Back again for another year and I tried sneaking in a blog post just before January came to an end but couldn't. So February it is and the year is flying already. Last year finished up with a bang and turkeys and fruit mince pies are a faded memory along with any holiday time off, that I had. Yes indeed, it was back to work with all systems go on a most busy start to the year.
As previously mentioned, I moved house in December last year and have been equally busy at home settling in. The kitchen has had a workout over the last few weeks and rightfully so, as we customised it to be a highlight of our house and essentially-my world. 2012 was farewelled with a cracker of a feast of TexMex delights that definitely impressed. And if chowing down on Nachos at 4am to cure the alcohol induced hunger pangs is anything to go by, then I say it was a feast well deserved.
But on to a recipe and one that has been a long time coming - Khao Soi Gai. I made this on my birthday last year alongside my mum's Burmese/Anglo Indian style Pantay Khao Soi and although the votes were very close, I'm pretty sure that my mum's dish won the battle. To be fair, she has been making it for many years now and is only allowed to do so on my birthday - so perfection is a prerequisite. This version is my own take on this Thai style spicy curry noodle soup that just sings with flavour in a balanced harmony of heat, sweet, sour and salt. This dish is very reminiscent of a good curry laksa and I love the flavour combination of curry powder and red curry paste that sets it apart from the well known northern Thai curries. I think I have employed as many cheats into this recipe to make it a quick and easy dinner dish using chicken breast, which cooks fast and also ready made Thai Red Curry paste (of course you could make your own!). The garnish could also be a myriad of other ingredients from pickled cabbage to fresh red onions and more. I have kept it really simple with ready made fried noodles and shallots and humble spring onions and chillies for colour.
Ingredients
2 large x Chicken breast pieces, marinated for 30 mins in a tbsp of Thai Red Curry paste
2 tsp x Malay curry powder
4 heaped tbsp x Thai Red Curry paste
1 inch piece x Ginger, sliced thinly
1 quill x Cinnamon
2 sprigs x Curry Leaves, picked
200 ml x Coconut Cream
400 ml x Coconut Milk
2 cups x Water
1-2 tsp x Fish Sauce
2 tbsp x Palm Sugar
2-3 x Red Chilli, sliced finely
Lime juice to taste
Vegetables of your choice. I used:
250g x Eggplant, sliced
100g x Green beans, topped and tailed
2 x Baby Bok Choy, washed and segmented
For the garnish:
2 x Spring Onions, sliced finely
Fried shallots
200g x Crispy fried noodles, available from most Asian groceries
Extra Red Chilli
To serve:
250g x Rice or Egg noodles, cooked
Directions
Place a large wok on medium heat and dust in the curry powder
Toast the curry powder for a few seconds until it starts to darken and become fragrant
Stir in the curry paste followed by the ginger, cinnamon and curry leaves
Now add the coconut cream and combine well to form a thick sauce
Pour in the water plus half of the coconut milk and stir to combine, then bring to the boil
In a separate pan heat a little oil and pan fry the chicken breasts turning every 2 minutes until cooked through
Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and rest on a chopping board
Back in the wok add the vegetables that you have chosen in two minute intervals, starting with the hardest to softest (i.e. Eggplant, Beans then Bok choy)
When the veg has cooked through add the fish sauce, palm sugar, chillies and some lime juice
Stir gently and taste for a good balance of salt - sweet – hot and sour flavours – add more seasoning to taste, as required
Add the rest of the coconut milk and stir through gently
Slice the rested chicken breasts into ½ cm slices and add to the wok
To serve, place a generous serve of cooked noodles in a deep bowl and ladle in the soup with the veg and chicken
Now garnish with spring onions, fried shallots and a big heap of crispy fried noodles
Add some extra sliced chilli for colour and heat and serve
These little fish cakes are the perfect spice delight. You will find them usually in the entree section of Thai restaurant menus and they are usually quite pricey for just a couple of cakes. Indeed, they are very delicious and I still cannot resist ordering them each time, only to be left with disappointment when I have finished the last bite. Thai fish cakes are surprisingly easy to conjure up, and making them is not labour intensive. All it takes is a few easily obtainable ingredients and you will be seated in front of a very generous amount of these devilishly good little fishy bites, all for yourself...unless you want to share!
I use the cheap white fillets that are usually tasteless unless you boost with flavour, which is what this dish exactly does. Traditional Thai fish cakes use thinly sliced green beans but I find zuchinni works well too - the idea is to provide moisture into the cakes. When frying these cakes will puff up a fair bit so do not overcrowd the frypan. They do deflate on standing, to spongy little discs full of zing!
Ingredients, makes about 20 cakes
300g x White fish fillets (approx 2)
1 tbsp x Thai Red Curry Paste
1 tsp x Fish Sauce
1 x Egg, beaten
2 tbsp x Cornflour
1 x Red Chilli, finely chopped
4 x Kaffir Lime leaves, vein removed
1 x Zuchinni, skin on and coarsely grated
Oil for shallow frying
Directions
Place oil in a deep frypan on low heat
Add the fish fillets, curry paste, fish sauce, egg, cornflour, chilli and lime leaves into a food procesor bowl
Pulse the food processor a few times to break up the fish
Let it run for a few seconds until the ingredients combine to a thick paste
Dust in the grated zuchinni and fold through to distribute evenly
Turn out mixture into a clean bowl
Turn the heat to medium and bring the oil temperature of the oil up
Using a tablespoon as a guide form the mixture into even balls
Wet the palms of your hand and place a spoonful in the centre
Form the mixture into rough round balls
Test the oil for the right frying temperature by placing a piece of zuchinni in, it should bubble and quickly rise and float.
