THE EVERYTHING® THAI COOKBOOK (12 page)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon coconut milk

1 pound pork, thinly sliced into long strips

20–30 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sugar, salt, garlic, fish sauce, and coconut milk.
   
2. Toss the pork strips in the mixture to coat thoroughly. Cover the bowl and marinate for at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
   
3. Thread the pork strips onto the bamboo skewers.
   
4. Grill the skewers for about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
   
5. Serve with your favorite sauce or as is.
   

Using Bamboo Skewers

When using bamboo skewers for grilling, always be sure to soak them in water for at least an hour (to prevent them from catching on fire or charring badly). Another way to reduce charring of the skewers is to make sure as much of the skewer is covered by food as possible — leave only ¼–½ inch of space at the end
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1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ cup chopped white mushrooms

Pinch white pepper

½ pound ground pork

25 won ton skins

Vegetable oil for frying

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, mushrooms, white pepper, and ground pork.
   
2. To make the won tons, place approximately ½ teaspoon of the filling in the middle of a won ton skin. Fold the won ton from corner to corner, forming a triangle. Press the edges together to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining skins and filling.
   
3. Add about 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil to a deep fryer or wok. Heat the oil on medium until it reaches about 350 degrees. Carefully add the won tons, 2 or 3 at a time. Fry until they are golden brown, turning them constantly. Transfer the cooked won tons to drain on paper towels as they are done.
   
4. Serve the won tons with either sweet-and-sour sauce or the sauce of your choice.
   

1 package of tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes

Vegetable oil for frying

Dipping sauces of your choice

1. Add about 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil to a deep fryer or wok. Heat the oil on medium until it reaches about 350 degrees. Carefully add some of the tofu pieces, making sure not to overcrowd them; fry until golden brown, turning constantly. Transfer the fried tofu to paper towels to drain as each batch is cooked.
   
2. Serve the tofu with a choice of dipping sauces, such as Sweet-and- Sour, Peanut, and Minty Dipping Sauce (see recipes in Chapter 2).
   

1 pound angel hair pasta

2 tablespoons sesame oil

¼ cup creamy peanut butter or tahini

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon grated ginger

¼–½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1–2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced (optional)

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water, then set aside.
   
2. Vigorously whisk together the remaining ingredients; pour over pasta, tossing to coat.
   
3. Garnish with green onion if desired.
   

¼ cup sticky rice flour

1 cup rice flour

½ cup water

¼ cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 cups chives, cut into ½–inch lengths

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together the sticky rice flour, the rice flour, and the water. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture has the consistency of glue. (If the mixture becomes too sticky, reduce the heat to low.) Remove the batter from the heat and quickly stir in the tapioca flour. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
   
2. Meanwhile, add the vegetable oil to a skillet large enough to easily hold the chives, and heat on high. Add the chives and the soy sauce. Stir-fry the chives just until they wilt. Be careful not to let the chives cook too much. Remove from heat and set aside.
   
3. Once the dough has reached room temperature, check its consistency. If it is too sticky to work with, add a bit more tapioca flour.
   
4. To make the dumplings, roll the batter into balls 1 inch in diameter. Using your fingers, flatten each ball into a disk about 4 inches across. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the chives into the middle of each disk. Fold the disk in half and pinch the edges together to form a halfmoon-shaped packet.
   
5. Place the dumplings in a prepared steamer for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough is cooked. Serve with a spicy dipping sauce of your choice.
   

Soups

4–5 cups water

3 shallots, finely chopped

2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into 1-inch-long segments

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

20 medium-sized shrimp, shelled but with tails left on

1 can straw mushrooms, drained

2–3 teaspoons sliced kaffir lime leaves or lime zest

3 tablespoons lime juice

2–3 Thai chili peppers, seeded and minced

1. Pour the water into a medium-sized soup pot. Add the shallots, lemongrass, fish sauce, and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes.
   
2. Add the shrimp and mushrooms, and cook until the shrimp turn pink. Stir in the lime zest, lime juice, and chili peppers.
   
3. Cover and remove from the heat. Let the soup steep for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
   

Tom Yum Soup for Life

A joint study by Thailand's Kasetsart University and Japan's Kyoto and Kinki Universities has found that the ingredients in Tom Yum soup are 100 times more effective in inhibiting cancerous tumor growth than other foods. No wonder it's Thailand's bestselling soup!

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon sliced kaffir lime leaves

1 (2-inch) piece of lemongrass, bruised

1 (1-inch) piece ginger, sliced thinly

4 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

5 ounces coconut milk

2–4 Thai chilies (to taste), slightly crushed

1. In a medium-sized soup pot, heat the broth on medium. Add the lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger, fish sauce, and lime juice.
   
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, add the chicken and coconut milk, and bring to a boil again.
   
3. Reduce the heat, add the chilies, and cover; let simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
   
4. Remove the chilies and the lemongrass stalk with a slotted spoon before serving.
   

Handling Lemongrass