Crystal Sticky Rice "Khao Neow Keaw"

Ingredients
2 cups sticky rice
1 cup coconut cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4-6 drops pandan paste

Method
Soak sticky rice in very hot water, stir and let it sit for 10 minutes. Drain in warm water, and steam for 25-30 minutes (sticky rice steamer works best). Leave to cool.

In a medium size pot, add coconut cream, sugar, salt and pandan paste. Cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Add sticky rice, stir constantly and cook until almost dry. Remove from heat then transfer to your serving bowl or any cake pan. While still warm press rice down to your pan, and leave to cool. Form little balls and place into cupcake cups, and/or cut into squares. Enjoy!

Charcoal Broiled Beef in Hot/Sweet Sauce, "Neua Yang"

First prepare a serving platter, lined with lettuce leaves, and decorated with sliced cucumber.

Sauce ingredients

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce
3 tablespoons shallots sliced very thinly
1/2 tablespoon palm sugar (or honey can be used)
1/2 tablespoon powdered dried red Thai chilis
1 tablespoon sliced spring onion/scallion/green onion
1 teaspoon coriander/cilantro leaf, chopped

Method

Combine the ingredients to make the sauce. Taste and if required add extra sugar/honey, lime juice and/or powdered dried red Thai chilis.

Barbeque half a pound of steak to whatever "doneness" you prefer, then slice into slices an eighth of an inch thick. Then cut the slices into bite sized pieces. Place on the lettuce, and pour the sauce over the steak.

Served as a one-plate dinner (for a large meal), or serve with soup and salad for an adequate meal for four. Accompany with the usual Thai table condiments.

Lao Style Beef Salad, "Pra Nuea"

1/2 pound ground beef
lime juice (see method)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2-3 tablespoons ground dried red chilis
1-2 teaspoons Thai pepper powder
1/2 cup shallots, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemongrass, bruised and sliced paper thin
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
1 tablespoon khao koor (see below)
chopped spring onions, coriander/cilantro leaves as garnish;
a lettuce leaf for the serving plate, and a selection of sliced vegetable crudites to accompany.


Khao Koor: get a medium sized wok fairly hot, and add a couple of tablespoons of uncooked jasmine rice. Keep in movement until the rice starts to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Grind to a fairly coarse powder in a spice mill, or a mortar and pestle, or a pepper mill or a good clean coffee grinder (all of these work well but keep in mind that a coffee grinder tends to grind too fine--the powder should retain some "texture") We also offer ready-made Khao Koor in premium quality Hand Brand.

Method

Place the ground meat in a mixing bowl, and thoroughly mix with fresh lime juice, and leave to marinade for an hour. Take the marinaded meat and knead it, much as you would if making pizza dough, squeezing thoroughly to drive out as much blood and other juice as possible, either in a muslin bag or a very fine seive such as a chinois. Drain thoroughly, and return to the mixing bowl, marinade again in fresh lime juice.

Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, then set aside, covered in a cool place to marinade a final time (it is not kneaded after the final marination-- to underline the point it should be kneaded and drained 3 or 4 times, then marinaded once more).

At this stage you may, if you wish, stir fry the meat very briefly (it should still be very rare).

Finally combine the meat with the other ingredients: it should be hot and spicy, but not inedibly so, so add the chili powder in stages, tasting as you go.

Allow to stand for an hour before serving. To serve turn it onto a lettuce leaf on a serving platter.

This dish goes best with sticky rice, which can be used as an eating utensil: form a ball of rice and use it to pick up a little of the spiced meat. The rice and vegetable crudites will ameliorate the heat. Serve with the usual Thai table condiments.

Thai Esaan-style Sausage, "Sai Grok"

1 lb ground pork
1/2 cup cooked sticky rice
1.5 tablespoon fresh garlic, pulverized in a mortar and pestle
1.5 tablespoon pickled garlic, pulverized in a mortar and pestle
1/2 tablespoon Thai pepper powder (do not substitute)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon Golden Mountain Sauce
1/2 teaspoon corriander seed powder

Method

Put the pork and all other ingredients in a food processor and thoroughly mix. With clean hands, separate the meat into 3 or 4 sections, and wrap each section carefully and tightly with plastic wrap. Follow that with some tin foil for added protection. Set the sausage out at room temperature (not in the fridge) for 1-2 days. Remove from plastic wrap and foil.

Barbeque the sausage over medium/low heat for about 20 minutes or longer. Note the fragrant aroma, and make sure it's well-cooked. You can fry in oil if barbeque is not available.

Serve with fresh chile peppers, garlic, pickled ginger, spring onion, cilantro, leaf lettuce, cabbage and other greens you may like.

Thai Fish In Chili, "Pla Rad Prik"

1 fish, about 1 lb
Rice wine (white wine will do fine)
plain flour
oil for deep frying

Sauce

3 tablespoons garlic, finely slivered
1/4 cup green jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shallots, or other onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coriander/cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1/4 cup fresh Thai basil leaves, chopped
3-4 sprigs young green peppercorn

Method

Cut three or four slashes in the sides of the cleaned fish, and sprinkle with the rice wine. Dust liberally with the flour, and deep fry in hot oil until crispy.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan or second wok add a little oil to the hot pan and stir fry the chilis and onions until fragrant. Add the fish sauce, and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the sugar and continue stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the coriander leaves, and stir occasionally until the sauce is slightly reduced (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat, and transfer to a sauce jug. Add the basil leaves when cool. Now put a few sprigs of peppercorn in the wok and fry gently for a few minutes, keeping them in tact. These peppercorns should be placed on top of the fish at serving.

The fish, on a serving platter, and accompanied with a basket of sticky rice or Thai jasmine rice, and the jug of sauce is served with the usual Thai table condiments.

In Thailand, diners break off small pieces of the fish with chopsticks and transfer them to their plate, make the morsel into a ball with a little sticky rice and dip it into the sauce before transfering it to the mouth with the right hand.