

And for filling the rolls a selection of:

• shredded lettuce and/or whole baby leaves

• mint leaves

• fresh coriander

• shredded cucumber

• sliced red chillies

First make the sauce by heating the first four ingredients in a small pan, reducing down until the sauce takes on a thin caramel consistency. There should be a good balance of sweet, sour and savoury. Sprinkle over the chopped peanuts and chilli flakes. 

Next prepare all the herbs and vegetables and set out on a plate with the sauce.

Now comes the sausages- dead easy to make, just mix all four ingredients in a bowl by hand. Take a handful and shape into a chunky sausage shape (it should be at least a couple inches smaller than the width of your rice paper circles. Place the sausages on a foil lined tray and grill on a low-medium heat until fully cooked and browned (about 6-10 minutes).

With everything ready to serve, the rice paper comes last. Take a dried disc of rice paper and dunk it into the dish of water for about ten seconds before lifting out, turning over and dunking for ten seconds more. It should now feel fairly flexible. If not, and you still feel it will snap if you tried to fold it, dunk for a further ten seconds then shake off the excess water.

Place the damp rice paper sheet on a board (it will continue to soften and become gelatinous) and fill with your choice of veggies/herbs placed horizontally across the middle of the sheet. Place a sausage on top, drizzle over some of the sauce and roll up by folding the sides into the middles then roll up from bottom to top, using your fingers to hold all the ingredients inside the wrapper.

If you're feeling sociable, serve everything on a big platter and let your guests make and wrap their own nam nuangs!

Pad Horapha Moo Grob Gwang Tung Kai Dao (Deep Fried Pork with Sweet Basil and Choi Sum with a Fried Egg)

What's not to love, crispy sticky deep fried pork, a crispy but runny fried egg, fragrant anise flavoured basil and some crunchy fresh greens over rice. It's a quick (mostly unhealthy, yes) but very satisfying one plate meal. Speaking one one plate dishes or ahaan jan diew (lit. one dish food) in Thai, they're some of my favourite things to cook and exactly what I want to eat when I don't want to cook anything elaborate or time consuming. They're the classic type of food you expect to find for lunch at a street food stall (usually served on the omnipresent plastic pastel- coloured plate. By the way if you know of anywhere in the UK that sells those thick melamine plates used in South East Asia, do let me know, I've been after them for years!!

This recipe is in essence a combination of three of my earlier recipes- 

Pad Grapao Gai (Chicken fried with holy basil), Pad Horapha Bhet Yang (Roasted duck fried with sweet basil) and Moo Grob Pad Pak Got Shangai (deep fried pork fried with pak choi). It combines the best of everything in one dish.

For two portions use:

• 300g of pork shoulder, rind and excess fat trimmed off, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 eggs
• a large double handful of choi sum (or pak choi/gai lan etc,) cut into 2 inch pieces
• a handful of Thai sweet basil leaves
• 3/4 small red chillies, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• a big splash of oyster sauce
• a big splash of light soy sauce
• a small pinch of sugar
• vegetable oil for deep frying and for stir frying
• Freshly cooked rice

Boil water and get the rice cooking before starting.

Heat the deep frying oil and when hot, carefully drop in the pork. Deep fry until dark golden brown and crispy (roughly 6-7 minutes) before draining onto kitchen paper.

In a pestle a mortar, lightly pound the chopped chillies and garlic into to rough paste, leave for a moment.

Heat a splash of oil in a wok and when hot, throw in the garlic chilli paste, stir for a few seconds before adding in the crispy pork, stir frying for 20//30 seconds. Tip in the vegetables and stir fry for about 1 minute, no more as you want some crunch to be retained.

Pour in the sauces and pinch of sugar, coating everything well before turning off the heat and lightly toss through the sweet basil leaves.

Heat a separate frying pan/wok (or decant your stir fry into a dish) and keep warm somewhere while you quickly do the fried eggs. Heat a large splash of oil in a clean wok/ frying pan and when very hot crack in an egg, let the bottom get crispy and spoon hot oil over the yolk until it's reached your desired crispy/runniness. Briefly blot on kitchen paper.

Drain the rice, plate up with the stir fry and place the fried egg over the top. 

Jobs a good'un!

