Colonel Ian's Thai Recipes

Nine Flavored Salad
Yum Talay (Seafood Salad)
Kao Soi (Chiang Mai Curry Noodles)
Bu Ja (Steamed Crab)
Pla Lat (3 Flavoured Fish)
Khai Luk Koei (Son-In-Law's Eggs)
Khao Man Kai (Chicken and Rice)
Khao Mu Daeng (Red Pork With Rice)
Khao Pad Sapparot (Stir Fried Rice & Pineapple)
Kaeng Pladuk Chuchi (Dry Curried Catfish)

Nine Flavored Salad

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Nine Flavoured Salad Keywords: Salads, Thai, Colonel NINE FLAVOURED SALAD ==================== This is, if you like, the opposite of the quick dinner for 10 I posted recently - it is a very slow recipe. It has been remarked that most recipes in Thai cuisine are fast to cook, and only require moderate preparation. In fact that does apply to most foods except desserts. Traditionally a middle or upper class lady would employ a number of khunchai -- household servants -- who would do the "grunt work", including the cooking. The lady of the house would only cook desserts, and having much leisure time could prepare amazingly intricate and time consuming confections. THERE IS ANOTHER EXCEPTION: traditionally Thai households made their own sauces; fish sauce could take months, even years to mature to full flavour in a clay pot buried in the garden. This recipe doesn't go to such extremes, but it does take a long time for some stages to mature before you can continue. THIS CONSISTS OF A DRESSING THAT COMBINES ALL FOUR OF THE BASIC FLAVOURS: salt, hot, sour, and sweet. The final salad uses nine flavour ingredients, that are matched against each other in three groups. As presented here the first of these groups, let us say the "protein group" consists of a fin, fur and feather, that is to say a fish, poultry and meat selection. This is offset by three "veggies" and three fruits. You could however choose to use three more closely related flavours in the protein group: three different sea food flavours, three poultry flavours, or three meats. Finally the salad dressing calls for two Thai chillis: prik chi fa is a mild chilli, about finger sized, that is the Thai equivalent of the Jalapeno. Prik Ki Nu (birdseye chilli) is a fiercely hot little morsel, that can be replaced by Habaneros if you find them easier to obtain or handle. FINALLY THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF THE SALAD DRESSING: the sweet soy component, the fish sauce component and the chilis in vinegar, can all be used as basic table condiments. Thus, though this recipe is for the quantity needed for this dish, you could easily make more, and use them with other foods... THE SALAD DRESSING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STAGE 1 ~~~~~~~ COMPONENT 1: PRIK NAM SIYU WAN Place a quarter cup each of freshly grated ginger, chopped shallots (purple onions) and sliced prik chi fa in a 1 cup container, and fill with sweet dark soy. Stir to make sure there aren't any air bubbles and top up if necesary. Seal and keep in the refridgerator for a week. COMPONENT 2: PAK NAM PLA Place a quarter cup each of chopped onions, sliced celery and julienned mooli (white Chinese raddish) in a 1 cup container, fill with fish sauce, stir briefly and top up if needed. Keep in the fridge for a week. COMPONENT 3: PRIK DONG Place a qurter cup of sliced red prik ki nu in a half cup container and fill with white vinegar (rice vinegar if you can get it). Cover and keep in the fridge for a week. STAGE 2 ~~~~~~~ A couple of hours before you are ready to eat the salad, take some tomatoes, and drop them briefly in boiling water, then skin them. Discard the seeds, and coarsely chop them to yield one cup of chopped tomatoes. Combine all the ingredients, and add a quarter cup of palm sugar and a quarter cup of lime juice. Now, if you wish the dressing to have a smooth sauce like consistency, put it in a liquidiser and blend until smooth. If you want a more salsa like consistency, simply omit this step. Place the combined ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until reduced to suit your tastes (you need about two cups of dressing). THE SALAD ~~~~~~~~~ You need a third of a cup each of the following ingredients. 