American Fried Rice
Khaaw Pad American (or Khao Pad American) literally translates to ‘American Fried Rice’. At first I thought that this was a dish Thai people thought was popular in the US. But recently I heard that this dish was made up by Thai cooks during the Vietnam war era, to give US service men something the Thais thought they’d want to eat while over here in Thailand during breaks. This explanation makes more sense to me. It’s almost like the Thai cooks put all the things they thought of when they thought of American food, and fried them up with rice. And while this isn’t so much ‘Authentic Thai Food’, it’s become a popular dish 40 years later with kids — it’s one of the most popular lunch items at the university where I studied Thai. This recipe was requested by Diane in Brooklyn, NY. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
* 1 cup cooked jasmine rice, a bit dried out
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 2 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
* 1/2 tablespoon golden mountain brand soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for egg & hot dogs, 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil for frying rice
* 1 teaspoons butter (yes, really)
* 1/2 tablespoon raisins, soaked in hot water for 2 min and drained
Directions
1. Cook the rice, and dry out a bit, best is mostly covered overnight in the fridge. If you’re going to make it right away, cook with a bit less water than normal, and let air out for 10 minutes or so before cooking
2. Fry the egg in a good amount of oil (about 4 tablespoons) on high heat. The egg should bubble up and sizzle like crazy if the pan is hot enough. The edges should brown and get crunchy too. When browned, remove and set aside.
3. Cut the ends of the hot dogs in an X pattern, up about 1/3 of the way. This will create extra surface area to get crispy when you fry it. (See picture).
4. Fry the hot dogs in the oil, until crispy, set aside with the egg. Dump the remaining oil.
5. Fry the onions in 1 teaspoon of fresh oil on medium high until translucent, then add the butter. When the butter is melted, throw in the rice.
6. Stir well to mix, and fry for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Add the ketchup, golden mountain soy sauce and raisins. Stir well and cook for another minute or two.
8. Put on a plate and top with the fried egg and hot dogs.
Note:
While this dish almost always has a fried egg as a side, the meat 'side' can vary. Usually you see fried hot dogs, fried sausage, fried ham or a fried chicken leg.
Article provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)
Pad Kee Mao
Pad Kee Mao is a versatile dish. It can be made with noodles, spaghetti, without noodles and served on rice, with seafood… you name it. Essentially you can make anything ‘kee mao’ by including a lot of chilies, fresh peppercorns & holy basil. In Thai, ‘pad’ means to stir-fry, and ‘kee mao’ means someone who likes to drink too much. ‘Kee’ literally means ’shit’, and adding ‘kee’ in front of any verb means it’s a bad habit. ‘Mao’ means drunk. So, a ‘Kee Mao’ (shit drunk) is someone who has a bad habit of drinking! What this has to do with this dish, I’m not 100% sure. I’ve heard that this is a common drinking food, and also that it’s a good cure for a hangover. Your guess is as good as mine.
You'll Need:
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 1/4 cup (1/4 kilo, 1/2 lb) fresh wide rice noodles
* 1/2 cup baby corn (about 6 ears)
* 1/2 cup white tofu, pressed (or 1/2 cup seafood such as squid & shrimp, or meat pieces)
* 2 tablespoons fresh peppercorns
* 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
* 1 tablespoon smashed small thai chilies
* 1 sliced orange chili (about 1 tablespoon)
* 1/2 cup packed holy basil leaves & flowers
* 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
* 1 teaspoon black soy sauce
* 1 1/2 teaspoons golden mountain soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon white soy sauce or fish sauce (or more to taste)
* 2 teaspoons white sugar
* about 4 tablespoons water
* 1/4 teaspoon vinegar
Directions
1. Separate the noodles by peeling them apart one at a time. Set aside.
2. Prepare your ingredients: Slice the baby corns into 1/2 lengthwise. Crush the garlic and chilies, and set aside. Pick off the leaves & flowers of the basil, and set aside. Chop the large chili into rings.
3. If you’re using tofu, pre-fry it in hot oil until browned. Set aside.
4. Add the oil to a pan, and heat on high until it’s dancing around. Then add the garlic, chilies and green peppercorns. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.
5. When the garlic turns light brown, add the veggies & meat/seafood if adding. Keep stirring and cook until finished, about a minute. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to help things not stick.
6. Add the tofu (if adding), then the noodles. You may need to add a bit more water if the pan gets too dry. Don’t add a lot, or the noodles will get mushy.
7. After frying for a minute or two, add the soy sauces, sugar and oyster sauce. Stir well to mix.
8. Add the basil & vinegar. Stir to mix. When the basil is wilted it’s done.
Note:
It's common in Thailand to eat this with spaghetti (yes, from Italy) which has been pre-boiled for a few minutes to just before al-dente. You can leave the noodles out all together (you might need to lower the amount of sauces and spices) and serve with rice.
Tofu can be substituted with bite-sized sliced pieces of seafood (mussels, clams, white-meat fish, shrimp or squid), chicken, pork or beef. Throw it in before you add the vegetables.
