Koong Pad Kra-Tiam (กุ้งผัดกระเทียม - Prawns Stir with Garlic)

Thai Recipe Ingredients

* 400 grams of Cleaned Prawns
* 1 tablespoon minced coriander root
* 3 cloves garlic, crushed
* 2 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
* 2 teaspoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons oil for frying

Thai Food Preparations

1. Mix together, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, coriander root and cleaned prawn, then leave to marinate for 15-25 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add prawns and their marinade, then stir-fry for 2-4 minutes or until the color turns to white. (Tip : to get the best taste of prawns, it must not be over cooked.)

3. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with sliced tomatoes and cucumber, then serve immediately.
(For 2 Serving).

Kaeng Kua Sapparod (แกงคั่วสับปะรด - Prawn and Pineapple Curry)

Recipe from: Colonel Ian F. Khuntilanont-Philpott
Servings: 6

1 tablespoon kratiem (garlic), finely chopped
2 tablespoon red curry paste
2 tablespoon chopped tomato
2 c coconut milk
1 c pineapple, (cubed or pulped)
4 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoon palm sugar
1 teaspoon lime juice
16 prawns about 3 inches long
3 bai makrut (lime leaves),slivered (or 1 tablespoon lime zest)
1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng (red birds-eye chilis), slivered
15 bai kaprao (holy basil leaves).

The pineapple adds a touch of tart sweetness to this dish. It has a rich creamy texture, and a red coloration that i an attractive complement to the shrimp.

If you want to be a little fancy you can serve it in pineapple skin bowls. method

Peel, devein, and behead the shrimp, leaving only the small tail shells on.

Drop two tomatoes into boiling water for about a minute, then remove to cold water, peel, quarter, discard the seed pulp, and chop the flesh. You want 2 tablespoons of chopped tomatoes.

In a little oil in a medium hot wok, briefly sauté the garlic and basil, removing it and reserving it when the aroma is fully developed.

Cook the curry paste briefly to develop the aroma, then add half the coconut milk, the fish sauce, tomatoes, pineapple, lime juice and sugar, and stir to combine fully. Add the prawns and cook until they turn slightly pink and opaque.

Add the remainder of the coconut milk, the lime leaves and slivered chili, at the same time returning the sautéd garlic and basil to the pan.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Yam Hua Plee (ยำหัวปลี - Banana Flower salad)

Ingredients

1 banana flower

2 - 3 Thai Chillies (Prik khee nuu)

2 Shallots

1 clove of garlic

Palm Sugar

Fish Sauce

Coriander and or Asian Celery

Method

When preparing the banana flower you will need to remove the dark outer leavers (reserve one to serve in) to get the to centre (white) leaves which can be eaten. When doing this use rubber or surgical gloves as the flower leaches a sap which turns black and is hard to get out of skin, kitchen benches etc.

Once you have removed the outer leaves cut the flower in half lengtheways and thinly slice (as you would to make onion rings). Wash thes in water to remove the sap and drain thouroughly.

In a mortar and pestle gently bruise the garlic and chilli.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and test for taste add palm sugar, fish sauce and chilli to taste.

In the reserved outer leaf gently place the salad to serve.

Yum Tua Poo (ยำถั่วพู - Wing Bean Shrimp Salad)

This is a sauce, or is it a salad? It's difficult to classify Thai dishes into English recipe classifications, so lets call it a salsa. It is normally served with rice, a shared dish is placed in the centre of the table and guests take a spoonful onto their plate to eat as they like. It is made from Thai winged beans, but long green beans can be used instead. The flavor is of coconut, both from coconut milk in the liquid and from desiccated coconut added to the salsa at the end. This is a dish suitable for 'gop-gam', a party dish served with alcoholic drinks.

