Thai Meal in Different sauces:
Tofu, Cashew in Cashew-Basil Sauce.
Besides the above dish, the picture is showing Tom Kha soup, Pa Thai noodles, red curry vegetables and Vegetable Spring Rolls.
Thai Sauces: Ingredients used in Thai cooking:
Coconut milk: In Thai recipes unsweetened coconut milk is used and sweetened one is used in pina-coladas. If, coconut milk is not available, substitute cow’s milk.
Five spice powder: This brown powder is made from a blend of star anise, fennel, cinnamon, ginger and orange peel. This spice combination is great in marinades, especially for roast ducts, stews and vegetable dishes.
Galangal called Kha, also known as Thai ginger, galangal is a cousin of ginger. Its unique, earthy, gingery flavor is used in soups, curries and stir-fries.
Ginger: At Thai restaurant, gung or ginger, is used almost as extensively as garlic. Sharp And pungent, ginger adds extraordinary flavor and zing to food, from savory dishes to desserts.
Green curry paste: (gaeng keow wan) Ground chili paste: Is made from red chilies, garlic and vinegar. This chili paste will go a long way when you need to cook up something spicy in a pinch. Chili paste in a small plastic jars, can be kept almost indefinitely.
Hoisin Sauce is made from soy bean puree, sugar and caramel sauce. Hoisin sauce is used primarily in dipping sauces, marinades, and stir fries. When mixed with onions, garlic, chilies, vinegar and crushed peanuts, this sauce is incredibly delicious.
Kaffir lime leaves: These jade green citrus leaves impart a lemony aroma.
Lemon grass: is a common herb used for 2 main purposes-to infuse a sauce, soup or curry and to marinate meals and fish. It’s lemony and gingery aroma enhances and complements the flavor of almost every ingredient it touches.
Peanuts: many recipes are garnished with chopped peanuts. (dua phong).
Red curry paste: It is made like green chili curry paste.
Rice noodles: (Banh pho in Vietnamese or sen in Thai). These are either flat or round, these also called rice sticks, are available fresh or dried. Most popular are the dried, flat, fettucine – like noodles made from rice, flour, water and salt.
Flat rice noodles are distinguished by width, small, medium or large.
The first 2 sizes are used primarily in soup, and the widest noodles are used in stir fries such as rad-na.
The round variety, also called rice vermicelli, is known as bun in Vietnamese or Sen mee in Thai.
Round noodles are used in salad style dishes and in soups.
Rice noodles are soaked in water before using, bleach them, which removes the sometimes strong rice flour odor.
Rice Paper: The paper thin banh trang wrapper, made from rice flour, water and salt. Rice paper wrappers are used to make spring rolls and to wrap small pieces of meat and fish to be eaten with the hands. To use, rice paper, it must be soaked in warm water to become pliable.
Rice paper is particularly desirable when you want a wrapper that does not complete with the taste or texture of your filling. Rice paper can be kept for months, if the package is resealed tightly. When selecting rice paper, look for a nice whitish color, an even thickness, and no broken pieces (a sign of brittleness).
Sesame Oil: This oil is made from roasted sesame seeds. This rich, nutty oil is not used for cooking but instead to flavor salads, stir fries, soups, rice and dumplings. Sesame oil is graded similar to olive oil.
Soy sauce: Soy sauce are of many varieties. Light Thai-style golden mountain brand: Sweet soy sauce (dark soy and caramel sauce) for rich, dark color.
Tofu Vegetables in Red Curry Sauce:
Ingredients:
Tofu, cut into ½” cubes, separately rolled in seasoned corn-flour and fried on high heat.
1C assorted ½” Vegetable pieces (Cauliflower, Broccoli, onion, Cabbage, Carrot, Mushrooms, Baby- corn and Beans)
Seasoned corn-flour
Oil for frying
Chinese red chili sauce: Red curry paste: It is made like green chili curry paste. Lemon, basil or coriander leaves are not used in this sauce, the rest of the ingredients are the same as the green curry.
Ingredients for red curry:
4 Kashmiri red chilies deseeded and soaked in ½C warm water for 10 minutes.
½ onion, chopped
1tbsp garlic, chopped
½” piece ginger, chopped
1 stick, lemon grass (use lower part), cut in pieces, discard the leaves
½tsp salt
¼tsp haldi
¼ - ½tsp peppercorns
1tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp coriander seeds
1tsp cumin seeds roasted.
Make a paste of all these ingredients to form the red curry paste.
Method:
1. Blanch the vegetables in boiling water for a few minute.
2. Drain and pat dry lightly. Roll them in the seasoned corn –flour and deep fry on high heat, to light brown. Drain.
3. Heat 1tbsp oil, add onion stir fry on high heat for 1 minute. Stir in the red curry paste with 2-3tbsp water. Mix and cook in high heat for 1 minute.
Add the fried vegetables, mix and cook for 1 minute on high heat. Stir in the tofu and mix to coat with the red curry.
Serve hot, garnished with basil leaves, with rice.
Hot & Spicy Thai Vegetable Curry: Serves-4
This spicy Thai Vegetable Curry made with coconut milk has a creamy silky texture that counteracts wonderfully with the heat of the chilies.
Ingredient:
2 tbsp sunflower oil
7 fl oz/ scant 1C Coconut Cream
1¼C Coconut milk
2/3C Vegetable Stock
7oz Green Beans cut into 2ml/3/4” length
200 gm/7oz Baby Corn
4 Baby Zucchini sliced
1 small eggplant cubed or sliced
2 tbsp Mushroom Ketchup/Soy Sauce
2 tsp Palm Sugar (Jaggery)
Fresh Coriander Leaves to garnish
Bamboo shoots and spring onion can be added if desired.
Noodles or rice to serve with the dish.
Chinese- style dark soy sauce containing molasses and varied soy sauces that are generally mushrooms-or-onion based. Buy soy sauce in small containers, and make sure the mouth of the bottle is wiped clean after each use.
Spring roll wrappers: Lumpia is Filipino version of spring rolls, these wrappers are thin cream colored sheets made with wheat flour. Although the traditional spring roll recipes are like rice paper, but, these wrappers are easier to work with and create a less greasy product when fried.
Star-anise: 6-8 pointed star spice is known as hot in Vietnamese, imparts a flavor resembling cinnamon and cloves, is used to flavor soups and stews. This spice is sold in clear cellophane bags.
Tamarind: is called ‘me’ in Vietnamese. This sour fruit is used to flavor soups and salads. Tamarind is solid, in syrup is liquid form or in dried blocks.
To make Tamarind juice: Mix about 3 oz of tamarind pulp with ½ C hot water and let sit for 30 minutes. Push mixture through a sieve and discard the pulp. Tamarind may be substituted with lemon or lime juice mixed with a dash of brown sugar.
Vietnamese curry powder: It is similar to Madras curry style powder. This curry is used to spice up stir fries and soups.
Yellow Curry paste: The Indian version of Thai curry, yellow curry paste is the mildest of all, and has many uses. This is made with ingredients similar to green and red pastes, yellow curry paste includes turmeric, which gives it a beautiful golden color. Yellow curry greatly enhances fish, chicken or vegetable dishes. In addition to curries and stews, curry pastes also can be used to make sauces for topping grilled meats and fish.
Thai Seasoning
Look for Chinese Cooking Sauces and some Chinee Appertizers
Chinese Sichuan Chili Baby Corn
Crispy Vegetables in Chili Sauce
Salted Crispy Corn with Chili and Pepper