Question:

Thai cooking

Thai Basil Chicken

This recipe is quite versatile. It's delicious with Shrimp as well as chicken and you can use a variety of vegetables. Mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini all work well.

1 1/2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon Thai Basil Paste
2 teaspoons soya sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 cup bell pepper, shredded
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
10 leaves fresh basil

Cut the chicken into thin strips.

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the basil paste until fragrant. Add the chicken strips and stir fry for 3 minutes.

Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, fish sauce, and cook for 3 minutes.

In a separate pan with a small amount of oil cook bell peppers, green onions, and basil leaves.

Combine cooked veggies with cooked chicken and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with steamed rice.

Green Curry Paste

Make your own Thai Green curry paste; especially delicious in Green Coconut Shrimp Curry.

***STEP 1***
2 tablespoons coriander seed -- whole
1 teaspoon cumin seed -- whole
1 teaspoon peppercorns
***STEP 2***
15 green thai chiles -- fresh
1 cup lemon grass -- chopped
1/2 teaspoon shallot -- chopped
2 tablespoons galangal -- chopped
2 tablespoons coriander root -- chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest -- grated
***STEP 3***
4 teaspoons shrimp paste -- heated
2 teaspoons salt

1. Dry roast ingredients in step 1 and blend together in a spice grinder until fine.

2. In a food processor combine ingredients from Step 2 with ground spices and process until smooth. You may need to add a small amount of oil for this to process. Don't use too much, this should be very very thick.

3. Place shrimp paste in a piece of tin foil and place in oven about 5 minutes to soften. Add heated shrimp paste and salt to puree mixture, process again to combine.

To store the excess curry paste just follow these simple steps.

Mee Krob

Crisp fried vermicelli noodles, tender shrimp and chicken, all coated in a wonderful sweet and tangy sauce.

Mee Krob is normally an appetizer or side dish, but makes and excellent entree as well.

This recipe will serve two people as a main course with some leftovers.

2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
oil -- for deep-frying
6 ounces rice sticks
2 eggs -- lightly beaten
2 medium shallots -- sliced
3 cloves garlic -- minced
2 Thai Bird chiles -- seeded and chopped
1/2 pound chicken -- diced
1/2 pound shrimp -- peeled
1 cup bean sprouts
1 red pepper -- julienned
1 cube tofu -- deep fried
2 green onions -- sliced, for garnish

1. In a small bowl, combine fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, vinegar, orange juice and sugar and set aside.

2. In a wok heat oil to 375 degrees F. Drop rice sticks into the oil; they will puff up and rise to the top of the oil in only a few seconds. Turn them over once and fry until crisp, about 15 seconds in all. Transfer finished noodles to a pan lined with paper towels. Keep noodles warm in the oven. Cut tofu into bite size piece, pat dry and deep fry in oil until golden. Set aside.

3. Drain all except 2 Tbsp oil from the wok and add onion, garlic, and chiles, cook until fragrant and golden.
Add meats or shrimp and stir-fry just until done, push to one side, add egg and cook until dry, breaking up into pieces with spatula.

4. Add bean sprouts, red pepper and deep fried tofu, mix and remove to plate.

5. Stir sugar mixture and add to wok. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened and syrupy. Reduce heat to low and add about a quarter of the fried noodles and chicken/shrimp mixture. With a metal spatula gently toss ingredients to break up noodle clumps and coat with sauce. Do not over work or the noodles with break into tiny pieces.
Continue adding noodles and chicken/shrimp mixture in batches until all are coated with sauce.

6. Transfer to serving platter and garnish with sliced green onion.

Thai Beef Salad

This is an excellent Thai Beef Salad recipe ~ just be sure not to overcook the beef or it will be tough.

1 lb flank steak -- or sirloin
1 red pepper -- julienned
1 small cucumber -- julienned
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro -- coarsely chopped
3 sprigs fresh mint -- coarsely chopped
1 stalk lemon grass -- very thinly sliced
3 scallions -- thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons shallots -- thinly sliced
3 thai bird chilis -- thinly sliced
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
3 Tablespoons fish sauce

1. Grill steak to medium rare. Let sit to cool and thinly slice against the grain.

2. In a large bowl combine all vegetables, lemon grass, chilis, scallions, lemon grass, cilantro and mint.

3. Combine lime juice, brown sugar, and fish sauce. Pour over vegetables.

4. Add completely cooled sliced beef to vegetables and toss to coat.

5. Sprinkle with chopped roasted peanuts.

Mango Salad

This is a light and refreshing Mango salad that would make an excellent lunch dish as it contains thin slices of pork.

2 firm mangoes
1 teaspoon peanut oil
5 cloves garlic -- fried crispy
4 green onions -- thinly sliced
4 ounces pork tenderloin -- finely chopped
1 Tablespoon dried shrimp shreds -- or chopped
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Teaspoon palm sugar -- (brown sugar)
2 Tablespoons peanuts -- roasted and chopped
1 thai chili -- finely chopped
1 teaspoon coriander -- chopped
1 teaspoon mint -- chopped

Peel the mango and slice into julienne strips. Heat the oil and fry the garlic until crisp - but not burnt.