You can add chinese cabbage, carrots, white onion or thai rice mushrooms instead or in addition to the baby corn. It's up to you!
If you cannot find fresh peppercorns, substitute with 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper powder. Add it at the end when you add the vinegar.
In the US, when I ordered this dish, it usually came out with a lot of sauce, not quite that spicy, with the wrong basil, no fresh peppercorns and bell peppers in place of thai chilies. This version here is authentic, using the correct basil (holy basil - 'bai ga-prao') and orange chilies instead of bell peppers. I would totally NOT recommend using bell peppers in this dish. The flavor is really strong and overpowering, and not 'Thai' at all. A lot of cooks outside Thailand substitute spicy chilies (prik chee faa, prik leung, prik kee nuu, etc) with bell peppers. Better to leave them out! You can, however, substitute the orange chili with jalepenos, if that's all you have.
Thais season their noodle dishes at the table with a 'kreung brung' — a small seasoning container which contains a separate cup each of chili powder, vinegar (with pickled chilies), fish sauce (with yet more chilies) and sugar. You then season your noodles to your liking. I added vinegar to this recipe, to make it easier. Normally you wouldn't add vinegar in the wok, you would season at the table.
Article provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)
You'll Need:
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 1/4 cup (1/4 kilo, 1/2 lb) fresh wide rice noodles
* 1/2 cup baby corn (about 6 ears)
* 1/2 cup white tofu, pressed (or 1/2 cup seafood such as squid & shrimp, or meat pieces)
* 2 tablespoons fresh peppercorns
* 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
* 1 tablespoon smashed small thai chilies
* 1 sliced orange chili (about 1 tablespoon)
* 1/2 cup packed holy basil leaves & flowers
* 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
* 1 teaspoon black soy sauce
* 1 1/2 teaspoons golden mountain soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon white soy sauce or fish sauce (or more to taste)
* 2 teaspoons white sugar
* about 4 tablespoons water
* 1/4 teaspoon vinegar
Directions
1. Separate the noodles by peeling them apart one at a time. Set aside.
2. Prepare your ingredients: Slice the baby corns into 1/2 lengthwise. Crush the garlic and chilies, and set aside. Pick off the leaves & flowers of the basil, and set aside. Chop the large chili into rings.
3. If you’re using tofu, pre-fry it in hot oil until browned. Set aside.
4. Add the oil to a pan, and heat on high until it’s dancing around. Then add the garlic, chilies and green peppercorns. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.
5. When the garlic turns light brown, add the veggies & meat/seafood if adding. Keep stirring and cook until finished, about a minute. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to help things not stick.
6. Add the tofu (if adding), then the noodles. You may need to add a bit more water if the pan gets too dry. Don’t add a lot, or the noodles will get mushy.
7. After frying for a minute or two, add the soy sauces, sugar and oyster sauce. Stir well to mix.
8. Add the basil & vinegar. Stir to mix. When the basil is wilted it’s done.
Note:
It's common in Thailand to eat this with spaghetti (yes, from Italy) which has been pre-boiled for a few minutes to just before al-dente. You can leave the noodles out all together (you might need to lower the amount of sauces and spices) and serve with rice.
Tofu can be substituted with bite-sized sliced pieces of seafood (mussels, clams, white-meat fish, shrimp or squid), chicken, pork or beef. Throw it in before you add the vegetables.
You can add chinese cabbage, carrots, white onion or thai rice mushrooms instead or in addition to the baby corn. It's up to you!
If you cannot find fresh peppercorns, substitute with 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper powder. Add it at the end when you add the vinegar.
In the US, when I ordered this dish, it usually came out with a lot of sauce, not quite that spicy, with the wrong basil, no fresh peppercorns and bell peppers in place of thai chilies. This version here is authentic, using the correct basil (holy basil - 'bai ga-prao') and orange chilies instead of bell peppers. I would totally NOT recommend using bell peppers in this dish. The flavor is really strong and overpowering, and not 'Thai' at all. A lot of cooks outside Thailand substitute spicy chilies (prik chee faa, prik leung, prik kee nuu, etc) with bell peppers. Better to leave them out! You can, however, substitute the orange chili with jalepenos, if that's all you have.
Thais season their noodle dishes at the table with a 'kreung brung' — a small seasoning container which contains a separate cup each of chili powder, vinegar (with pickled chilies), fish sauce (with yet more chilies) and sugar. You then season your noodles to your liking. I added vinegar to this recipe, to make it easier. Normally you wouldn't add vinegar in the wok, you would season at the table.
Article provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)
Garlic and Pepper Crusted Pork
Garlic and Pepper Crusted Pork is a recipe which my friend P-Mala made up. She’s been a professional cook for 20 years, and is one of the best in Thailand! She was patient enough to teach me how to make this recipe, step by step. In fact, she’s so generous, she has agreed to let me come by on a weekly basis to learn some of her special recipes. Keep a look out for more recipes by P-Mala!
