Khanom Krok (Coconut Rice Cakes)

Khanom krok are a Thai breakfast/snack/dessert dish that use a rice flour and coconut batter, traditionally cooked in small circular hollows in a round cast iron tray called a 'krok'. They have a texture a bit like Japanese mochi; slightly bouncy, chewy with a pleasing crispy outer layer. They're usually topped with colourful ingredients like pumpkin, spring onion or as used here, sweetcorn.

This recipe is for an oven baked version of khanom krok; although it is possible to get the cast iron krok pans here in the UK (I've seen them on our visits to Raan Thai in Birkenhead) they're also relatively expensive and need a gas burner underneath. Unfortunately our ceramic hob wouldn't work for such a cooking method so I've come up with both an alternative cooking method and utensil in which to cook them.

Those in the UK and possibly also the US, may be familiar with the famous Yorkshire pudding (a crispy egg/flour batter based baked item often served with roasted meats, vegetables and gravy). I've used the same cooking method and shallow 4-holed baking tray to make the khanom kroks. You can also use a muffin/cupcake tin but make sure that whatever tray type you use, just don't fill the batter to more than 3cm/1 inch deep or they won't fully cook through.

For 8 khanom kroks, you'll need:

• 1 400ml can coconut milk- divide it into two parts- the thicker cream and the thinner milk.
• 1/2 cup water
• 50g sugar
• 3/4 cup of rice flour
• 1/4 cup of tapioca flour
• a pinch of salt
• a tablespoon or so of corn kernels (frozen/tinned is fine)
• a small drizzle of vegetable oil

Get the oven heating up before beginning to make the batter- turn it to it's hottest temperature and put your Yorkshire pudding/ cupcake/muffin tray in to get really hot.

For the outside batter, mix the rice flour, salt, thinner coconut milk and water together, mixing until there are no lumps left- it should have the consistency of thin/single cream.

Also make the inner batter; mix the tapioca flour, sugar and thicker coconut cream together, again, whisking/beating until the mixture reaches a smooth, lump-free, cake- icing like consistency.

Get the tin out of the oven (obviously using an oven mitt or something!) and pour a drop of oil into each hole. Use a piece of kitchen roll to make sure all the inside surface is well oiled.

Pop the tray back in the oven for a few more minutes to heat up again.

Working quickly now, get the the tray out and pour about a tablespoon of the thinner outer batter into each hole; you should hear it sizzle. Gently holding the tray (still in a gloved hand!!) roll it a little, so some of the batter touches the sides of each hole.

Pop the tray back in the oven to allow the skin of the outer batter to form- and leave to cook for 3-4 minutes.

Now get the tray out again and this time, use the thick inner batter, spoon out a generous tablespoon into the middle of each hole, on top of the almost cooked outer batter.

Drop a few corn kernels on to the top of each lot of the mixtures.

Place back into the oven for 10 minutes until fully cooked. Use a table knife to carefully lift the khanom kroks aways from the surface of the baking tray and lift out with a spoon.

As I only had the one Yorkshire pudding tray, I then repeated to give me 8 in total.

Khao Pad Gaeng Kiew Wan (Green Curry Fried Rice)

After a rather busy last few days for me I'm ready to get back writing again, It's been my birthday weekend and we decided to take a trip down to see my parents near the south coast. We ended up having an impromptu night in Brighton, a full on day in London (involving a rapid trip to Brick Lane for Indian food supplies, amongst other things, a days walking in the Ashdown Forest and an equally full on day getting gooey-eyed at the amazing Bodleian Library and various colleges during a stop off in Oxford before the long drive back to Lancashire.

It's taken another couple of days getting back in the swing of things but I've finally found time to post this recipe for Khao Pad Gaeng Kiew Wan (Green curry fried rice). Now we're well into April it's now getting so much easier to take photos again as there is still daylight when I'm cooking, Long way it continue!

Like the last recipe I posted (Chicken stir fried with ginger) this is also a common restaurant dish found here in the UK. The red curry paste version is equally common. If you're not in the mood for sharing a bowl of curry or you need to take a portion for the next day, this fried rice version is definitely the easy option and dare I say it, preferable to the usual curry.

It still has all the same flavours that you would expect from a green curry, just in a neater package.

For two large portions use:

• 2 cups of cooked, cold rice (ideally cooked yesterday)
• a tablespoon of green curry paste (I use Mae Ploy brand)
• 2/3 skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into cubes (i've also used up some pre-fried tofu pieces cut into small cubes)
• your choice of crunchy vegetables, cut into inch long pieces- I've used baby corn, green beans and pea aubergines
• a small handful of Thai sweet basil (or tarragon as a substitute- never Mediterranean basil!!)
• 1/2 can of coconut milk
• a big splash of fish sauce
• a big pinch of sugar
• 4/5 limes leaves, finely shredded
• 4/5 small red chillies or 1 large, finely sliced
• (optional) a few stalks of green peppercorns

In a large wok, heat the coconut milk until it bubbles, add in the green curry paste and stirring regularly, fry for a few minutes until you can see some oil separating.