Gaeng Jued Woon Sen (Clear Broth with Vermicelli Noodles)

Yesterday I had a poorly sick husband and unfortunately even this soothing bowl of gaeng jued (plain or clear broth) didn't help; it did mean I got to take it to work for my lunch though!!! As this is such a nutritious, dare I say it- plain dish (and by plain, it's far from boring; it just doesn't have the usual variety of herbs, spices and chillies that usually feature in Thai food) I had been saving making it for the next time my husband was feeling under the weather, which doesn't happen very often so it's been on my to do list for ages now!

In this recipe the vegetables, not the meat are the main ingredients, it can easily become vegetarian or vegan by using a vegetable stock, and substituting the meatballs with more tofu and mushrooms. 

Those of you paying attention may wonder where the curry is; 'Gaeng' is the somewhat unspecific Thai word for a soupy sauce or stew, it just so happens that most dishes with 'gaeng' in the title (Gaeng Massaman, Gaeng Kari, Gaeng Kiew Wan etc.) are what we in the west traditionally lump under the generic term 'curry'. Gaeng Jued, fits much better in the 'stew' category.

That cleared up, here's the recipe; it's a versatile dish- as long as there's lots of vegetables, feel free to chop and change your veggies and proteins. It is quite a long list but as everything is just getting boiled up together in a pot, it's not too onerous.

For 2 big bowls use:

• 200g pork mince
• 6 shitake mushrooms (soaked in boiling water for 20 mins)
• a small handful of Chinese jelly/wood mushrooms (soaked in boiling water for 20 mins)
• a small tube of soft egg tofu, cut into slices
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 5 leaves of Chinese cabbage, cut into large chunks
• 4 spring onions, cut into chunky slivers
• a good handful of coriander, stalks separated from leaves
• 1 nest of vermicelli (cornstarch/mungbean) noodles (soaked in boiling water for 10 mins)
• 500ml of pork stock
• 2 lemongrass stalks, lightly bashed
• vegetable trimmings (carrot peelings, spring onion trimmings, a celery stick
• a teaspoon of black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• a small splash of fish sauce

Start off by making your stock [I admit I had a head start as I already had some concentrated pork stock in the freezer that I had left from another recipe. I added 500 ml of water to the jelly stock to make it liquid again.]

To make the stock even more flavoursome add the trimmings of carrot, spring onion, coriander stalks (reserving the leaves for later) and a bit of celery, plus the lemongrass stalks into a large pot and cook over a low heat for around an hour, topping up with water if it gets too low.

While the stock is cooking make the meatball mixture. First pound up half of the coriander leaves, garlic and black pepper into a smooth paste. Mix this through the mince with the splash of fish sauce. Leave to one side for later.

After an hour, use a strainer to scoop out and discard all the solids, leaving behind a rich light brown clear broth. You still need about 500ml of liquid.

With all ingredients prepared and ready to go, heat the broth over a medium heat. Pop in the carrots and let them soften for about 5 minutes before adding both mushroom (sliced if they are large) for a further 5 minutes. Next in goes the noodles (loosen them in the broth) and the Chinese cabbage, cooking for a minute.

Grab the meatball mixture and use a large spoon to make egg shaped meatballs by pressing the mixture against the side of the bowl. Very carefully, push the mixture into the simmering broth; don't stir but flip them over after a couple minutes.

Finally slide in the tofu slices and heat through for a final minute.

Scoop a big ladleful of ingredients into a bowl along with plenty of broth, topping with a sprinkling of spring onions and some of the remaining coriander.

Moo Hong (Stewed Pork)

I've been looking forward to making this sticky, sweet braised pork dish for a while now and it did not disappoint. Moo Hong belongs to a family of similar Chinese influenced, dark coloured stews that also includes khao kha moo (stewed pork leg) and moo paloe (pork braised with eggs). They all share some common ingredients: soy sauce, star anise, long cooking time and fatty cuts of pork but it's down to the consistency and what they're served with that makes for some subtle differences.

Moo Hong uses large chunks of belly pork and is cooked down until you're left with a rich, peppery, sweet and sticky sauce and meat that is soft and unctuous. Although it needs just over an hour to cook it's very easy to make.

