tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2010://1 2010-08-26T10:42:20Z Movable Type 3.34 tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2007://1.1880 2010-08-26T16:31:35Z 2010-08-26T10:42:20Z

Hibiscus tea, a cold infusion served over lots of ice, but for this photograph, I've piled the dried flowers into the tea. It looked better that way. Below I've photographed fresh hibiscus, they are quite nice as candied edible...

Hibiscus tea, a cold infusion served over lots of ice, but for this photograph, I've piled the dried flowers into the tea. It looked better that way. Below I've photographed fresh hibiscus, they are quite nice as candied edible flowers. ]]> Ingredients 100 gms Dried Hibiscus Flowers 500 ml Water 100 gms Sugar Preparation 1. Rinse the hibiscus flowers. 2. Add the water flowers and flowers and sugar and bring to the boil in a saucepan. 3. Cover and leave to cool, then chill in the fridge, and serve over ice. ]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2005://1.1829 2010-08-12T23:14:26Z 2010-08-12T16:59:43Z

The most unusual part of this recipe is the rambutans, the semi-sweet Thai fruit we add to it to balance the spicy curry. Lychees can be substituted very successfully if you can't obtain rambutans. The duck though is essential,...

The most unusual part of this recipe is the rambutans, the semi-sweet Thai fruit we add to it to balance the spicy curry. Lychees can be substituted very successfully if you can't obtain rambutans. The duck though is essential, it has a soft meat that blends into the dish. If you can't get hold of duck, try one of the other pork or chicken red curry recipes on this site instead! ]]> Ingredients for 2 People 100 gms Duck 200 ml Coconut Milk Water for Boiling 3 Tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar 2 Tablespoons Oil 2 Red Chillies 5 Basil Leaves 4 Kaffir Citrus Leaves 5 Cherry Tomatoes 1 Teaspoon Salt 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce 2 Cubed Raw Potatoes 4 Rambutans (From a tin is better than fresh for this recipe) Preparation 1. Boil the potatoes in water until they are cooked, drain off the water, leaving only approx. 100 mls remaining in the pan. 2. Clean the duck and slice the meat into strips. 3. Into a frying pan, fry the curry paste in the oil for few seconds - this will release the flavours - then add duck and stir fry in the hot oil. Again this only needs to be done for a few seconds. 4. Cut the chillies and kaffir leaves into smaller pieces and add to the frying pan with the duck. 5. Add the coconut milk, salt, sugar and fish sauce, and fry for 2 minutes. 6. Add the contents of the frying pan to the potato pan and bring the liquid back to the boil. 7. Add the rambutans, basil leaves, and cherry tomatoes and serve immediately. Serve With Hot Thai Fragrant Rice]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2005://1.1814 2010-08-06T16:33:56Z 2010-08-06T08:00:06Z

These parcels are made from fried pork and herbs, wrapped in a pastry made from steamed rice flour and starch and served with a sweet and sour sauce. The pastry is cooked separately from the filling and it's very...