1: crispy deep fried catfish pieces 2: chicken (preferably steamed, but any cooked chicken will do) 3: pork (stir fried, but again any cooked pork will do) 4: "Chinese leaves" (raw) 5: bean sprouts 6: mushrooms 7: pineapple chunks (preferably fresh) 8: mango 9: orange segments Combine the salad ingredients, add enough dressing to coat thoroughly, and serve. Additional prepared dressing, prik nam siyu wan, pak nam pla, and the usual Thai table condiments of prik dong, powdered chili and sugar complete the presentation. The dish can be served on its own "between meals", with sticky rice for lunch, or as part of a multi-course dinner. From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Yum Talay (Seafood Salad)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Yum Talay (Seafood Salad) Keywords: Salads, Seafood, Vegetables, Thai, Colonel, Colonel YUM TALAY (SEAFOOD SALAD) ========================= This is a simple yum dish - meaning, roughly, a tossed salad. However the Thais traditionally eat such dishes at room temperature, rather than cold as westerners tend to eat salads. Any mix of seafood could be used, as long as you retain a contrast in texture and flavour. Fish balls can be purchased in most Chinese or Asian markets. If you prepare the shrimp in advance (removing the heads, legs, shells, and veins), you can use the heads, legs, and shells, in preparing the fish stock. Prepare a serving platter, by lining it with lettuce leaves, and garnishing it with parsley and cucmber slices. In a small sauce pan combine:-- 2 tablespoons of lime juice 1 tablespoon prik phom (ground red chillis) 2 tablespoons fish stock 1 teaspoon palm sugar 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 teaspoon kapi (shrimp paste) 1 teaspoon very finely sliced prik chi fa daeng (red jalapenos) and bring to a gentle simmer, staring to dissolve the sugar. Then add:-- 4-6 fish balls 4 large (about 8-10 to the pound) shrimp 2-3 tablespoons of crab meat 2-3 tablespons calamari stir until the meat is cooked through (it only takes about 2 minutes, but the first time you prepare this you might cut a fish ball in half to check it is cooked in the middle). Remove form the heat, and add:-- 2 lime leaves very thinly sliced (or 1 teaspoon lime zest) 1 shallot thinly sliced 2 tablespoons of chopped onion Stir to warm through, and then pour onto the serving platter, and garnish with additional parsley or coriander leaves. Alternatively you can chill it in a fridge and eat cold. Whilst moderately spicy as described, Thais often add almost alarmingly large quantities of sugar, prik phom (chili powder), prik dong (pickled red chilis), prik nam pla (green chilis in fish sauce) and grated roasted peanuts to yum dishes at the table. There would also be a variety of raw veggies, fresh fruit, and rice, probably sticky rice, to add to the repast. From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Kao Soi (Chiang May Noodles)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Kao Soi (Chiang Mai Curry Noodles) Keywords: Side Dish, Noodles, Curry, Thai, Colonel KAO SOI (CHIANG MAI CURRY NOODLES) ================================== This is a noodle dish, prepared in a creamy curry sauce, that is traditional in Northern Thailand. Ba mee are a medium yellow egg noodle. If you are using dried noodles then 2 ounces of dried noodles should be soaked for about 15 minutes in room-temperature water before being drained for use. This dish can also be prepared quite effectively using Italian spaghetti. Phom kari is a yellowish orange curry powder, but if you can't get it you could use a reasonable moderate Indian curry powder such as Madras. INGREDIENTS: 4 ounces of fresh ba mee 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon red curry paste 1/2 cup of coconut milk 4 ounces of ground pork 1 cup of stock 1 tablespoon phom kari X pinch of turmeric powder 2 tablespoons of fish sauce X pinch of sugar X teaspoon lime juice METHOD: Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil, then place the ba mee in a wire basket or strainer and dip the noodles in the water for a few seconds (no more), and then drain them and transfer them to the serving plate. In a wok, heat the coconut milk and then stir in the curry paste until the aroma is brought out and a thin film of oil seperates out, then add the garlic and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients except the pork, and stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Add the pork and continue to stir until the meat is cooked through. Pour the sauce over the noodles. Garnish with spring onions, sliced shallots, pickled cabbage (phak kaat dong) and lime wedges. From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Bu Ja (Steamed Crab)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Bu Ja (Steamed Crab) Keywords: Seafood, Crab, Thai, Colonel BU JA (STEAMED CRAB) ==================== This is traditionally made from whole fresh crabs: the fresh (read that as alive) crabs are killed by dropping them in boiling water, then the shells are split, and the meat extracted for the recipe... However you can simply buy crab meat... and if you don't have crab shells you could easily use ramekin dishes (though the shells are nice and showy for party food). The food should be steamed in a bamboo steamer to avoid condensation dripping onto the cooking food. Alternatively if you use a metal steamer cover the food with a paper towel which is not in contact with the food, or simply steam the crab in a microwave on medium or low heat. If you use a microwave let the dish stand for one minute after each three minutes cooking, and check for "doneness" by probing it with a fork. If you prefer to omit the pork, use extra crabmeat, or chopped shrimp, instead. INGREDIENTS: 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander (including the root if possible) 4 ounces of crabmeat 4 ounces ground pork 1 duck egg (or large hen's egg) 2 tablespoons of fish sauce 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce X pinch of sugar Note: If you want the dish to be a little more spicy, add a little grated ginger and sliced jalapena (prik chi fa daeng) METHOD: Combine all the ingredients in a food processor, and then spoon a quarter of the mixture into each of four crab shells or ramekin dishes, and steam for about 15 minutes until cooked. Garnish with slivered red and green chillis and coriander leaves. From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Pla Lat (3 Flavored Fish)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Pla Lat (3 Flavoured Fish) Keywords: Seafood, Fish, Thai, Colonel, Colonel PLA LAT ("3 FLAVOURED FISH") ============================ A traditional treatment for fish that simply contrasts sweet, hot and sour flavour elements. Again this is traditionally cooked in a large deep wok, though unlike pla jian it is cooked at very high heat. Therefore I caution you to use a large skillet or an electric deep frier (though I have yet to see one of them that gets the oil hot enough for the full effect of this recipe). First the simple part: deep fry about a pound of mackerel or whiting, preferably with the heads on, in smoking hot peanut oil until the skin if crisp. Place it on a serving platter. SAUCE INGREDIENTS: 2 tablespoons of chopped shallots (purple onions) 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic 1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng (red "birdseye" chillis), sliced 2 tablespoons of fish sauce 2 tablespoons of palm sugar 2 tablespoons of lime juice 2 tablespoons of fish stock METHOD: In a small saucepan, saute the garlic and shallots in a little oil, then remove and set aside. Pour off the oil, leaving only a thin film on the pan. Return half the shallots and garlic to the pan, and add the other ingredients. Stir to dissolve the sugar and then simmer to thicken the sauce. Add the remaining shallots and garlic, stir until heated through, then pour it over the grilled fish. From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Khai Luk Koei (Son-In-Law's Eggs)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Khai Luk Koei (Son-In-Law's Eggs) Keywords: Side Dish, Eggs, Thai, Colonel, Colonel KHAI LUK KOEI ("SON-IN-LAW'S EGGS") =================================== This dish is traditionally made from quail's eggs, and the name is an aliterative euphemism. The story goes that is a young man is being less than kind to his wife, then on a regular visit to his mother-in-law, she will give him a salutory reminder that his behaviour has been noted by serving this dish. The message is plain, straighten up and fly right, or his wedding tackle will take the place of the similarly sized eggs in a dish of khai luk koei. Mrs. Bobbit was not an original: Thai wives with errant husbands have for centuries taken a singular solution to their woes: the husband returns home with too much alcohol in his belly and lipstick on his collar, to be pacified with a blow from the granite sakh (pestle) and relieved of his offending glands, which are typically fed to the pigs or geese so they cannot be restored - a step Mrs. Bobbit omitted :-) Seriously though, this dish is delicious and easy to make. If you don't have quail's eggs, then use 8 hen's eggs. You can also use the sauce to go with fried eggs or simple omelettes. INGREDIENTS: (FOR 4 PEOPLE) 24 quail's eggs 4 tablespoons of shallots, (purple onions), thinly sliced 3 tablespoons of fish sauce 1 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce 2 tablespoons of honey 1/2 teaspoon of prik phom (ground red chillis) (approx) The eggs are hard boiled then shelled. If you are using hen's eggs, cut them in half. They are then stir fried in a little oil on medium heat until they are beginning to crisp, and then removed from the pan and placed on the serving platter. Add the shallots to the pan and saute until they are beginning