For two large portions use:

• 400g of pork belly, rind removed and cut into inch square pieces. Try to find a piece that is fairly even in thickness and has a good meat/fat ratio
• half a bulb garlic, peeled
• a dessert spoon of black peppercorns
• a small handful of coriander roots or stalks (roots seem impossible to find in the UK)
• a golf ball size chunk of palm (or light brown) sugar
• 3 star anise
• a big splash of oyster sauce
• a big splash of light soy sauce
• a big splash of dark sweet soy sauce (I use Indonesian kecap manis)
• 2-3 cups of water (you may need a bit more)
• small splash of oil for frying

Make a well blended paste by bashing the black pepper, palm sugar, garlic and coriander in a mortar; by adding the harder ingredients first and adding the softer ones last you should end up with a fairly smooth paste.

Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a deep pan until medium hot. Carefully add in the cubed pork belly and fry for 3-4 minutes until some of the fat has rendered out and the pork is lightly browned. Pour off the excess fat from the pan (there'll be plenty in the dish as the pork cooks down).

Pop in the spice paste and stir well for a moment or two; the sugar in the paste will make the pork sticky but be careful not to let it sit and burn. 

Pour hot water over to just cover the pork then add in the rest of the ingredients (sauces and star anise). The sauce will be dark but very thin. Pop on a lid and lower the heat to a gentle simmer, let the pork reduce and cook down for around 75-90 minutes. Check it and stir gently every now and again, making sure there's still enough liquid; top up with a little water if need be.

The final sauce should be thick and sticky (of a honey- like consistency). Serve with freshly cooked rice and some extra coriander.

Pad Kee Mao Moo (Drunk's Noodles with Pork)

I'm spending quite a bit of time at the moment re-visiting some of my earlier recipes, making some amendments where needed and updating the photos- some of my earlier attempts were not very pretty!! Pad Mee Mao (Drunk's noodles; so named as they're just right after a night's drinking- think spicy, greasy and quick to make- sooo much better than a nasty takeaway kebab!) hold a special place in my heart; it's the meal I had in Manchester's China town whilst on my hen do back in 2009 and I made a point then of learning the recipe.

There are a couple of changes to the other version of this recipe I made back in 2014- simply I've changed a few of the veggies and I now use the (optional) additions of green peppercorns and krachai (fingerroot) for added punchiness. I also think it's essential that you try to get fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai) for this dish- they're soft and stretchy but not chewy and suck up all the sauce, giving you a relatively dry dish. I've used pork rather than chicken but that's totally up to you, this is a very good candidate for a purely veggie version.

For 4 small/ 3 large portions use:

• 2 pork steaks, trimmed of fat, cut into thin slices
• 400g or thereabouts of fresh rice noodles, separated into individual strands
• a handful of green beans, cut into inch long pieces
• a carrot, peeled and sliced- I have a fancy gadget- a komkom that does the star shaped edges
• 6-8 baby corn cobs, sliced into inch long pieces
• a large bunch of sweet basil or holy basil, leaves ripped off stems
• (optional) a tablespoon of green peppercorns
• (optional) a few fingers of krachai (fingeroot), cut into thin slivers
• 4 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• 4 small red chillies
• a very big splash of oyster sauce
• a big splash of light soy sauce
• a small splash of fish sauce
• a small splash of dark soy sauce
• a pinch of sugar
• vegetable oil for frying

• Lightly bash the garlic and red chillies into a rough paste
• Heat a splash of oil in a wok until hot and very briefly fry the garlic/chilli paste
• Throw in the pork (if using) and stir fry for a minute
• Throw in the veggies and stir fry, tossing everything together
• If using, throw in the green peppercorns and krachai and mix, cooking for 2 minutes
• Put all the sauces and sugar in together, stir the ingredients through.
• Put in all the noodles, mixing very well so they absorb the sauces and colour. Careful not to overcook- rice noodles can become stodgy very quickly- only cook as long as needed, around 1 minute.
• Toss through the sweet basil leaves, sprinkling some over the top of the finished dish.