These parcels are made from fried pork and herbs, wrapped in a pastry made from steamed rice flour and starch and served with a sweet and sour sauce. The pastry is cooked separately from the filling and it's very different from the cooking methods you may be use to. The actual pastry mix is liquid when uncooked. In order to cook it, you need to tie a cheese cloth or clean handkerchief tightly stretched over the top of a pan of water. The pan is then put on the heat, the water boils, and the steam rises through the cloth. The liquid pastry is poured onto the cheese cloth with a ladle and the ladle used to spread the mixture over the cloth. It cooks very quickly due to the steam and can be peeled off. The aluminum pan from a Thai Steamer is perfect for this. ]]> Ingredients for Pastry (Makes 15) 75 gms Cassava Starch (or Corn Starch) 140 gms Rice Flour 1 Teaspoon Sugar 350 ml Water Equipment for Making Pastry Steaming Pan Cheese Cloth String to Cloth With Ingredients for Filling 100 gms Pork Mince 40 gms Coriander Leaves 40 gms Spring Onion 1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic 2 Tablespoons Maggi Sauce (Savory seasoning sauce) 2 Tablespoons Oil Preparation 1. Oil a frying pan, add the garlic, pork, spring onion, chopped coriander leaves and Maggi sauce. 2. Fry until the pork is cooked, and set it aside. 3. Half fill a steaming pan with water, cover with a cheese-cloth and tie the cloth so that it is tight and flat over the top of the pan. Put the pan onto heat to boil. 4. Mix the rice flour with the cassava starch, water and sugar to form the liquid pastry. 5. When the pan is boiling, ladle some of the flour mix onto the cloth and spread it around quickly using the ladle. Place a lid over the pastry and let it cook for a minute. 6. Spoon some of the filling mixture onto the centre of the pastry and fold the edges over to form a parcel around the meat. A spatula is useful to fold the pastry over. Once you've done that you can move it to a plate. Ingredients for Sweet Sour Dipping Sauce 4 Tablespoon Sugar 30 ml Water 70ml Tamarind Water or Lemon Juice 1 Teaspoon Salt 1 Teaspoon Spring Onion 2 Teaspoon Chopped Crushed Peanuts Preparation 1. Mix the tamarind water with the sugar, salt, and water put it on a meduim heat until the salt and sugar are dissolved. 2. Add the spring onion and peanut in and leave it to cool. It should be served warm. Serve With Lettuce Fried Garlic Chilli Coriander Mint]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2010://1.1987 2010-07-10T21:18:03Z 2010-07-10T11:06:06Z

Ahh, one of my favorite snacks, a crispy pancake with a sweet filling. The yellow one is sugared egg yolk strands. But for this recipe, I'm covering the shredded sweet shrimp topping. In the photo below you can see...

Ahh, one of my favorite snacks, a crispy pancake with a sweet filling. The yellow one is sugared egg yolk strands. But for this recipe, I'm covering the shredded sweet shrimp topping. In the photo below you can see them being fried on a flat plate, when they are hot and still slightly soft, a layer of cream is spread on them, followed by a topping, then they are folded in half and the pancake crisps up. This recipe uses limestone water, but use plain water if you can't find it. Limestone helps crisp the pancake. Make all the parts first, the cream, the batter, the topping, (get your spoons ready, and the plate you want to put them onto!). Then assemble a few at a time, frying off the pancakes on a flat griddle, adding the topping while they're hot then setting them aside to cool. ]]> Ingredients for Pancake 100 gms Flour 200 gms Mung Bean Flour 350 gms Rice Flour 110 gms Palm Sugar 480 ml Limestone Water 2 Egg Yolks Preparation 1. Mix all flours together then add all the other ingredients in, mix well and leave to stand. Ingredients for Cream 3 Eggs Whites 110 gms Icing Sugar 1 Teaspoon Lime Juice Preparation 1. Take the egg white, icing sugar and lime juice and whisk to a white cream. Ingredients for Sweet Shrimp 100 gms Shrimps 2-3 Garlic Cloves 1 Teaspoon White Pepper 10 gms Coriander Root or Seeds 100 gms Desiccated (Ground) Coconut 150 gms Sugar 1 Teaspoons Salt 2 Tablespoons Oil 2-3 Drops of Orange Food Colouring 10 gms Sliced Kaffir Leaves for Garnish Preparation 1. Clean the shrimp, remove the shell and cut down the back to remove the black thread 'gut'. 2. Chop the shrimp into a fine mince. 3. Pound the garlic and coriander root/seeds and white pepper together until well ground up. 4. Fry the shrimp and pounded mixture in a frying pan with a little oil until part cooked, 30 seconds or so is fine. 5. Mix the ground coconut with the orange food colouring, add to the frying pan, add the sugar and salt and fry for a further 2 minutes. The sugar will slightly caramelize. How to Assemble 1. Put the griddle plate or frying pan on a medium heat. 2. Take a spoonful of the batter and swirl it around to make a round small pancake about 8-10cms in diameter. The pancakes need to be very thin since they are cooked from one side only. 3. Remove with a spatula as soon as it is cooked. 4. Spread a spoonful of the cream mix onto the pancake. 5. Top with a dollop of the sweet shrimp, then fold up the two sides and stack them side by side on the plate. ]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2010://1.1972 2010-07-02T20:07:25Z 2010-07-02T21:10:40Z

I was visiting friends in Kanchanaburi province, and realized how sick I am of coconuts! They're so plentiful and I eat so many of them. They're available throughout the year, and so when someone offers you another coconut, I'm...

