Thai Food and Recipes

Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood

kapi — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:56:53 +0000

Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood - add this timely book to your reading list. Nominated in the Literary Food Writing category for the prestigious IACP Cookbook Awards 2009 (International Association of Culinary Professionals) it is imperative that we educate ourselves on how to eat seafood in a sustainable way.

According to a review written by blogger GrrlScientist “the author advises us to become bottomfeeders ourselves, to eat pelagic fishes, such as blue whiting and Atlantic herring; schooling fishes, such as sardines, pollock and mackerel; shellfish such as crabs, lobsters, oysters and mussels” - this is a relief for those who love Thai food, especially Thai Fish sauce, which is made up of a certain type of Anchovy fish (Engraulidae or Stolephorus). Thai people have long enjoyed the many small fishes of Thailand as part of their diet, especially deep fried and eaten as plah grahp (crispy fried fish) or kapi, fermented shrimp paste, which is the foundation of curry pastes and nam prik (spicy dipping sauces) eaten with steamed and fresh vegetables.

Also from the Living the Scientific Life blog we found a useful link for a ocean-friendly seafood pocket guide broken up by US regions.

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Laab Moo

laab muu — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:42:10 +0000

Laab moo is a spicy Thai ’salad’. The laab style of cuisine originates from Isaan - the North East but is very popular throughout Thailand. Laab moo is often eaten with sticky rice and let’s throw in a som tum as well - why not, it’s my dinner. Laab moo is is nothing like a salad in the Western sense of the word. There is hardly anything green (or even vegetarian) in this salad at all. The dish is essentially nothing more than spicy meat with a few ingredients for flavoring. When I say meat, the moo refers to pork but it could also be gai (chicken) or perhaps duck or fish but this you’ll see less often. There is also laab tao hoo or spicy tofu salad which is delicious vegetarian alternative but this is even more rare to find in a restaurant in Thailand.

This is a photo of my laab moo meal today from a restaurant called Baan Suan 18km north of Chiang Mai. This is what I had for my evening meal along with yam talay (seafood salad - yes that’s right another ’salad’), plain rice (not sticky rice as you would expect), prik nam pla (chilis in fish sauce) and a fresh uncooked vegetables (cabbage, long beans and basil leaves). I’m not including the beer or two that complements spicy food so well.

I was asked by the waitress if I would ‘like it spicy’ - ‘Yes, I like it spicy’ I replied which is roughly where my fluency in Thai begins and ends. Of course, on arrival the dish was not that spicy, it never is when compared to the fiendish dishes you will have prepared for you in Isaan or even the South of Thailand. This is normal. Northerners it seems err on the side of caution, even more so when serving a Westerner. For spice devils this is easily remedied by a liberal application of nam pla prik. Once this adjustment was made it was a thoroughly enjoyable meal.

You can watch a video for showing a laab moo recipe - I’m impressed with the chef’s knife wielding exploits as he minces the pork, I’m sure you will be too.

Thai, Malaysian and Chinese Food

kapi — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:44:34 +0000

Here are 3 great sites that I can highly recommend that I have come across this past week searching high and low on the topic of Thai and Asian food:

Malaysian Food with Mouth Watering Photos hosted at FoodBuzz.com
Very interesting and in depth site about Chinese Food & Culture covering Tea, Rice and the History of Chinese Cuisine
This is a unique way to learn out how to make Thai Green Curry, an interactive Flash video! Enjoy!
Learn to Cook Thai Green Curry Game

Thai Rice Noodle Recipes

kapi — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:18:03 +0000

Rice noodles are eaten daily throughout Asia and are now appreciated in the West as part of a gluten free diet. To add these inexpensive and easy to cook noodles to your repertoire, the Western cook needs to learn a few basic cooking tips. Unlike Western style noodles, Asian rice noodles are usually soaked before cooking to soften. This step can seem rather strange but it makes the noodles less likely to clump together, although when pressed for time it can be omitted with care.

Thai Rice Noodles with Coconut Milk (Mee Ga-tee)

250g (8 oz) rice noodles
200g (7 oz) minced pork or prawns (shrimp)
2 cups coconut milk
1 tofu cake, cut into small matchstick pieces
1 red fresh Thai chili, cut into strips
200g (7 oz) bean sprouts
100g (3 1/2 oz) spring onion, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup coriander leaves
1/4 cup lime wedges
1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped
1-2 tsp ground red chili powder
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup fermented soybeans
2 Tbs tamarind juice

Preparation:
In a frying pan , over moderate heat saute the coconut milk with the spring onion. Add minced pork or prawn.

Season with fermented whole soybeans , tamarind juice , sugar and red chili powder. Add tofu and stir-fry until all is mixed well. This is the coconut milk mixture. Reserve half of the coconut milk mixture for dressing.

In the pan, stir-fry the remaining coconut mixture with the rice noodles and mix well.

When serving, top with the reserved coconut milk dressing and sprinkle with the red chili and coriander leaves.

Tips:
Usually served with a side dish of shredded omelet, banana buds, bean sprouts, spring onion and lime wedges in separate piles.
Serves 4.

Thai Style Chinese Spaghetti (Khanom Jeen Sao Nam)

250g (1/2lb) somen noodles
2 cups coconut milk
1lb raw prawns, peeled and deveined
4 tsp Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp palm sugar

Sides
1/2 c young ginger, cut into fine strips
10 fresh Thai chillies, cut into fine strips
1/2 pineapple, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup dried shrimp
1 spring onion

Preparation:
In a pot bring the coconut milk to a boil. Add the prawns. Simmer until the prawns are pink. Season with palm sugar and fish sauce to taste.

When serving, accompany with separate side dishes of ginger, fresh chillies, pineapple, dried shrimp and lime.

To eat, place the Chinese Spaghetti (somen noodles) on individual plates and pour some of the coconut sauce over. Top with some of the side dishes and toss together with the spaghetti.

Tip:
“Sao Nam” was originally popular in the hot season for its light and cooling effect.