Guay Tiew Nam Moo (Pork Noodle Soup)

There's nothing quite like slurping down a bowl of well seasoned noodles in a savoury broth and guay tiew nam (rice noodle soups) are perfect for that. They can be more or less whatever you want them to be using any kind of combinations of ingredients and seasonings. They are both hearty and filling but very healthy too, just right for a cold February evening. You'll find noodle soup sellers up and down Thailand on any available street corner working from restaurants, stalls and push carts and they're one of the easiest and most popular dishes to grab on the go.

For two big bowls use:

• a small pack of fresh rice noodles (around 200g) (or 2 leaves of dried- prepared to pack instructions), loosened and separated into individual strands
• 2 handfuls of beansprouts
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 200g pork mince
• 1 litre water
• 2 handfuls of chicken bones, raw or cooked, meat on or off. I used chicken wing tips and will save the wings for another recipe.
• half a bulb of garlic, 1 clove finely chopped, the rest just cut in half
• a handful of coriander- half finely chopped, half just very roughly cut
• a tablespoon of black pepper
• a small splash of fish sauce

And for seasonings, choose from: chilli flakes, sugar, sliced chillies & garlic in vinegar or in fish sauce, lime wedges, peanuts, shredded coriander- it's your choice!

Place the broth ingredients: water, chicken bones, the roughly cut garlic and coriander and 3/4 of the black pepper in a large pan. Bring to the boil and simmer slowly for at least an hour for the flavour to develop.

While the broth cooks make the pork balls; mix mince, finely chopped garlic and coriander, the last 1/4 tablespoon of pepper and the fish sauce together in a bowl. Using your hands, form them into golf ball sized meatballs and leave to one side.

When the broth is ready, use a small sieve or strainer to scoop out and discard all the solids. Turn up the heat and drop in the rice noodles, not for long, around 20 seconds, much longer and they'll turn to mush. Scoop out and place in bowls along with a little broth so they don't clump together.

Into the simmering broth, gently place the pork balls which will cook quickly; around 3 minutes- cut one if half to check if need be. Scoop them out when cooked and place onto of the noodles.

Finally, put in the beansprouts and blanch for no more than 20 seconds so they don't lose their crunch. strain and place in the serving bowl before ladling  over a decent amount of broth to fill the bowl.

Sprinkle over the chopped spring onions and whatever seasoning you like. Feel free to slurp, it's good manners!!

Gaeng Pa Moo (Pork Jungle Curry)

Like any recipe, over time you make amendments and adaptations, you find better ways to make a dish or variety of ingredients that have a better 'fit' and are truer to the authentic version of a dish.

This is one such recipe- way, way back in June 2014, jungle curry was one of the first recipes I put up on my blog- click here for beef jungle curry. However, despite being my favourite type of Thai curry, it was always one I felt I couldn't quite do justice to and wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Over the last couple of years I've been fiddling with both the way the curry is cooked and the ingredients. 

Jungle curry, is a northern Thai curry, heavy on the vegetables, typically one of the hotter Thai curries and is made without coconut milk. If you like spicy hot, herbal flavours with lots of crunchy textures, you'll love Gaeng Pa. It's very easy to do. It's also easily adaptable to be a vegetarian dish- just add more of the meaty king oyster mushrooms and substitute the fish sauce for a big pinch of salt.

So may I present the upgraded- Gaeng Pa Moo (Pork jungle curry)...

This make four portions:

• 300g of lean pork, sliced thinly
• 5 baby corn cobs, cut into chunks
• a small handful of green beans, cut into chunks
• a large handful bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
• 2 king oyster mushrooms, cut into wedges
• a large handful of pea aubergines/eggplants
• a large red chilli, sliced
• 3 fingers of krachai (finger root), finely shredded
• a tablespoon of green peppercorns
• a handful of holy basil (or sweet basil- but NOT Mediterranean basil!!)
• a few kaffir lime leaves, ripped into small pieces
• a large tablespoon of red curry paste (I use Mae Ploy brand)
• 300ml of meat stock
• a small splash of fish sauce
• a small pinch of palm sugar (or light brown sugar)

• Heat the stock in a pan (no wok needed for this recipe) until simmering. Add in the pork; it's thinly sliced so will cook quickly, in around 2 minutes. 
• Add in the red curry paste and stir until thoroughly mixed into the stock. 
• Add in the lime leaves and krachai strips, which will start to infuse into the broth. 
• Next pop in the chunkier vegetables; green beans, pea aubergines, baby corn cobs and bamboo shoots, let them cook down for a few minutes then add in the king oyster mushrooms, green peppercorns, sugar and fish sauce. 
• Cook for a few more minutes, stirring every so often; the vegetables should still retain some crunch. 
• Just before serving, stir in the basil and chilli slices and serve with rice.