I was visiting friends in Kanchanaburi province, and realized how sick I am of coconuts! They're so plentiful and I eat so many of them. They're available throughout the year, and so when someone offers you another coconut, I'm not really sure it isn't some sort of punishment! Above you can see ripe coconuts on the trees. But there are also]]> Above is coconut sugar, used as a softer version of palm sugar with fewer bitter notes than palm sugar, and other coconut articles can be found here: Coconut milk.   Toasted coconut drink.   Fresh chilled coconut juice. ]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2005://1.1816 2010-06-20T17:00:56Z 2010-06-20T11:35:04Z

This is Jok, a rice soup, made with mushrooms. It's normally cooked for a very long time so that the rice becomes mushy. However to make it easier, I've cooked it normally, and run it through a blender to...

This is Jok, a rice soup, made with mushrooms. It's normally cooked for a very long time so that the rice becomes mushy. However to make it easier, I've cooked it normally, and run it through a blender to break the rice grains. Fried garlic is perfect for this recipe. ]]> Ingredients for 2 People 150 gms Rice 4 Shitake Mushrooms 500 ml Water 1 Chicken Stock Cube (Or Vegetable stock cube for Vegetarian) Chopped Coriander Leaves (Optional) Chopped Ginger Root (Optional) Fried Garlic (Optional) Preparation 1. Soak the shitake mushrooms in water for 10 minutes. 2. Boil the rice in the water until cooked. To make the smoother texture of Jok, run the cooked rice through a food processor, or hand blender for a minute. 3. Cook it for a second time on a low heat. Add the chicken stock cube and stir until it is dissolved. If the mixture dries out, add a little more water. 4. Slice the mushrooms, add to the rice soup and cook for 5 minutes longer. 5. When the soup is served, garnish it with chopped coriander, thin slices of ginger root, and fried garlic.]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2008://1.1918 2010-06-09T23:09:56Z 2010-06-13T11:56:59Z

While up in the country, I decided to show you some of the berries that can be picked and eaten in Issan (North Eastern Thailand). I like this picture so much, I'm cropped it and created desktop wallpapers for...

While up in the country, I decided to show you some of the berries that can be picked and eaten in Issan (North Eastern Thailand). I like this picture so much, I'm cropped it and created desktop wallpapers for download. The berries have such an interesting texture and color! Choose the resolution you prefer, right click on the link and save as a JPG file then set it as your wallpaper! Wall paper 320 wide x 480 high, iPod Touch and similar
Wall paper 480 wide x 800 high, Smartphones
Wall paper 640 wide x 960 high, Newer iPod
Wall paper 1024 wide x 768 high, Common PC
Wall paper 1050 wide x 1920 high, HDTV vertical
Wall paper 1152 wide x 864 high, Common PC
Wall paper 1280 wide x 1024 high, Very common screen resolution
Wall paper 1440 wide x 900 high
Wall paper 1600 wide x 1200 high
Wall paper 1600 wide x 1280 high
Wall paper 1680 wide x 1050 high
Wall paper 1920 wide x 1080 high, HDTV resolution
]]> Makam Pom (shown above) The tree for this grows wild, it's not cultivated and the berries are not sold, but they are eaten by children. The older the berries are, the more they turn red, and the redder they are, the sweeter they are. Peel off the outer husk and eat the pulp minus the seed. Ma Yom These small green berries (above) are called Ma Yom. They are much smaller than they look in the picture, each one is less than 1cm. These sour berries are eaten with flaked chilli and salt or sugar in East Isaan, and added to som tam (the 'bok bok' salad that Thais eat) to add sourness. Inside there is one little seed which you don't eat. You may find them flavouring Thai icecream, and sorbets. Updated - I've found some preserved ma yom at the market. These are preserved in brine and sold with a sugar chilli dipping powder. You can get a better idea of the size from this photo, and the dipping mix is shown at the back. ]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2005://1.1460 2010-05-30T11:58:33Z 2010-05-30T21:57:20Z

This dish is a spicy meat side dish normally eaten with sticky rice. It is chunky, making it ideal to eat with your fingers. In Thailand as with many cultures, there are many dishes you eat with your hands....

