Ingredients:

1/2 tsp peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsps fresh coriander roots or stems
2 lemongrass stalks, tender midsection only, finely minced
2 tbsps oyster sauce
2 tbsps light soy sauce
2 tsps sugar
1 1/2 tsps Asian sesame oil
750 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4cm pieces
36 pandan leaves, each about 12 inches long by 2 inches wide
peanut oil or corn oil for deep-frying
Sriracha sauce (Named for the seaside Thai town in which it originated, this bottled, hot or mild, sweet-tart all-purpose sauce is made from red chiles and resembles a light-coloured ketchup)

Directions:

1. In a mortar, pound the peppercorns to a coarse powder. Add the garlic, coriander roots or stems, and lemongrass and pound together to form a coarse paste. Scrape into a bowl and add the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix together and add the chicken. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. To make the chicken bundles, lay a pandan leaf on a work surface. Make a mound of chicken about 4cm high (using 1 or 2 pieces of chicken) about 4 inches from the stem end of the leaf. The idea is to tie the leaf into a knot that encloses the chicken. Bring up the ends, then pull the long end over and around to cover the front of the chicken pieces. Tuck the end under and up to meet at the top with the stem end. Tug a bit to enclose the chicken securely in the tiny bundle.

3. Pour the peanut oil or corn oil to a depth of 2 inches in a deep, heavy frying pan and heat to 180 degrees Celsius on a deep-frying thermometer. Working in batches, add the chicken bundles and fry until the meat is firm and cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the bundles to paper towels to drain.

4. Arrange the chicken bundles on a platter. Serve immediately with Sriracha sauce for dipping. To eat, unwrap the leaves and discard them.

* Makes about 3 dozen pieces; serves 6-8

Happy cooking!

Source: Savouring Southeast Asia
by Joyce Jue

(photo to follow)

Post from: Blisstree

Signature Saturdays: Chicken Pandan

This entry is intended to be my first for Wiggly Wednesdays. Oh well, better late than never. I chanced upon this healthy concoction through the NY Times website. Can’t wait to try it out soon:

You can use Southeast Asian rice sticks or Chinese cellophane noodles (made from bean starch) for this Thai salad. It makes a satisfying lunch, or serve it as a starter or side dish (it will serve up to 6 as a side).

For the dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce or 1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons finely minced ginger (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or a pinch of cayenne
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame oil
2 tablespoons canola oil

For the salad:

3 ounces dried rice noodles (rice sticks) or cellophane noodles
1/2 small Napa cabbage or 1 romaine heart
3 scallions, cleaned and thinly sliced on the diagonal (optional)
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 medium carrot, grated or cut in fine julienne
Lettuce leaves for the bowl or platter

1. Mix together the dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings. Place the rice or cellophane noodles in a bowl and cover with warm water. Soak for 20 minutes, and drain.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook about 1 minute, or until tender. Drain well and coarsely chop using scissors. Toss with all but 2 tablespoons of the dressing.
3. If using Napa cabbage, cut the halved cabbage in half again, cut out the core, then slice crosswise into thin strips. If using romaine, cut in half, then slice crosswise into thin strips. Toss with the noodles, along with the scallions, cilantro, and carrot.
4. Line a platter or bowl with lettuce leaves and pile on the salad. Spoon on the remaining dressing, and serve.

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Rice Noodle Salad recipe

Here’s another Thai recipe my sister shared me. I tried it myself and I must say, it didn’t disappoint. I didn’t expect something so flavorful could be so easy to cook!

Ingredients:

1/2 chicken breast (cut into thin slices)
3 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/2 packet Thai noodles, soaked and drained
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 spring onions, sliced 1 inch long
250g fresh beansprouts
2 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped
fresh coriander
4 tbsp water

Procedure:

In a wok or frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add the beaten egg, cooking for less than a minute, then remove from the pan.

Add 2 tbsp oil and garlic and cook until brown. Add chicken, stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes then add tomato sauce, chili powder, oyster sauce, sugar, fish sauce, water, noodles and stir well.

Next, add the spring onions, peanuts and cooked egg. Stir to mix well. Finally, add the beansprouts. Once cooked, garnish with fresh coriander and serve.

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Pad Thai recipe

Below is one of the Thai recipes my sister shared me from cooking class. You should try it!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, diced into 3cm cubes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 tbsps milk
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 packet bamboo sticks

Procedure:

Marinate first 8 ingredients for 30 minutes. Thread onto bamboo sticks. Heat frying pan with oil and cook chicken sticks, turning occasionally, medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Serve with peanut sauce and rice.

Peanut sauce:

2 cups roasted peanuts crushed (place in blender)
2 tbsps oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsps fish sauce
1 cup coconut cream
1 tbsp red curry paste
1/2 cup water

Heat oil in a pot. Add red curry paste, stir for a few seconds. Add all remaining ingredients, stir and simmer for 15 minutes.