Moo Ping, Som Tam & Khao Nieow (Grilled Pork Skewers, Papaya Salad & Sticky Rice)

If I was to ever find myself on death row and had to pick a final meal, it would be this. Everything about these three relatively simple components equals complete perfection. Ever so slightly charred, grilled pork skewers (moo ping), juicy and rich with garlic and black pepper with a hint of coconut. My long time favourite, som tam (papaya salad) with it's addictive crunch and astringent sour and hot flavours and to round the whole thing off and soak up all the flavours; sticky rice (khao niew) eaten by hand. It's no wonder they're regularly found in this combined set in Thailand.

Isaan (or north eastern Thai) food is for me the pinnacle of Thai food. The use of fresh herbs and strong pungent flavours, paired with grilled meats, salads and less use of creamy/soupy based dishes equates to food heaven for me.

Doing these dishes also gave me chance to try out and show off some of my new kitchenware- the large terracotta mortar and wooden pestle (informally known as a pokpok) used for gently bashing ingredients- ideal for som tam and the woven sticky rice holder- which I lined with cling film before putting the rice in. It keeps the rice warm and finished off the cooking so the rice is the proper consistency at serving.

For the moo ping skewers (this makes 6 large) use:

• 3 pork steaks (ideally with some fat, though cut off any large rinds), cut into thin pieces
• a small handful of coriander stalks or roots
• a teaspoon of black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• a big splash of oyster sauce
• a big splash of light soy sauce
• a small splash of fish sauce
• a big pinch of brown or palm sugar
• 100ml of coconut cream (the thick part off the top of a can)
• 6 bamboo skewers

In a mortar (a regular granite one, not the terracotta one above) bash up the black pepper, garlic and coriander stalks into a paste. Add this to a bowl along with the pork pieces. As a rough guide for the pork, I cut each steak into three strips lengthways and then thinly sliced each strip across (roughly 4mm wide.) I ended up with lots of small pieces. 

Into the bowl add in the three sauces and sugar, mix well and leave to marinade for around an hour.

In the meantime, soak the skewers in water (a tall flower vase works well!) so when you grill them they won't burn.

If you make a som tam salad or are doing sticky rice, now is the time to prepare the ingredients and get them ready.

Here's the link, Som Tam Recipe - it was the second ever recipe I did for this blog!

For the sticky rise it's best to just follow the recipe on the packet/ bag that you're using as it'll require a fairly specific quantity of water.

Back to the pork. Take the skewers out of the water and begin to thread the meat onto the stick; the meat strips should sit perpendicular (across) the skewer, not lengthways along it. Skewer it through the thinnest edge so that the maximum amount of meat is exposed to the grill and is easier to pull off when eating. Put plenty of meat on each skewer and pack it down; don't worry about the cooking- it's thin pieces so it will cook through.

Heat the grill medium-high and place onto a wire rack or as I did, on a baking tray with the edges of the bamboo skewers resting on either side of the tray so the meat sits clear of the bottom. The grilling takes about 10-15 minutes and twice during the cooking, take the skewers out and baste them with a light coating of the coconut cream. They're ready when they're a little smoky, have a little bit of light char and and golden brown.

Serve with the som tam and sticky rice- you'll thank me!

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)

Ba Mee Moo Daeng (Red Pork & Egg Noodles)

If I'm honest, I've always been more of a fan of egg noodles than wide rice noodles which is unfortunate since rice noodles are much more common in Thai food than egg noodles which originate from China. So this Chinese influenced dish is one that makes me very happy. 

I took another trip through to Liverpool the other day and was excited to pick up a very long packet of fresh egg noodles in a Chinese wholesalers there so this dish NEEDED to be made! It's another classic street food dish and as ever, with all Thai street food and especially with noodles, it's fully expected that you will want to add your own flavourings to the finished dish. Just a note regarding the colour- I'm not a fan of artificial colouring and as such, the red on the pork is much more subtle than some luminous versions you can find that use food colouring to achieve a bright red shade.