Pop in the chicken and cook in the sauce until nearly cooked (2/3 minutes). 

Add in the seasonings- lime leaf, sugar, fish sauce, then the crunchy vegetables, cook for 3/4 minutes until they lose their rawness but not soft.

It should still resemble a very thick green curry at this stage- now tip in the rice and gently mix so everything gets well coated in the sauce. there will no longer be any obvious sauce.

Mix through the basil leaves, chillies and (if using) green peppercorns. Sprinkle over any remaining chillies, shreds of lime leaf or Thai basil for decoration.

Nasi Goreng Kampung (Malaysian Fried Rice- Village Style)

I mentioned a while back that I may from time to time, post a non Thai recipe so hope it's okay that today I'm making a short hop over the border into Malaysia. Some of you may remember I went on holiday for a few weeks last year to Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi where I spent as much time as possible eating my way through dishes from all the cultures that call Malaysia home. 

My husband and I particularly enjoyed the simple rice dishes that we ate for breakfast, such as nasi lemak and this one; nasi goreng kampung (village style fried rice). Although it looks quite a straightforward dish it's full of very strong flavours; notably salty, fishy and spicy ones. Treat yourself and top your portion off with a freshly cooked crisp fried egg.

For 4 large portions use:

• A large bowl of cold, pre cooked rice
• a large bunch of morning glory (water spinach) cut into 2 inch pieces
• a handful of green beans, cut into small pieces
• 2 large handfuls of dried crispy anchovies (1 handful finely chopped, 1 left whole)
• 4 red chillies, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 small onion, finely sliced
• a big glug of light soy sauce
• a big squeeze of kecap manis (sweet, dark, thick soy sauce)
• vegetable oil for frying

In a deep wok, heat the oil until hot and fry the onion, garlic and chillies until they have some colour (about 2 minutes). 

Stir fry in the handful of chopped anchovies and green beans (open a window/put on the extractor!), frying for a minute before moving the ingredients to the side of the wok and pouring in the beaten egg. 

Let the egg begin to set before lightly scrambling. Let it set again, scramble, set, scramble until fully cooked and mix all the ingredients back together. 

Throw in the morning glory, briefly stir frying for a minute before carefully tipping all the rice in.

Pour over the sauces and gently toss and mix all the ingredients, making sure all the rice is well coated and heated through. 

Have a taste to see if it needs any more sauce and plate up, sprinkling the other handful of dried fish over the steaming 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!

Khao Pad Tom Yum (Hot & Sour Soup Flavour Fried Rice)

Apparently this Thai dish was all the rage a few years back when it became rather fashionable to mix together classic Thai dishes into one combined meal. Take Tom Yum Goong (Hot & Sour Prawn Soup) and Khao Pad (Fried Rice) and mix the flavours together to create a quick, filling, fresh and vibrant tasting rice dish.

For two people use:

• 3 cups of cooked and cooled white rice (left over from yesterday is ideal)

• a large handful of small prawns/shrimp

• a few stalks of green leafy veg (such as morning glory or pak choi) or substitute mushrooms or another veg of your choice

• 1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped

• 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

• a 1 inch piece of galangal, peeled and finely chopped

• 5-6 kaffir lime leaves, stem removed and ripped into pieces

• 3-4 small chillies, red, orange or green

• juice of 1 lime

• a big splash of fish sauce

• a heaped teaspoon of nam prik pao (roasted chilli paste)

• a handful of fresh coriander, some chopped, some left as stalks

• vegetable oil for frying

Heat a splash of oil in a wok until hot and fling in the garlic, stir frying for a few short seconds. Next add in and briefly fry the flavouring herbs: galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime and chillies. Next in goes the nam prik pao, move it around and cook out the paste for a moment. Next your vegetable choice, give it 20 seconds or so stir frying before the prawns go in for another 30 seconds or so of frying.

Now it's time to carefully tip in the cool, cooked rice and mix everything well, coating the rice in the nam prik pao. Finally pop in the fish sauce, squeeze over the lime and mix in the chopped coriander before giving everything a good final mix through before serving alongside plenty of fresh coriander.

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.