to crisp. Remove about half of the shallots and set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients of the sauce, and add them to the wok or skillet, and stir until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce over the eggs, then sprinkle the reserved shallot flakes on top. From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Khao Man Kai (Chicken And Rice)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Khao Man Kai (Chicken and Rice) Keywords: Main Dish, Meats, Chicken, Rice, Thai, Colonel, Colonel KHAO MAN KAI (CHICKEN AND RICE) =============================== First, I am taking the liberty of posting this to the fast food news spool as well as my usual groups because the subject is a common "fast food" in Thailand. Anybody who has spent any length of time in Thailand -- indeed who has progressed beyond the International airport transfer lounge, will be aware that Thailand is awash with streetside vendors who serve everything from snacks and desserts to wholesome, nutritious meals. These basically fall into three groups: 1) Khao gaeng (literally curry and rice) stalls, sell a wide variety of "single plate" meals 2) Kuaitiao (pronounced "gw-eye-tea-ow", and meaning "noodles") sell a variety of noodle soups and stir fried noodle dishes 3) Khao man kai and mu daeng stalls, which sell chicken and rice and "red pork" and rice (some stalls specialize in only one of these meals). To watch a khao man kai chef at work is often to be dazzled by the virtuoso performance -- and nothing goes to waste. The chef takes a steamed chicken and quickly cuts off the head and neck, then trims off the wings, which are set aside to be deep fried (wings in a tempura style batter sell for 1 baht each or perhaps 2 for 3 baht - 4 to six cents American each - throughout Thailand), and the legs are chopped off and set aside (Thais in general don't relish dark meat, but you can request a drumstick if you want - otherwise they'll also be deep fried and sold for 5 baht each - 20 cents). The chicken is quickly slit down the breast bone and the two breasts are removed, and the carcass and neck tossed in the stock pan. The breast is placed on a cutting board, smacked with the flat of the cleaver blade, and quickly sliced into bite sized pieces, served on a bed of rice that has been steamed in chicken broth, and delivered to the customer with a cupful of chicken and pumpkin soup, and a couple of little bags containing bean source and fresh ginger. A local stall sells this meal for 15 baht a plate (60 cents), and 20 baht (80 cents) for a "jumbo" portion. Once a week, when we are feeling lazy, my wife and I buy two jumbo portions and two deep fried chicken breasts, for a total of 60 baht ($2.40). Before you dismiss the prices on the basis that Thailand has a much lower average wage than the US, bear in mind the Kentucky Fried Chicken opened an outlet in town recently, and the KFC prices are within one or two baht of the prices KFC charge in America. So the process is continuous: bones are boiled to make stock, the stock is used to cook the chickens and rice and to make soup, and the bones from the chickens are used to make more stock, and so the cycle continues. Since I am sure most of my readers are not contemplating continuous production, you have two options--you can make it with water the first time and then store stock in the fridge for future use, or you can buy some bones and make some stock. Please do not use commercial stock or stock cubes, as it almost all has rather a lot of salt, and often MSG, in it, and the cooking of the rice will certainly concentrate this to the point that it will be unpleasant to eat. Finally in this preamble, let me say that the commercial sellers nearly all sell simple yellow bean sauce, bought commercially, and Thai purchasers may either eat it like that, or trick it up themselves at home. I include the instructions for preparing a more traditional (and tastier) sauce, below. This recipe serves 2 hungry people or four people with more modest appetites. THE FIRST STEP is, about a week before you want to eat the khao man kai, finely slice some prik chi fa (red jalapenos) and discard the seeds, then mix them with about twice their volume of rice vinegar, and leave to marinade (you need at least a tablespoon of chillies). When you are ready to cook, you need about 8 cups of unsalted chicken stock, made by boiling chicken bones in water for about 15 minutes. If you don't have stock, use water. Place the chicken in a large casserole, and cover with the stock. Add a few slices of phak thong (winter squash), to the pot, and simmer or poach over low heat