Miang Kham (also spelled as Mieng Kam)

Ingredients: Filling
3/4 cup grated coconut (this is often available in the baking section of most supermarkets)
2 small limes, unpeeled (try to get limes with thin skin), cut into small cubes
6 tablespoons shallots, peeled and cut into small cubes
6 tablespoons roasted peanuts
6 tablespoons small dried shrimps
4-5 fresh Thai chile peppers, cut into small slivers
4 oz fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small cubes


Ingredients: Sauce
1 tablespoon shrimp paste, roasted until fragrant
2 oz fresh galangal, cut into slivers and roasted until fragrant (see note below)
1/4 cup grated coconut, roasted in a low-heat oven until lightly brown
4 oz small dried shrimps
2 oz shallots, peeled and coarsely cut
1.5 teaspoons fresh ginger, sliced
8 oz palm sugar (broken into small chunks)
2 tablespoons table sugar
salt for seasoning

Method: Sauce
In a mortar and pestle, pound together the shallots and galangal until fine (note about galangal: it's ok to use dried galangal as long as it's placed in a dish of lukewarm water for a few minutes to reconstitute). Add roasted shrimp paste, ginger, coconut and dried shrimp, and continue pounding until smooth. Remove the mixture and place in a pot with 1.5 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, add palm sugar and table sugar, then reduce heat and simmer, wait until reduced to 1 cup or a bit less. Taste, and adjust by adding a bit of salt. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl.


Wrapping Leaves (click here to see a photo)
The choice of what leaves to use is up to you. Some use lettuce or spinach leaves due to ready availability, but to get an authentic flavor you should use the fresh cha-phloo leaves offered by ImportFood.com. These leaves are also known in English as Betel Leaves, or Piper Sermentosum. In Vietnamese language, these leaves are labeled as La Lop.

Serving
Roast the coconut in a low-heat oven until lightly brown. Spoon the roasted coconut into a serving plate. In separate small bowls, arrange each filling ingredient listed above. With a fresh wrapping leaf in hand, fold it once across the bottom then sideways to form a pocket. Place about 1 teaspoon roasted coconut in the leaf together with a small amount of each filling to create a bite-sized quantity. Spoon the sauce on top, pop in your mouth

Thai Panang Beef

About 2 cups beef steak, such as sirloin, cut into strips
1 cup large diced red bell pepper (or vegetable of your choice)
2 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons panang curry paste
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
3-4 fresh kaffir lime leaves, slivered
3-4 fresh Thai chile peppers

Crush the peanuts in a mortar and pestle. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of the coconut millk.

Heat the coconut milk, except for the 3 tablespoons set aside, in a wok or skillet until the oil comes to the surface. Add panang curry paste, and fry until it becomes aromatic. Add meat and cook until the meat is nearly done, then add bell peppers. Add fish sauce and palm sugar. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

Remove from heat. Top with 3 tablespoons coconut milk, slivered lime leaves, peanuts, and fresh Thai chilli peppers. Mix this up, serve with freshly steamed jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Ginger Chicken, "Gai Pad Khing"

gai = chicken
pad = stir-fried
khing = ginger

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (more chicken if you prefer)
1/2 cup fresh mushroom, sliced
1/2 cup dried shiitake mushroom
3/4 cup baby ginger, strips
1-2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Golden Mountain sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
a pinch of sugar
1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced
2-3 Thai chile peppers, sliced (optional: we prefer 1/4 cup jalapeno peppers)
1/4 cup green onion, cut into 1" pieces


Soak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 20-30 minutes, covered. Remove from water, gently squeeze, and slice (see video below).

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok, and add the chicken, onion, mushrooms, and ginger. Stir-fry this for just a minute or two, then add garlic, chile, followed by seasoning sauces. Add soup stock and increase heat. Stir-fry until it's cooked. Taste and adjust flavors as you like, you may want more soup stock or dark soy. It cooks quite fast, be careful not to overcook. Add green onions, stir for just a few moments, remove from heat and serve over Thai jasmine rice, or in a serving bowl with other Thai dishes. Eat it steaming hot. Your entire home will have the wonderful aroma of ginger.

Southern Style BBQ Chicken, "Gai Kor Rae"

2 tablespoons red curry paste
1-2 dried whole dried chile, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate

Method

In a mortar & pestle, combine the first 10 ingredients and smash together to become a nice paste. In a frying pan over medium heat, fry the paste mixture in vegetable oil, until fragrant. Add coconut milk, palm sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind concentrate. Taste the mixture, it should be nice and creamy with rich flavor. Add more palm sugar if you want it sweeter. Remove from heat and cool. Pour the mixture over your chicken in a container, then marinade overnight in the fridge. Put the chicken on bamboo skewers then grill (on a barbeque or on a pan as we did) until done. Serve alone or with jasmine rice and vegetables on the side. This is so delicious alone or you can serve with some satay sauce if you prefer.

Thai Crispy Fried Pork with Garlic, "Moo Tod Gratiem"

1 lb lean pork meat, sliced into 1/4" thick pieces
1 teaspoon corriander powder
1/2 head of garlic, pounded in a mortar & pestle
1/2 head of garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Thai pepper powder
2 teaspoons corn starch
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

Pound your pork slices with a meat mallet to soften it, then transfer to a mixing bowl. In a mortar & pestle, pound 1/2 head of garlic. Add corriander powder, Thai pepper powder, and pound into a paste. Add this paste to the pork in a mixing bowl. Add corn starch, fish sauce, thin soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Mix well and let this marinade in the fridge for 1/2 hour or longer.

Heat wok, and add just enough oil to fry your pork. Over medium/low heat (not too high), cook your pork in the oil and be careful not to over cook it. Fry both sides until golden brown. Remove from wok.

Remove any bits of blackened garlic from the oil. Next, add 1/2 head of sliced garlic. Quickly remove it from the oil as soon as it gets brown. Set the garlic on a paper towel to dry for a few minutes.

Put fried garlic on top of the pork, serve with cilantro as a garnish (optional), and your favorite rice. Enjoy!