Khao Na Bhet (Duck & Rice)

So, just one week to go until we head off to Malaysia for a few weeks. While I’m there I hope to bring you the food we encounter on our travels and what we cook while we’re over there (we’re staying with family and are lucky to have access to a Malaysian wet and dry kitchen). We’ve also been given an amazing present of a phototour for just me and my husband around Pudu wet market so I can’t wait to bring you those images.
Before we go, this week I’ll be posting two duck recipes; I bought a whole duck as it seemed much better value than messing around with duck breasts which are so expensive. A whole duck cost £8 and provided two full main meals over two days and huge lunch portions so was definitely worth it.
Duck is actually used quite a lot in Thailand, it’s common in dishes with a Chinese origin (such as this one) and the eggs are also commonly used.
This is a simple but very satisfying one plate dish with a great flavour profile-not too sweet (I personally dislike duck in syrupy sweet sauces), a little salty, savoury and smoky.
To make this dish use:

• 1 prepared duck (you’ll have over half the duck left for other recipes)
• a few stems of choi sum/pak choi or similar vegetable, chopped
• a big squirt of kecap manis or dark soy sauce
• small splash of sesame oil
• small splash of light soy
• a dollop of honey (or palm sugar)
• a clove of garlic, sliced
• a small splash of oil
• half a cup of white rice

Coat the outside of the duck in the kecap manis/ dark soy and massage into the skin. Roast in a deep oven tray at 180 degrees celsius for 90 minutes or until the fat has rendered and the skin is crispy and dark golden brown. Lift the duck out and rest, covered in foil. Leave the tray of duck juices to cool with the tray resting at an angle.
Boil a pan of water for the rice and start cooking.
After ten minutes or so with the tray of juices it should be possible to delicately scoop off the fat using a spoon, leaving behind the dark duck juices underneath- this forms the basis for the sauce.
When the pan juices are more or less free of fat, pour the juice into a small pan and add the light soy, honey and sesame oil. Slowly heat and reduce the liquid roughly by half.
Quickly heat a wok with a splash of oil and stir fry the garlic clove for a few seconds before throwing in the choi sum and stir a few times until it wilts.
Drain rice and plate up. Sprinkle with the choi sum. Slice off a duck breast and chop into bite size pieces, placing over the top of the rice. Pour a suitable amount of the sauce over everything.

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.

Khao Pad Sapparod Goong (Prawn & Pineapple Fried Rice)

Happy New Year!! I’m looking forward to bringing you lots more Thai recipes this year and I’m excited to be able to use my new camera that I got for Christmas- Canon 1200D to record the food I make. I’m just starting to get the hang of using depth of field to get some parts in focus, some out.

For our new year supper I made Khao pad sapparod goong and for a touch of retro glamour, it had to be served in a pineapple half (optional but looks great!).  Everything for this recipe can be found at a regular supermarket


For three large/ 4 small servings use:

• 1 ripe pineapple, cut in half and carve out the flesh into cubes. I used about 2/3rds of the pineapple and ate the rest as dessert.


• 1 cup of cooked and COOLED white rice- yesterdays rice is best-i used fresh it’ll go mushy.


• a big handful of raw prawn/shrimp


• around 10 green beans,chopped in half


• one small onion, roughly chopped


• 3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped


• 4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced


• a big splash of oyster sauce


• a big splash of fish sauce


• 1 egg


• a tablespoonful of curry powder


• one or two red chillies, chopped


• a sprinkle of fresh coriander leaves


• a wedge of lime


• (optional- but good) a small handful of cashew nuts)


• vegetable oil for frying

Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a wok and when hot throw in the onion, stir fry for a minute or until it starts to get some colour.

Next add in the garlic and chilli, stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Throw in the green beans and fry for about two minutes, until they begin to soften.

Next shove everything to one side of the wok and break in the egg on the empty side.Let it start to set and gently scramble before letting it set again, then scramble. After the egg is fully cooked, mix everything back together again.

Add in the prawns and cook them until they start to turn pink (around a minute). Pineapple goes in next,again, just cook lightly to cook out some of the juice.

Now tip the cool cooked rice in, along with the curry powder and stir well. Add the oyster and fish sauces and gently, mix everything together.

Almost done, mix through the cashew nuts and spring onions and serve into the pineapple halves, if you use them. Top with the coriander and lime wedge.

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.

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.

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.

Pad Khao Gai (Chicken Fried Rice)

This was such a satisfying meal, it was quick to cook and looked really good too. This is the kind of dish you can find all over Thailand as it’s possibly the most common Thai street food dish. It’s also a popular thing to have at breakfast and if you’re not as into chillies as I am, it’s also a good one as you choose whether to add chillies or not. As you can see I also went for a bit of traditional Thai presentation with serrated edge cucumber and a vertically sliced lime! This is also a really easy one to make that doesn’t require any substitutions as there are no obscure ingredients.