until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender. Remove and drain the chicken. Then when it is cool enough to handle, cut off the wings and legs and reserve them for other dishes, remove the two chicken breasts, and smack them with a cleaver to dislodge the skin, which may be discarded if you are watching you weight. Cut the breasts into strips about half an inch wide, and cut the strips into bite sized pieces. Place 1 1/2 cups of washed long grain rice in a saucepan, and add 2 1/2 cups of the chicken broth from cooking the chicken. Cook over moderate heat until the liquor is absorbed, and the rice is cooked (the finished rice should be slightly moist). Serve the chicken on a bed of the chicken steamed rice, garnished with coriander leaves, and accompanied by a good supply of sliced cucumber, with a cup of the chicken broth, and a few pieces of squash as an accompanying soup, garnished with coriander leaves. This meal is accompanied by the following two sauces: BEAN SAUCE ~~~~~~~~~~ YOU WILL NEED: 4 tablespoons of fermented yellow bean sauce 4 tablespoons of the chicken broth from cooking your chicken 1 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce 1 tablespoon of pickled jalapenos (prepared earlier) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon of palm sugar This is mixed and tasted. If required, you can add extra sugar and some of the vinegar used to pickle the jalapenos for balance. The second "sauce" consists of 1/2 cup of freshly ground ginger. From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Khao Daeng (Red Pork With Rice)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Khao Mu Daeng (Red Pork With Rice) Keywords: Man Dish, Meats, Pork, Rice, Thai, Colonel, Colonel KHAO MU DAENG (RED PORK WITH RICE) ================================== Mu daeng is a complement to khao man kai. Indeed in Thailand vendors that sell one very often sell the other, but nothing else. Like khao man kai a good lunch time meal can be had for half a dollar or so. An interesting style for two people is to buy a portion of khao man kai and a portion of khao mu daeng and to share the meals. Traditionally the pork was marinated in a highly complex mixture of herbs and berries to turn it sweet and red. Today the marinade at most street vendors stalls is water to which a little artificial red food dye and a dash of sugar is added. What follows is my sister-in-law's recipe, and she got it from her father. Father-in-law used a very traditional recipe, but this version is somewhat simplified. In Thailand the food is cooked by placing it on a grating in an iron bowl hanging from a tripod over a charcoal brazier, the whole being covered with a large metal drum, such as a 55 gallon oil drum, to trap the smoke and enhance the flavour of the meat. If you have a domestic food smoker, or can improvise one with a barbecue, then go ahead, otherwise, add a little "Liquid Smoke" and cook the dish as follows. Again this will feed two hungry people or four with moderate appetites. You need about a pound of pork loin, pork steak, or pork chops. THE MARINADE IS MADE BY MIXING: 1/4 cup of chopped tomato from which the seeds and skin have been discarded 4 tablespoons of fish sauce 4 tablespoons of honey 2 preserved chinese plums, chopped This is mixed in a blender, and the meat thoroughly painted with it and left to stand for several hours. If you cannot cook in a suitably smoky atmosphere, add a little Liquid Smoke to the marinade. If you want it a little redder, use cochineal food colorant. METHOD: Place the meat, and the marinade, in a casserole, and add about a cup of water or pork stock. Bring it to a boil on the stove top, then reduce to low heat and cover, and continue to cook slowly until just about cooked. The meat is then removed from the liquor in which it has cooked, and drained, then placed under a grill or broiler on high heat and browned. Allow it to cool and then slice it into strips and the strips into bite sized pieces. Bring the cooking liquor back to the boil, and add 2 tablespoons of dark sweet soy, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar. Reduce to a thick sauce like consistency adding a little cornstarch or rice flour if necessary to thicken it. Serve the pork on a bed of rice, garnished with coriander leaves, with a supply of cucumber slices and place the gravy in a small bowl so the diner may take as much as they choose. Note that the meat and sauce may be served cold. From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Khao Pad Sapparot (Stir Fried Rice W/Pine)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Khao Pad Sapparot (Stir Fried Rice & Pineapple). Keywords: Side Dish, Rice, Pineapple, Thai, Colonel