You'll need:
* 1/2 kilogram (about 1lb) pork steaks, boneless loin cut
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped coriander roots, with about 2" of the stem still on. (about 2-3 roots)
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup garlic cloves, de-skinned
* 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
* 1 1/2 tablespoons white soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 1/2 cup tempura or all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Smash the cilantro roots and salt in a stone mortar & pestle until a paste.
2. Add de-skinned garlic, and smash. Then add peppercorns and smash until paste.
3. Cut your meat into 4 equal slices, and put in a bowl. Add your paste, soy sauce and the sugar. Mix to cover the meat. You can also stab the meat a bit with a fork so the marinade seeps in better.
4. Coat with flour. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 10 hours.
5. After you’ve waited, fry on medium heat in about 1/2″ of oil. Cook until the meat is cooked through and dark brown, flipping once (about 2 minutes on each side). The meat will be pink and not white, since it’s marinated. Do not overcook or burn the garlic crust.
6. It’s best to wait until cooled before cutting, so you don’t lose any juice.
Note:
Serve with Prik Naam Bplaa: 1 tablespoon fish sauce with a chili sliced into rings. This dish can be a one-plate-dish with rice (sticky rice is a great match), or you can serve with a many-dish meal. You can either marinate the day before, or make it in the morning to eat at dinner.
Article provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)
You'll need:
* 1/2 kilogram (about 1lb) pork steaks, boneless loin cut
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped coriander roots, with about 2" of the stem still on. (about 2-3 roots)
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup garlic cloves, de-skinned
* 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
* 1 1/2 tablespoons white soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 1/2 cup tempura or all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Smash the cilantro roots and salt in a stone mortar & pestle until a paste.
2. Add de-skinned garlic, and smash. Then add peppercorns and smash until paste.
3. Cut your meat into 4 equal slices, and put in a bowl. Add your paste, soy sauce and the sugar. Mix to cover the meat. You can also stab the meat a bit with a fork so the marinade seeps in better.
4. Coat with flour. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 10 hours.
5. After you’ve waited, fry on medium heat in about 1/2″ of oil. Cook until the meat is cooked through and dark brown, flipping once (about 2 minutes on each side). The meat will be pink and not white, since it’s marinated. Do not overcook or burn the garlic crust.
6. It’s best to wait until cooled before cutting, so you don’t lose any juice.
Note:
Serve with Prik Naam Bplaa: 1 tablespoon fish sauce with a chili sliced into rings. This dish can be a one-plate-dish with rice (sticky rice is a great match), or you can serve with a many-dish meal. You can either marinate the day before, or make it in the morning to eat at dinner.
Article provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)
Shallots Hawm Daeng
Shallots are used in Thai cooking almost as much as garlic. The shallots which are found in Thailand are smaller than the European varieties, and are a touch more flavorful.
Preparation: To prepare shallots, first cut off the bottom (roots) and then peel off the paper skin. As with any onion, it’s best to not stand directly over the onion, so that you don’t get the onion fumes and start to cry. Keep cutting the shallot lengthwise starting from the first cut you made before. Shallots taste really yummy when cut thin.
Storage: Shallots can be stored unrefrigerated for many weeks at a time. If the bulb is soft, it’s time to buy new shallots!
Recipe provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)
Preparation: To prepare shallots, first cut off the bottom (roots) and then peel off the paper skin. As with any onion, it’s best to not stand directly over the onion, so that you don’t get the onion fumes and start to cry. Keep cutting the shallot lengthwise starting from the first cut you made before. Shallots taste really yummy when cut thin.
Storage: Shallots can be stored unrefrigerated for many weeks at a time. If the bulb is soft, it’s time to buy new shallots!
Recipe provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)
Garlic (Gra-tiem) - Ingredient Series
Garlic is used in virtually all Thai dishes. The garlic which is found in Thailand has a stronger flavor than the western version, but all garlic can be used in Thai cooking. The garlic found in Thailand has much smaller cloves, so instead of calling for cloves in recipes, I call by teaspoon or tablespoon.
Preparation: To prepare garlic, first smash the clove with the side of the knife to break the clove somewhat. This will both release the juice and loosen the paper/skin. Then peel the skin off, and chop on a cutting board. There are 3 different sizes you can chop, depending on the recipe used. The smallest size is ‘diced’, followed by ‘chopped’, then ‘full clove’.
Storage: Garlic can be stored unrefrigerated for weeks at a time. When the the clove is brown and soft, it’s time to throw it away.
Recipe provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)
For a great selection of places to stay with discount prices visit Bangkok Hotels for more information.
Preparation: To prepare garlic, first smash the clove with the side of the knife to break the clove somewhat. This will both release the juice and loosen the paper/skin. Then peel the skin off, and chop on a cutting board. There are 3 different sizes you can chop, depending on the recipe used. The smallest size is ‘diced’, followed by ‘chopped’, then ‘full clove’.
Storage: Garlic can be stored unrefrigerated for weeks at a time. When the the clove is brown and soft, it’s time to throw it away.
Recipe provided by Cee (www.realthairecipes.com)
For a great selection of places to stay with discount prices visit Bangkok Hotels for more information.