For two big portions use:

• two small chicken breast, cut into small pieces


• two-three cups of pre cooked and cool (ideally yesterdays) white rice


• half a carrot, cut into thin rounds


• 4 spring onions, finely sliced


• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped


• 2 eggs


• a good splash of soy sauce


• a small splash of fish sauce (nam pla) easy to find in regular supermarkets


• a big pinch of sugar


• a big pinch of ground white or black pepper


• a few slices of cucumber (for decoration)


• 1 lime, sliced vertically (for decoration)


• a crispy fried egg (optional)


• vegetable oil for frying

For the nam prik pla (chillies in fish sauce) mix:

• three or four red chillies, finely chopped


• one small clove garlic, very finely chopped


• a large splash of fish sauce

If making a crispy fried egg for the top and/or  nam prik pla, do these bits first. Keep your egg warm in the oven while you cook the main dish. Heat a splash of oil in a wok or frying pan, when it’s hot, add the garlic and stir fry for just a few seconds before throwing the chicken in. Cook the chicken most of the way through before pushing it away to one side of the pan. Crack your two eggs into the empty side and break the yolks. Let it sit for a few seconds then stir, let it stick, then stir and break up. Do this a few minutes until the egg is cooked through and in in scrambly chunks. Stir everything back together, add in your carrots and spring onions. Add in the white rice and gently stir everything together. Now add in the fish and soy sauces, sugar and ground pepper. Cook for a few minutes more until everything is well coated in sauce and cooked through. To plate up, pack a small bowl with the fried rice and tip it out onto a plate. Add on the cucumber and lime wedge, followed by your crispy fried egg and a spoonful of the name prik pla (if using). Squeeze on the lime, give the rice a good mix through and devour with gusto!!

Khao Man Gai (Fatty Chicken Rice)

This is one of my favourite (and most simplest) Thai street food dishes to make. It’s a really plain meal but made wonderfully fragrant by the delicious sauce it’s served with. The chicken is boiled which may seem odd but it ends up really juicy and plump.

A greedy portion for one is made from:

• A half chicken portion (a small whole chicken for 2/3 people)


• Half a cup of white rice


• a few slices of crisp cucumber


• A small handful of roughly chopped coriander

The sauce is made from:

• A thumb sized piece of peeled ginger


• Small chillies, red or green ( I like my food hot so went for 3)


• Cloves of peeled garlic (again, I like strong flavours so used 4)


• A small dash of dark soy sauce


• A larger splash of light soy sauce


• An equally large splash of white wine vinegar


• a big punch of sugar


• A big old glug of fermented soy bean paste- it looks like this:

Unless you have access to an Asian food store, this is the potential problem- it provides a savoury, salty and thickening quality to the sauce. My only real suggestion for a substitute is miso paste (but not miso soup sachets). Sainsburys sell jars of it for £1.99 and Tesco for £1.49

To start, I get things moving by getting a pan of water boiling for the chicken (only fill the pan half way or when you put the chicken in it’ll overflow). I’ve experimented with adding lemongrass, pepper, coriander etc. to the boiling water but quite frankly, I find it makes no difference to the end result. When the water’s boiling you want to place the chicken in and leave it on on a steady simmer. It will really depend on the size of your chicken as to how long it will take. For my small, half chicken portion it took around 30 mins, maybe 50 mins for a full bird. Please do test as you go; you’ll see the skin and meat begin to separate and tear easily when it’s done.

When the chicken has gone into the pot, you want to get another pan of water on the boil for the rice. The fatty part of the recipe name (Khao = rice, Man = fatty and Gai = chicken)  is because at this point you want to tip around half of the chicken cooking liquid into the rice pan, so it will absorb some of the flavours of the broth. Strictly in Thailand, the rice would be cooked by the absorption method so all the broth would be used to cook and soak into the rice- I’ve tried this, and for my tastes, it was WAY too greasy. Aim to start cooking the rice 10-15 minutes before the chicken will be done.

So for the last 10/15 minutes of chicken and rice cooking time, I make the sauce by bashing up the ginger, chillies and garlic in a pestle and mortar, or mini chopper. Put the chopped paste into a small pan and add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Give it all a stir and gently heat the sauce through. Once it’s well heated, empty it out into a ramekin or dipping sauce type pot. Slice your self a few pieces of cucumber (to me it always tastes better on a steep diagonal, no idea why but it’s usually done like that in Thailand) and if you haven’t already, chop up a small handful of coriander.

Okay, time to plate up and get eating. Drain the chicken, take off the slimy skin (unless you enjoy this sort of thing), serve whatever cuts you like the look of- I was greedy and had a breast and drumstick. Drain the rice (but don’t rinse). Plate both along with the cucumber, coriander and sauce.

Don’t skimp on the sauce- each bite deserves a dribble!