For 4 portions, use:

• 1 large pork tenderloin
• 100ml of light soy sauce
• 25ml of dark soy sauce
• a big shake of Chinese 5 spice (ground fennel, cinnamon, cloves, szechuan pepper & star anise)
• fresh egg noodles (hard to give a specific amount- use your judgement!)
• 2 big handfuls of leafy/ crunchy green veg- choi sum, bok choi, pak choy etc.
• 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• 3 (or more) chopped red chillies
• a big splash of rice vinegar (the clear sort)
• a splash of fish sauce
• a splash of vegetable oil
• some sprigs of fresh coriander

Begin by marinating the pork loin in a bowl in the mix of light and dark soy and 5 spice. Let it marinate for an hour then lift the loin out, placing on a baking tray and cook in the oven at 160 degrees celsius for around 20 mins. Use your discretion, if you've used a very large large loin, it may take longer.

While the pork cooks make the sauce; mix the vinegar, fish sauce and chillies. Also make the garlic oil; heat the oil and when medium hot, fry off the chopped garlic- only lightly as it's more to flavour the oil. Get a large pan of water on the boil.

Back to the pork. Although not advised, I do prefer my pork to be slightly pink on the inside so if you want it fully cooked, allow 5-10 minutes more. Leave it to rest and cool down for a bit then cut the loin into equal slices- about  6-8mm is perfect if you want to be specific.

When the water's at boiling point, drop in the noodles- if you use fresh they won't take long- 2/3 minutes should do it. Quickly scoop them out of the water and toss the noodles in the garlic oil so they won't stick. Throw the green veggies into the leftover boiling water and blanch for a minute (no more) before draining.

Plate everything up- flavoured noodles, a few slices of pork, some of the vegetables and pour over a generous splash of the sauce. Give the noodles a good mix and eat alongside a few stalks of coriander.

Khai Yat Sai (Stuffed Omelette)

There's not many foods more accessible, comforting and on your plate as quick as an omelette. This omelette goes one over on other omelettes; it's stuffed with a light pork and vegetable mix and for a filling meal rather than just a light lunch or quick snack, serve with rice. It's also a very gentle introduction to Thai food, ideal for children or those who don't eat very spicy hot foods. One recommendation- make sure you have a very good non stick wok (I didn't, but that's another story...)

For one portion use:

• 4 eggs, beaten
• a small handful of pork mince
• a handful of diced vegetables (I used carrot and yellow pepper)
• 1/4 white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• a small splash of oyster sauce
• a small splash of soy sauce
• a small splash of fish sauce
• a big pinch of ground pepper
• vegetable oil for frying
• some sprigs of coriander (optional) for serving
• chili sauce/ sriracha (optional) for serving

Heat a small drizzle of oil in a pan and when hot, fry the garlic for a few seconds then add in onion and soften for a few minutes. Now put the pork mince in. Stir fry until almost cooked through before adding in your choice of veggies, stir frying for a minute before adding the soy and oyster sauces and pepper. Fry until any remaining liquid has evaporated and your mixture is fairly dry. Pop the filling to one side.

Now mix the fish sauce in with the beaten eggs. Heat some more oil in a wok to a high temperature and make the omelette; swirl the egg mixture around the wok to create as large and thin an omelette as possible. (This is the point I discovered my non-stick wok had lost a lot of it's non-stickiness). When the omelette has fully set and is starting to crisp, heap the prepared filling into the centre of the omelette and fold each side in, then the top and bottom edges, so the filling is enclosed in the omelette like an envelope. Serve by tipping the omelette upside down onto a plate so the folds sit tucked underneath.