This dish is a spicy meat side dish normally eaten with sticky rice. It is chunky, making it ideal to eat with your fingers. In Thailand as with many cultures, there are many dishes you eat with your hands. Ensure you clean your hand thoroughly, take a chunk of sticky rice, and, using the sticky rice to cover your fingers, grab a chunk of the minced pork, then eat. ]]> Ingredients for Family 400 gms Pork Mince 20 gms Fresh Red Chill 2 Tablespoons Flaked Dried Chilli 5 Kaffir Citrus Leaves 10 gms. Coriander Leaves 10 gms. Spring Onion 4 Tablespoons Fish Sauce 1 Tablespoon Toasted Rice 2 Tablespoon Lime Juice 2 Tablespoons Water 10 gms. Fresh Mint Preparation 1. Put the pork mince into a frying pan. 2. Slice the citrus leaves into small pieces, add to the frying pan. 3. Chop spring onions, fresh chilles and coriander and add to the pan. 4. Add fish sauce, lime juice, flaked chillis, toasted sticky rice and water to the pan. 5. Turn the heat on high and fry it until the pork is cooked. 6. Serve garnished with the mint. Serve With Steamed Sticky Rice Salad vegetables like Lettuce, Cucumber, Long bean or Cabbage.]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2005://1.1813 2010-05-24T14:53:25Z 2010-05-24T20:07:19Z

If you've already made my Mu Yor recipe, then you can use it to make this spicy salad version. You can see from the photograph the spongy texture of the Mu Yor sausage caused by the ice crystals....

If you've already made my Mu Yor recipe, then you can use it to make this spicy salad version. You can see from the photograph the spongy texture of the Mu Yor sausage caused by the ice crystals. ]]> Ingredients for 2 people 75 gms Thai Pork Steam Sausage 30 gms Onion 4 Bird Chillies 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons Fish sauce 2 Garlic Cloves Mint Leaves Coriander Leaves Perparation 1. Sliced the sausage and put onto a serving plate. 2. Chop the onion, chillis and garlic finely, into a mixing bowl. 3. Add the fish sauce and lemon juice to the mixing bowl and mix well. 4. Pour the mixture over the sausage. 5. Garnish with mint and coriander leaves before serving. Serve With Salads Rice]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2010://1.1984 2010-05-09T21:10:55Z 2010-05-08T12:18:22Z

Another one of these really sour fruits that we eat sometimes with sugar & salt and chilli dip. You can see a small sachet of the sugar mix behind it. You'll find this is markets in central Thailand, around...

Another one of these really sour fruits that we eat sometimes with sugar & salt and chilli dip. You can see a small sachet of the sugar mix behind it. You'll find this is markets in central Thailand, around the city of Bangkok, places like Saraburi, Nakhon Pathom, Pathumthani. This is also nice pickled, the sour fruit with the sour pickle really cuts through fatty foods.]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2010://1.1988 2010-05-09T18:21:02Z 2010-05-09T18:01:59Z

This is a dumpling filled with vegetables and greens and sold right across Thailand as a snack. I'm including this recipe for completeness rather than taste. I find these dumplings doughy and only edible when freshly cooked with fresh...