Fry the pork, using the garlic oil until cooked through.

Toss together the dried shrimp, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, cooked pork and half of the peanuts in a bowl; add mango and toss well.

Garnish the salad with the remaining peanuts, green onion and crispy garlic.

Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup

This Hot & Sour Shrimp soup is a very popular Thai dish. This recipe provided by my cooking professor is simply superb.

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
2 1/4 quarts chicken stock
3 stems lemon grass,chopped
6 kafir lime leaves
6 slices galangal
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3/4 cup lime juice, or lemon
3 tablespoons coriander, chopped
4 1/2 scallions, chopped
3 chiles, seeded & sliced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, quartered

1. Heat the oil then fry the garlic until it becomes crispy. Remove the garlic.

2. Using the same oil, fry the lemon grass, galangal, and chile for 2 minutes.

3. Add in the chicken stock and cook until it boils. Add the lime leaf and cook for another 3 minutes while adding the mushrooms and shrimps.

4. Add lime juice, fish sauce, coriander and scallions.

5. Serve immediately.

Green Seafood Curry

Shrimp, Mussels, & Squid combine with rich coconut milk and fiery Green curry paste to create a curry you're not soon going to forget.

3 cups coconut milk
3 tablespoons green curry paste
6 ounces grouper (or other solid white fish)
3 kaffir lime leaves, cut in half
12 fresh mussels
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
12 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
6 ounces squid, cut into 1" rings
1 1/2 stem fresh lemon grass, finely chopped
3/4 medium red pepper, cut in 1" cubes
30 fresh basil leaves

Heat 1 cup of the coconut mil in a wok on high heat until it boils. Add green curry paste and stir together to dissolve. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add grouper and lime leaves and the second cup of coconut milk. cook stirring for 1 minute. Add the mussels, fish sauce and sugar and stir/cook for
another minute.

Add shrimps, squid and lemon grass and fold in, cook stirring gently for 1 minute. Add red peppers and fold in. Cook for 30 seconds.
Add 2/3 of the basil leaves and fold in gently. Cook for 1 minute. Take off heat.

Transfer to a deep serving dish and top with red pepper strips and the rest of the basil leaves. Serve immediately.

To make your own Green Curry Paste, try this recipe.

Coconut Chicken Soup

Coconut Chicken soup is a popular Thai dish found in most restaurants.
This version is very high on the heat scale as it calls for Habanero peppers. Omit or adjust chile quantities as needed.

Spicy Thai Chicken And Coconut Soup

1 1/2 Tablespoons chile oil
1 red onion, diced
2 Stalks lemongrass, very thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 green bell pepper, julienned
1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned
2 habanero chiles, cleaned and finely chopped
1 jalapeno chile, cleaned and finely chopped
4 Thai chiles, cleaned and finely chopped
2 serrano chiles, cleaned and finely chopped
1 poblano chile, cleaned and finely chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, freshly grated
1/2 head garlic, minced
1/4 pound shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, julienned
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 cup baby corn, sliced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, cleaned and chopped
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
Salt to taste

Heat a large soup pot, add the oil. Add the onions,
lemongrass, and all the peppers and chiles and saute until soft, stirring
frequently.

Add the ginger, garlic, and mushrooms, reduce the heat
and continue to saute for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat to very low and stir in the coconut
milk, stock, and chicken. Heat very slowly, but do not allow the soup
to boil! Simmer until the chicken is just tender.

Add the remaining ingredients and serve.

Thai Basil Paste

Make a batch of this Thai basil paste for use in Thai Basil Chicken (you can also make this with Shrimp).
It's also excellent added into fried rice recipes.

1 1/2 cups fresh basil
1 cup garlic
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 lemons -- juice only
1 cup vegetable oil

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

Freeze extra Basil Paste in ice cube trays for up to 6 months. Cover with freezer bags to prevent odors from developing in the freezer.

Shrimp & Noodles

You'll love the Thai peanut sauce flavorings in this easy to prepare dish.

This recipe will serve 4-6 people.

Thai Shrimp and Noodles

8 ounces rice noodles -- broken
5 cups broccoli florets
1 pound shrimp -- peeled
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce -- (1/4 to 1/3)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili oil
or
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger root
3 cloves garlic -- minced
4 green onions -- chopped
1/3 cup chopped cashews or almonds

In a bowl combine peanut butter and soy sauce. Stir in vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, ginger root, and garlic; whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a 4-quart Dutch oven or large pot bring a large amount of water to boiling. Add noodles and broccoli; cook 3 minutes. Add shrimp; cook one more minute. Drain immediately and return to pot.

Add peanut butter mixture, green onions, and nuts. Toss gently to coat.

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