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 :)

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

Khao Kha Mu (Stewed Pork with Rice)

And so, after two months of Malaysian related food postings I’m finally back to posting Thai food recipes :) It feels good to be back and also good that I have a new kitchen to be cooking in. Our new house has a wonderful, newly installed kitchen with space- SPACE! Our last kitchen was tiny and really only practical to have one person in at a time. This new kitchen is a joy to work in- I’m just still having to get to grips with cooking on a ceramic rather than gas hob.
This is a classic Thai comfort dish, pork leg cooked down in a rich spiced broth until it falls apart and served alongside a stewed egg and greens,rice and a tangy dipping sauce to keep your taste buds awake.
For 4 portions use:

• 1 medium/large piece of pork leg (with rind and ideally on the bone) 
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• a handful of torn coriander stalks
• 4 star anise
• a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• a teaspoon of white peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups of meat stock
• 4 eggs
• green leafy vegetables like gai lan, pak choi, choi sum etc.

and for the chilli dip whiz up: 3 red chillies, a clove of garlic, a big splash of rice/white wine vinegar and a tiny splash of water
Pop the meat and all the other ingredients apart from the eggs and greens into a large stock pot and very gently, cook with a lid on for 2 hours- keep an eye on the liquid level.
Pop the eggs into the liquid and let them hard boil along with the meat for a further 30 minutes.

Start to cook your rice at this time too. After, lift the meat out, carefully and throw the veggies in to the broth to boil for 5 minutes or less while you shred the meat and slice the rind.
Plate up rice, veggies, a mix of meat and a little rind and spoon some broth over. Add the dip and a peeled boiled egg, halved.

Moo Khua Kling (Dry Roasted Curry)

 I Had a break from Thai food over the weekend and as a late birthday treat sampled some amazing Japanese/Danish hybrid food at Sticks n Sushi in Greenwich. We couldn’t decide what to pick from their vast menu so went for the lazy option; basically tell the server your budget and they pick for you! We sampled tataki, rice crispie shrimp tempura two ways (whole and with avocado in rolls), black sesame and truffle crispy cauliflower, salmon sahimi, tuna, pork and steak yakitori. The quality of the ingredients and the imaginative way they were served was amazing!
Anyway, since we’ve just arrived back, Moo Khua Kling is a perfect dish to cook as it’s really quick to make and doesn’t need many ingredients. It’s not really a curry at all, as it’s a dry dish though it is stir fried in red curry paste. It’s a Southern Thai dish and like most Southern dishes packs some serious heat. It’s traditional not to add vegetables to the dish but to serving cooling ones alongside.
For two people use:

• 350g minced pork
• a level tablespoon of red curry paste
• a ‘finger’ of fresh turmeric, if available, or a heaped teaspoon of powder
• 8-10 kaffir lime leaves, spine removed, rolled and shredded fine
• a large red chilli, or 4/5 small red, sliced
• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla)
• optional vegetables (cucumber, green cabbage, lettuce etc.)

Bash the fresh turmeric (if using) into a paste in a mortar then mix the turmeric (fresh or powdered) with the red curry paste. Use a non stick wok to dry fry the meat over a high heat until fully cooked and any water has evaporated. Add in the curry paste and mix thoroughly, cooking for a couple of minutes until fragrant and even coloured. Throw in the fish sauce, chilli slices and lime leaves, leaving some back for decoration if you want to. Cook until dry (1 minute or so) then serve with the cooling vegetables.

Gaeng Penang Moo (Pork Penang Curry)

It’s been an exciting week in our house; not least, today is my 30th birthday! For the last two nights I’ve eaten out; Thai (of course) on Tuesday night and Malaysian last night. I’ve been exploring Malaysian food a little more recently as we’re due to go on holiday to Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi in a couple of months and I want to get to grips with the cuisine a bit more beforehand. I got some lovely birthday presents but two in particular have got me very excited. The first from my wonderful husband (you’re looking at the results) a new macro lens for my camera meaning I can get even more detail and depth of field in my pictures and secondly a private photo tour of some of Kuala Lumpur’s wet/dry markets. I can’t wait!
In honour of my forthcoming trip to Malaysia (but obsession with Thai food) today I have made a Penang curry- very thick creamy sauce, nutty, mild in taste and quite sweet; not my usual choice but really indulgent and a lovely birthday tea!
For two portions use:

• 400g lean pork, sliced thin
• 400ml (1 can) coconut milk (keep a little back to drizzle over)
• a tablespoon of Massaman curry paste (I used Aroy- D)
• half teaspoon of shrimp paste (I added it as there wasn’t any in the curry paste- if your paste has it already, skip this)
• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla)
• a tablespoon of palm sugar (or light brown sugar)
• a small handful of peanuts, crushed
• 5/6 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• a handful of sweet basil leaves
• 1 large red chilli, sliced