This is a dumpling filled with vegetables and greens and sold right across Thailand as a snack. I'm including this recipe for completeness rather than taste. I find these dumplings doughy and only edible when freshly cooked with fresh fillings. So when you see them at a market stall, only buy them if they're cooked right there and then! ]]> Ingredients 180 gms Rice Flour 60 gms Sticky Rice Flour 60 gms Cassava Starch 460 ml Water 60 ml Oil Extra Starch for dusting Ingredients for Filling 100 gms Baby Corn 100 gms Soy Bean Sprouts 50 gms Radish 1 Tablespoon Back Soy 2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce 2 Teaspoons Sugar 1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic 2 Tablespoons Oil Preparation the Flour 1. In a sauce pan, mix the rice flour, sticky rice four and starch together with the water and oil. 2. Cook over a medium heat, stirring until the mixture is cooked through, (2-4 minutes). You want the texture of a thick dough. 3. Dust your hands with more cassava starch and work the dough till it doesn't stick, pinch off small balls. You want balls of dough about 20gms each. 4. Clean and chop your vegetables ready for frying, the ingredients need to be chopped finely for stuffing. 5. In a frying pan, fry the garlic, and fry off the chopped vegetables with the soy and other ingredients, fry till cooked 2-3 minutes. 6. Flatten the balls of dough, put a teaspoon of the fried vegetables inside, fold over the dough to form a dumpling. 7. You can steam these dumplings to finish them, but you get a better flavour if you fry them in a non stick pan. ]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2010://1.1985 2010-04-22T23:11:50Z 2010-04-22T20:19:07Z

Thai Rose Apples are a little sharp, a little sweet and have the texture of crisp celery. You won't see them very often in the west, they're not so popular, but they're refreshing. Above is the one you'll see...

Thai Rose Apples are a little sharp, a little sweet and have the texture of crisp celery. You won't see them very often in the west, they're not so popular, but they're refreshing. Above is the one you'll see in market stalls about the size of an apple, below is a smaller variety. ]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2010://1.1989 2010-03-23T18:21:36Z 2010-03-23T12:22:39Z

In Thailand they sell this sweet toast ready made in packets, like a lot of bakery products they tend to be eaten for desserts. The photo at the top is my version of it, the photo at the bottom...

In Thailand they sell this sweet toast ready made in packets, like a lot of bakery products they tend to be eaten for desserts. The photo at the top is my version of it, the photo at the bottom is the commercial product, made with little mini slicers of bread, each one 4cm x 4cm. To recreate the recipe I'm using full sized sliced bread cut into quarters. ]]> Ingredients 300 gms Butter 150 gms Icing Sugar Black Sesame Seeds for Garnish 10 Slices White Bread Preparation 1. Cream the butter with the icing sugar to form butter cream icing. 2. Spread the icing thinly over the bread, on BOTH sides. If you find this difficult, leave the icing butter in the warm to become very soft. 3. Cut the crusts off the bread to neaten them up. 4. Cut the slices into quarters and place of a baking tray. 5. Sprinkle with a few sesame seeds over the top. 6. Bake in a low oven, 150 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. 7. They will crisp up as they cool and the icing sugar and butter sets. ]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2010://1.1991 2010-03-21T00:11:00Z 2010-03-20T21:42:43Z

My friend Chai has opened a Thai take away in Wilrijk near Antwerp in Belgium (she's married to a Belgian professional caterer). If you fancy a Thai take-away pop along to her Wilrijk Take Away and taste authentic Thai...

My friend Chai has opened a Thai take away in Wilrijk near Antwerp in Belgium (she's married to a Belgian professional caterer). If you fancy a Thai take-away pop along to her Wilrijk Take Away and taste authentic Thai food! . She's making some very traditional items too, including the yellow bean fruit. Here's a plate of her very own handmade fruit: And a selection of Thai kanoom. Her shop will be authentic Thai food as a freshly made takeaway, so I hope she does well and I wish her and her husband every success with their new venture. ]]> tag:www.khiewchanta.com,2010://1.1990 2010-03-20T18:26:39Z 2010-03-20T21:31:11Z

At the farm, my star fruit are ripe! As you can see from the photo they grow on trees in Thailand and are ripe when they've mostly yellow. They're not quite so popular here, the flavour isn't strong and...

At the farm, my star fruit are ripe! As you can see from the photo they grow on trees in Thailand and are ripe when they've mostly yellow. They're not quite so popular here, the flavour isn't strong and the fruits waxy skin makes it not so easy to eat. The taste is slightly sweet, slightly citrus, slightly rubbery. But slices of star fruit do look nice in fruit salads.]]>