KHAO PAD SAPPAROT (STIR FRIED RICE & PINEAPPLE) =============================================== This is an unusual recipe for Thai food because it is essentially a vegetarian dish - they are not common in Thailand, where even nominally vegetarian dishes often have quite a large amount of meat. This one has a little dried shrimp, and the true vegetarian could easily leave that out. It is also unusual in that it is rather a theatrical dish: though the theatricality comes from a Thai habbit of frugality, and perhaps a desire to have less dishes to wash! For two people you need a medium sized pineapple: choose carefully it should be sweet and juicy. INGREDIENTS: 1 pineapple 2/3 tablespoons of chopped shallots (purple onion) 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger 4/5 red chilis (approx); finely julienned. 2 spring onions (grren part), coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander/cilantro (approx) 2 tablespoons of dried shrimp 2/3 tablespoons of garlic, coarsely chopped 1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce 1 teaspoon sugar You also need two cups of cold, steamed rice and coriander leaves as garnish. METHOD: Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, and scoop out the fruit (my wife uses a curved "grapefruit knife", but any knife will do...) then chop it into bite sized chunks. Put the fruit in a bowl and add the shallots, chili, ginger, scallion and coriander, mix and set aside. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the juice... In a wok, heat about a tablespoon of oil, and stir fry the shrimp until crispy, and the oil is aromatic. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and drain, then set aside. Add a further tablespoon of oil, and stir fry the garlic until golden brown. Add the rice, and stir thoroughly. Add the fish sauce and sugar, and continue stirring. When the rice is heated through, add the pineapple mixture and cooked shrimp, and stir until thoroughly heated through. Pour the mixture into the pineapple shells, garnish and serve. NOTE: If you prefer fried rice to be darkish brown in colour, then replace half the fish sauce with dark sweet soy sauce. VARIATION: Do not cook the fruit mixture. Instead put the fruit mixture and the stir fried rice in the fridge (separately) and chill all the ingredients, then just before serving mix them and put them in the pineapple skins. If you are serving cold then you can also add a few mareschino cherries as garnish. This cold variant makes an excellent counterpoint to hot curries and spicy chilli dishes on a hot day (and it gets *hot* here I can assure you, with the shade temperature topping 40 celsius on many a day.) From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Kaeng Pladuk Chuchi (Dry Curried Catfish)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Kaeng Pladuk Chuchi (Dry Curried Catfish) Keywords: Seafood, Catfish, Thai, Colonel KAENG PLADUK CHUCHI (DRY CURRIED CATFISH) ========================================= Chuchi is a quick curry style that can be made with more or less whatever is on hand. Certainly this recipe could equally well be prepared with obvious minor variations, with jumbo shrimp or lobster tails. My wife tells me that it can be made with pork or beef, and indeed it can be made with snake meat or crocodile (not to mention frogs and a number of exotica that I won't go into here lest I put people off their food)! INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds of catfish (approx), cut into bite-sized chunks. 2 tablespoons of red curry paste 1-2 tablespoon finely sliced prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis) 1 tablespoon shredded bai makrut (lime leaves) 1 cup coconut milk 1 tablespoon fish sauce X palm sugar, to taste METHOD: In hot oil, stir fry the fish chunks until crispy. Drain and set aside. Heat a little of the coconut milk, but don't allow it to boil, stir in the curry paste, and continue to stir until a thin film of oil forms on the surface of the milk. Add the fish, chili, and lime leaves, and a little more of the milk, and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until reduced, and add more of the milk, continuing until all the milk has been added and reduced to a thick sauce. Taste, and add sugar to balance, stir until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved in the sauce, and then turn the heat to high and reduce the sauce until it is almost dry. Serve with steamed white [jasmine] rice, and garnish with bai chi (coriander leaves), lemon and lime wedges, and red chilis cut into thin strips. Add a plate of cucumber slices and tomato wedges, and the usual table condiments (prik phom [powdered red chili], prik nam pla [chilis in fish sauce] and sugar. From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