Ingredients for 2 People
50 gms Pork Mince
30 gms Cooked Shrimp
20 gms Peanut Toasted in Dry Frying Pan
10 gms Chopped Spring Onion
30 gms Chopped Wing Beans (or Long Green Beans)
10 gms Chopped Coriander Leaves
2 Chopped Big Red Chillies
3 Garlic Cloves
4 Tablespoons Coconut Milk
1 Teaspoon Dry Coconut
1 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Dried Flaked Chilli
170 ml Water

Preparation
All the vegetables and meats should be chopped into fine small pieces for this recipe. The peanuts should be lightly browned in a dry frying pan and chopped or pounded in a mortar. If you are using uncooked shrimp, cook them with the pork, for cooked shrimp they can be added later.
1. Boil the water add the salt, and chopped garlic.
2. Add the pork to the water by forcing it through a very course sieve, this will keep the mince into nice and separate pieces.
3. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Pour off half of the cooking water.
5. Chop the shrimp meat into small pieces and add to the pan.
6. Add the chopped spring onion, chopped wing bean, coriander, and toasted peanut, into the pan and mix all the ingredients well.
7. Mix the chilli powder, chilli, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar, in with the rest of the ingredients in the pan.
8. When serving place the salsa in a dish and add a little dried shredded coconut to the top.

Serve With
Salads, rice, whisky, or beer

Poo Pad Pong Karee (ปูผัดผงกะหรี่ - Curried Crab Claws)

This is a mild curried dish, usually served as a counterpoint to a more intense curry or garlic dish. It can be prepared with crab claws, or with a cup of crab meat, or a mixture of crab meat and shrimp. Since it is often eaten with chop sticks, you might consider removing the meat from the claws, as this makes it easier for the spice flavors to penetrate and easier to eat the food.

Ingredients.

1 cup of crab meat
1 tablespoon of garlic, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons of fish stock, or you may use chicken stock
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
a pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of shallots, sliced thinly
2 spring onions (scallions/green onions), sliced thinly
1 tablespoon of julienned green or red bell pepper

Method

Heat some oil in a wok, and stir fry the garlic and onions. Add the fish stock, soy sauce and fish sauce, and stir fry the crab until nearly cooked, then add the remaining ingredients.

Line a serving dish with lettuce and pour the crab over it, garnish with corinader leaves, lime leaves, and slices of cucumber.

If using crab claws, then steam the crab claws, and combine the remaining ingredients separately, and reduce them to form a dipping sauce.

This dish is of course served with the usual Thai table condiments, and you may prefer to particularly add a spoonful of prik dong (red chilis in vinegar) to it.

As always with this type of tropical seafood dish, you can serve it hot, at room temperature, or chilled.

Kai Ho Bai Toei (ไก่ห่อใบเตย - Chicken Wrapped in Pandanus Leaf)

pandanus leaves act as both a wrapping and flavoring in this dish. Leaving a long tail on the parcels will make them prettier and easier to handle so don't trim the leaves. To eat, carefully unwrap the parcels and dip the chicken into the sauce.

5 cilantro roots, cleaned and roughly chopped
4 to 5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 pound, 5 ounces skinless chicken breast fillet, cut into 25 cubes
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon plain, all-purpose flour
25 pandanus leaves, cleaned and dried
vegetable oil for deep-frying
plum sauce or a chilli sauce, to serve

Using a motar and pestle or a small blender, pound or blend the cilantro roots, garlic, white pepper, and salt into a paste. In a bowl, combine the paste with the chicken, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and flour. Cover with plastic wrap and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Fold one of the pandanus leaves, bringing the base up in front of the tip, making a cup. Put a piece of chicken in the fold and, moving the bottom of the leaf, wrap it around the chicken to create a tie and enclose the chicken. Repeat until you have used all the chicken.

Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium heat. When the oil seems hot, drop a small piece of leaf into it. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. Lower some parcels into the oil and deep-fry for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the parcels feel firm. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep the cooked ones warm while deep-frying the rest. Transfer to a serving plate, and serve with plum sauce or a chilli sauce.

Tom Chued Pla Muek Yad Sai (ต้มจืดปลาหมึกยัดไส้ - Stuffed Squid in Plain Soup)

10 small squids
1 cup minced pork
3 cucumbers, peeled and cut horizontally 4 times
2 bunch scallion, cut 1 inch long
1 bunch cilantro, cut 1 inch long
¼ cup minced carrot
2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups stock from pork or chicken bone

Clean the squids very well. Mix minced pork with 1 tablespoon minced garlic, pepper, minced carrot and light soy sauce. Stuff the squids with mixed pork and close the hole with its tentacles. Peel the cucumbers and clean. Fry 1 tablespoon minced garlic until it has aromatic smell. Heat the stock. When it is boiling, add stuffed squids and cucumber. Cook for 8 minutes then remove from the stove. Add scallion, cilantro and mix well. When you serve, don't forget to sprinkle fry garlic in the soup. It will give the nicest smell that makes your stomach cry.