In a wok heat the coconut milk (save some back for drizzling over the finished dish). Cook until it starts reducing, bubbling and oils begin to rise. Stir every now and again so it doesn’t stick/burn. Add the curry paste and (if using) shrimp paste, cook and stir well for severeal minutes until mixed together and thick in consistency. Throw in the pork, fish sauce, sugar, nuts and lime leaves and stir,coating everything in the sauce until fully cooked (about 5 minutes). Stir though most of the basil leaves and serve. Sprinkle over the chilli slices, spare basil leaves and drizzle over the remaining coconut milk.

Tom Saeb (Hot & Sour Pork Rib Soup)

This will probably be the last Thai soup for a while now; the weather is beginning to warm up here so thoughts are turning to lighter meals. This is a great comfort dish though and with it’s powerful herbal broth is definitely going to do you some good and help fight off any colds. It is fairly similar to two other Thai soups I featured before Tom Yum Goong (this has prawns, mushrooms, chilli paste and a little sweetness) and Tom Yum Boran (has beansprouts, peanuts, pork slices and noodles). This is apparently a pretty fashionable dish in Thailand right now; don’t ask me why though!
For two portions use:

• 4/5 small/medium pork ribs,use a cleaver or ask your butcher to chop them into inch pieces
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 4 dried red chillies
• (optional) 3 or 4 small birds eye chillies
• 5/6 kaffir lime leaves, ripped up
• a chunk of galangal, cut into slices
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 stalks of lemon grass, sliced
• a small handful of fresh coriander
• juice of 1 large or 2 small limes
• a big splash of fish sauce
• 4 cups of water

Into a large pan add the water, pork ribs, dried and (if using fresh chillies), kaffir lime leaves, garlic, galangal and lemon grass and turn on the heat. Cooking the ribs in the liquid will create the stock that will give your soup all of its rich flavour. Cook over a medium heat for 30 minutes or so, the ribs won’t fall off the bone but should be soft. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to sieve out all the tough herbs- lime leaves, galangal and lemon grass (unless you want to leave them in). Drop in the spring onions and fresh coriander. Give it a stir, then turn the heat off and pour in the fish sauce and lime juice. Stir briefly before serving.

Khao Pad Moo Grob (Deep Fried Pork Fried Rice)

This is definitely an indulgence dish- any dish with ‘fried’ in it’s title twice has got to be. That said, there’s only a few pieces of crispy pork belly per portion and there’s lightly cooked fresh veggies, so don’t feel too guilty.
I loved fried rice dishes, they great for using up leftover cooked rice or assorted vegetables. Click the link for the chicken fried rice I made last summer- http://iwishiwasinthailand.tumblr.com/post/91472102264/pad-khao-gai-chicken-fried-rice 
For 3-4 portions use:

• A 300-400g slab of pork belly
• a cereal bowl of cold, pre cooked rice (yesterday’s is ideal)
• a few stalks of choi sum or or pak choy (or other leafy/crunchy veg)
• half a white onion, thinly sliced
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• a large red chilli, sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• juice of 1 lime
• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla)
• a big splash of light soy sauce
• a big pinch of ground black pepper
• half a bottle of vegetable oil for deep frying and a splash for the fried rice

Cook the pork belly (click link to open recipe) following the boiling, cutting, soaking and deep frying stages (please be careful- cover the pork during cooking and watch out for spitting oil- I ended up with a few nasty burns on my hands) then once cooked,cut into cubes.
With the meat cooked, we’re ready to start. heat a small splash of oil in a wok and when it’s nice and hot, add in the garlic and sliced onions; stir frying for a few seconds before shoving everything to one side of the wok. Crack the egg into the empty half and leave it to set for a bit, then scramble, then set, then scramble. When it’s fully cooked through, mix everything back together. Throw in the choi sum, chillies and spring onions, stir frying for a minute over a high heat. Now tip in the rice and mix gently, but thoroughly. Add in the sauces and black pepper next, then mix through most of the crispy pork belly. Cook for a final couple of minutes.
Serve with a few more pieces of pork on the top and squeeze over a wedge of lime per portion.