Kanom Muoi (Thai Style Starters)

-Begin Recipe Export- QBook version 1.00.14 Title: Kanom Muoi (Thai Style Starters) Keywords: Appetizers, Canapes, Thai, Colonel KANOM MUOI (THAI STYLE STARTERS) ================================ This started life, long ago and far away (oops, sorry, that's another genre!) as two traditional Thai starters - a toast and topper called kanom paeng mu and an equally traditional Thai version of shrimp tempura. The name of the toast item is interesting: kanom paeng (bread) literally translates as "expensive cakes" which shows what the Thais think of bread! However over the years my wife has developed these canopes, and this is the current version. NOTES ON INGREDIENTS: Here in Thailand we can't get Maple syrup, so we use honey. This works just as well, but we prefer the taste of the maple syrup, so feel free to experiment. The only bread available here in Thailand is white bread, but again we find this tastes best with a stone ground wholewheat bread. If you want to avoid the moderate chilis suggested, you could use bell peppers, but frankly we find they taste a bit bitter, and anyway they are a bit large for canopes! Finally the quantities here make about two thirds of a cup of each of the pastes. Say 180 millilitres. At 5 ml to the teaspoon this will do about 8 toast bites and 8 chilis if they have 2 teaspoons of paste in each. If you use more paste, it'll do less... INGREDIENTS: First toast 6 slices of bread. Cut off the crusts and cut the pieces of bread into four. If the crusts aren't quite dry, pop them in the oven or a dry skillet, and warm them until dry, then in a mortar and pestle or food processor, convert them into bread crumbs. Prepare half a cup each of cooked crab meat, cooked, chopped pork, and raw, finely chopped mushrooms. Prepare a paste consisting of: 3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger, 3 tablespoons chopped garlic 3 tabelspoons prik phom (ground red chilis) 3 tablespoons crushed toasted peanuts 3 tablespoons khao koor (ground toasted rice) Saute the ginger and garlic, discarding most of the oil, and combine the ingredients, adding two medium sized duck eggs to the mixture (or three smallish hen's eggs). Divide this mixture in three, and combine each portion with one of the half cups of mushrooms, crab or pork, to form three topping pastes. METHOD I: Put about two teaspoons of paste on each of the toast pieces, and then take 2 dozen prik chi fa (a chili about finger length and as thick as your finger, that is the Thai equivalent of a jalapeno - you can use jalapenos instead if you wish), Cut off the tops of the chilis and discard the seeds. Put about two teaspoons of the paste mixture in each chili. METHOD II: With a melon-baller prepare 16 balls of melon, 16 balls of mango, and 16 balls of fresh pineapple. [if you are using jalapenos, slice the fruit and use a sharp knife to cut plugs for the tops of the chilis). Place a ball of fruit on each piece of toast and secure by piercing it through with a tooth-pick. Plu each of the chilis with a fruit ball, and secure by piercing through the sides of the chili and the fruit ball with another tooth pick. Prepare another batch of fruit balls, and wash 16 prik ki nu (birdseye chilis), and pat them dry. METHOD III Mix two tablespoons of powdered peanuts, one tablespoon of khao koor, one tablespoon of prik phom, 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs and a little rice flour (or cornstarch), to make a dusting powder. Dip each of the pieces of toast, each of the stuffed chilies, each of the fruit balls, and each of the birdseye chilis in maple syrup, and then dredge them in the dusting powder. METHOD IV: Prepare a batter by beating an egg yolk, and adding about a cup of ice cold water to it, then add a cup of sifted plain [all-purpose] flour, and mix to a thin batter. Add a teaspoon of prik phom and a teaspoon of freshly groung prik Thai (black pepper). Dip the canopes in the batter a few at a time, and deep fry until crisp. Serve on a platter with the dipping sauces used for satay, and some uncooked fruit balls, and cucumber slices. FOOTNOTE: Thais eat the tempura prik ki nu with considerable gusto, but farangs should probably be warned that these are almost literally diabolical! (Of course if you are taking food to a batchelor party you might omit to warn the groom-to-be! :-) From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott" -End Recipe Export- Log: Cpt. S.Lefkowitz (S.S. Mein Kind)

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