Carefully place the balls into the frypan in batches, flatten them slightly with a spatula
Turn every 30 seconds for about 4 minutes, the surface will become a reddish brown
Remove from the oil with care and drain on absorbent paper
Serve with a sweet chilli dipping sauce of your choice
Normally I would associate my creations in Thai cuisine to be built on a coconut base. Many a Thai Red or Green curry has made its way from my wok, to my plate, to my belly. This time however, I embarked on a different side of my Thai culinary repertoire - Chili Basil Chicken.
Surprisingly, I only discovered this dish at the beginning of 2011, whilst on holidays in sunny Queensland. On the Sunshine Coast, I found that there was no shortage of Thai eateries. It seems like the balmy weather makes the taste buds of Queenslanders crave (and tolerate!) the hot and the spicy. Needless to say my meal time decisions were now pretty much made for me quite instantly and Thai food was the clear winner.
I ordered a plate of Chili Basil Chicken at a hawker style street-side shop with limited outdoor seating shared with the adjoining pizzeria. The combination of flavours is what hit me for six as it was totally unexpected that a Thai dish, without coconut milk, tasted so good. And like most good stir fries - the simple ingredients are what give this dish both its exuberance and balance. Oh! And it is ready in minutes, so ideal weeknight fare. Try it out. You will be pleasantly surprised, as I was.
INGREDIENTS - to serve 5-6
3 x 400g Chicken Breasts, skin removed
2tbsp x Vegetable Oil
4 x Garlic Cloves, sliced thinly
2 x Medium Onions, diced finely
400g x Capsicum, sliced into strips
60ml x Soy Sauce (Light Soy gives the dish more zing, Dark Soy makes it more mellow...you choose)
60ml x Oyster Sauce
2tbsp x Sweet Soy (Kecap Manis)
125ml x Water
4 x Red Chillies, sliced finely (adjust the amount depending how hot you like it)
1 x bunch Thai Basil - regular Basil can be substituted but it lacks the punchy flavour of it's Asian cousin
4 Kaffir Lime leaves, vein removed then sliced into fine strands
DIRECTIONS
Combine the sauces and taste for sweet and salty balance. Remember this sauce will be diluted with the water and cooking juices so it will develop more flavour.
Slice chicken into stir fry strips
Heat a wok on medium and add half the oil and garlic. Sautee gently do not allow garlic to burn
Turn heat up to high and add half the chicken strips. Stir continuously until the meat is sealed all over.
Remove the chicken and keep aside. Repeat process with remaining oil, garlic and chicken.
Return all chicken to the wok and add the onion. Stir fry for 4 minutes.
Pour in the combined sauces and combine well to coat the chicken.
Add the water a little at a time, tasting the sauce with each addition for a balance of flavours.
Stir through the basil leaves and chilli slices
Cook for a minute or two then remove from heat.
Garnish with the slivers of kaffir lime leaves.
Serve immediately with Thai Jasmine Rice
"When I serve this up at family dinners it always gets rave reviews and it is one of my favourite dishes to cook. For me it is not quite the same as that shop in the Sunshine Coast but it comes close and definitely brings back fond holiday memories...."
One of my favourite ingredients is Thai curry pastes. Although once hard to find, these are available in abundance from local supermarkets now. I have attempted to make my own pastes before, but they never have the same taste of the Thai ones. So I definitely recommend getting your hands on some shop bought paste. It has a long life if kept in the fridge and can be used in many dishes.
I keep a tub each of Thai Green and Thai Red Curry paste on hand always. These along with a can of coconut milk can take a simple dish to an exotic level.
Take the old humble pumpkin soup in this recipe for example. It's so easy to make and really packs a punch of flavour to tingle those taste buds.
INGREDIENTS
500g x Pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped
1 x medium Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped
1 x large Onion, peeled and quartered
500ml water
3 x tsp Thai Red Curry Paste
100ml Coconut Milk
Fish Sauce to taste
Spring Onions & Chilli sliced to garnish
Splash of Lime or Lemon juice
METHOD
Add the vegetables and water to a large saucepan and bring to the boil then simmer covered for about 20 minutes.
When vegetables are soft add the curry paste one teaspoon at a time, tasting as you go depending on how hot you want it.
Using a Stick Blender mix all ingredients into a smooth thick soup.
Stir in the coconut milk leaving about a tablespoon for garnishing.
Add a few drops of fish sauce, adjusting saltiness to taste.
Serve in soup bowls and garnish with a drizzle of coconut milk and sliced spring onion and chilli.
Finish off with a splash of lime or lemon juice.
Serve hot with crusty bread if desired.