Why not spice up your summer barbecue by grilling your satay instead?=9

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Chicken Satay recipe

They come in all sizes, to suit the dish, and your preference. Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large, just like shirts, only yummier! Mostly used in Thai and Vietnamese Cuisine, but adaptable for most Asian cuisines and even non-Asian cooking. And if you’re trying to avoid gluten or wheat, these are perfect substitutes. Do check the ingredient list, because some rice noodles are not made with only rice flour, so if you have allergies, don’t assume it’s safe just because it says “rice noodle” on the packet. On the other hand, if you want to cook an Asian dish that calls for rice noodles, and don’t have an Asian store nearby, check the noodle aisle at your health food store instead. You might not find Asian brands, but chances are you will find rice noodles that will work with your recipe. Some non-Asian brands to look out for include Tinkyada and Ener-G.

And if you’re like me and stock these things in your pantry, you might want to click on the following links — lots of ideas for cooking rice noodles here:

Mandira at Ahaar’s Thai Rice Noodle & Vegetable Soup
The Budding Cook’s Overstuffed Chilies Over Rice Noodles
Rachael of Fresh Approach Cooking’s Rice Noodle Pancakes
Tigerfish at Teczcape’s Wat Dan Hor
Ruth Daniels’ Rice Noodle Salad with Lemongrass Chicken at Recipes From 4EveryKitchen
Lemongrass Shrimp Cold Noodle Salad from Ellen of I Am Gluten Free
PlaysWithFood’s Chile Garlic Prawns with Rice Noodles
Malay Style Stir-Fried Rice Noodles from Ooibob/Cooking in Plano

And here, Amy promises to share the recipe for fresh-made rice noodles. Can you wait? I know I can’t!

Post from: Blisstree

Using Your Noodle

Many a recipe in the Asian repertoire contains a secret ingredient — sometimes so subtle it may be hard to detect — in pandan. Used in cooking rice, wrapping meat, flavoring cakes, etc., pandan is an indispensable item in the kitchen, be it Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, or Malaysian.

More information from AsiaFood
From Wikipedia

And a recipe from Apple of My Eyes for Buko Pandan

Post from: Blisstree

Ingredient Spotlight: Pandan

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Cooking from the Books

This was a recipe in . I made it because the name intrigued me, and I was expecting an impressive dish. From the book:

This recipe, using a pilaf-type technique, was adapted by the Thais and named after the Sultan, in honor of the priceless spices used in the dish.

The recipe:

1 3-pound chicken
4 cups bottled or filtered water (I used filtered)
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (see note below)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups long-grain rice, Thai jasmine or Indian or California basmati, rinsed well (I used Royal Indian basmati) — perhaps if I ever try this again I’ll use Thai jasmine instead
1 cup fresh unsweetened coconut cream or heavy cream (I used canned, but don’t think it was that that was the mistake)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
3 whole cloves, dry-roasted and ground
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

In a large pot, bring the chicken, water and saffron to the boil. Turn heat to medium-low, cover and cook for an hour or so, until chicken juices when pierced at the thickest part of the thigh runs clear. Remove from heat and lift the chicken out of the broth (a Chinese strainer is really handy for doing this). Shred the chicken meat into long bite-sized pieces, discarding the bones and skin. Set shredded meat aside. Strain broth and bring 2 cups of it to the boil in a saucepan. Keep warm at a simmer.

Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When it begins to melt, add rice and cook, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes, until golden. Add hot broth and coconut cream, mixing well. Stir in salt and spices. Continue to cook, uncovered, over low-medium heat until liquid is absorbed (steam holes will appear on the surface), about 15 minutes. Turn heat to low, cover and continue to cook another 10 minutes or until rice grains are soft. Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape bottom of pot. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in chicken and serve.

Note:

For the saffron I used Penzey’s Kashmir Mogra, anticipating that its flavor would really shine through. I had bought the spice a couple of months ago, waiting for the perfect dish in which to use it, and I was really hoping Sultan’s Rice would be “the one”. Unfortunately, I don’t think the results were worth it. I’m using the rest in a very traditional Spanish paella instead. I do want to add that although the dish didn’t meet my expectations, it was quite satisfactory and should go well with other Thai dishes — something of a more fiery nature would be a good match. And there are a bunch more recipes from the book that look delectable and which I haven’t tried, so just because this recipe didn’t work for me doesn’t mean the others won’t! I’ll be sure to post again if I try anything else.

Post from: Blisstree

Sultan’s Rice

3 pounds squid, cleaned and trimmed, then cut into rings

Marinate in a bowl for 2 hours or overnight, with

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar or honey
2 tablespoons minced ginger
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon chili powder or 2 teaspoons chili paste (or to taste)

3 tablespoons oil for pan-frying

Drain squid from the marinade 2 hours prior to cooking.

Heat oil in wok or cast-iron pan over high heat. When hot, add drained squid and stir-fry, 2 minutes or just until squid is cooked through. You can discard the marinade, or reduce it in a saucepan until you get a syrupy consistency, and serve it alongside, or on top of, the squid. Yum!

Post from: Blisstree

Squid in Sweet Hot Curry Sauce

I haven’t cooked anything yet from the book as I’m awaiting my copy, but the sample recipes on her website look promising.
– not to be confused with the Vietnamese cookbook “Lemongrass and Lime” by Mark Read and Jean Cazals.

Post from: Blisstree

Naam Pruitt / Lemongrass and Limes / New Thai Cookbook