January 19, 2016 - Radio Kitchen - Thai Cooking
One of the best things about being a hungry American is that we tend to keep a very open mind when it comes to sourcing our recipes. In many respects, the whole world's our oyster, and we can explore far and wide for ideas on how to feed our families. In this vein, Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Schola Cooking School, has started focusing on one of the more exotic cuisines in the world: Thai.
Jerry has been making a study of Thai cooking, which is quite different than our euro-centric approach. The Thai will make a flavorful paste rather than a sauce; they will seek to balance sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy all in one dish; they will place much emphasis on aromatics and color. Some central ingredients are important: palm oil for cooking, galangal for earthy spicy almost gingery notes, fish sauce is a ubiquitous condiment, and chilies are frequently used.
Here are a few authentic Thai recipes Jerry has collected. All the recipes are taken from Chef McDang’s book "The Principles of Thai Cookery."
Note: there are some ingredients that we just can’t find locally that are called for in these recipes. We were able to find most of them at one of the large Asian grocery stores such as H-Mart or HaHa. If you just can’t find something, make a substitution with something that is similar.
Fermented Soy Bean and Pork
Large, dry chili peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces and soaked in water 3 Each
Shallots, peeled and chopped 2 Each
Garlic cloves, peeled 4 Cloves
Chopped galangal 1 Tbsp
Cilantro roots, chopped 2 Each
Roasted shrimp paste or Northern fermented soybean paste 1 Tbsp
Ground pork 250 grams
Cherry tomatoes, chopped 3-4 each
Vegetable oil 2 Tbsp
Chopped garlic (for stir-fry) 1 Tbsp
Chicken stock or water 1 Cup
Fish sauce 3 Tbsp
Cilantro leaves, chopped 1/4 Cup
Green onions, chopped 1/4 Cup
Accompanying vegetables:
Curly white cabbage, regular cabbage, sawtooth coriander, mint, and long beans (for garnish)
With a large pestle and mortar, pound together the soaked, dried chili peppers, shallots, garlic, galangal and cilantro roots.
Add shrimp paste or fermented soybean paste and pound until a paste is achieved. Add the ground pork and pound to incorporate the flavor.
Add the cherry tomatoes into the mixture and pound to mix well.
Place a wok on the stove, add oil and fry chopped garlic until golden and fragrant.
Add the pounded mixture to the wok and stir-fry until everything is almost cooked, stirring constantly to separate and ensure the mixture is not lumpy. The pork will be almost gray when nearly cooked.
Add one cup of chicken stock or water and stir to mix well.
Bring mixture to the boil, then reduce heat to simmer and allow the liquid to evaporate. Season with fish sauce. The dip is ready when the cherry tomatoes have disintegrated.
Spoon the mixture into a bowl and serve with accompanying vegetables as well as sticky rice and deep-fried pork rinds.
Note:
Fermented soybean sauce, sold in Chinese groceries, is a substitute for fermented soybean paste, which is called “tua now” (rotten beans).
Larb
Dressing Ingredients:
Fish Sauce 2 Tbsp
Ground, Dry Thai Chili Pepper Flake 2 tsp
Ground Toasted Rice 2 Tbsp
Shallots, Peeled and Thinly sliced 1/2 Cup
Sawtooth Coriander Leaves, Chopped 1/4 Cup
Green Onion, Chopped 1/4 Cup
Cilantro Leaves, Chopped 1/4 Cup
Salad Ingredients:
Water 1/4 Cup
Ground Duck Breast 400 grams
Mint Leaves (as garnish) 1/4 Cup
Deep Fried Chili Peppers (as garnish) 10 Each
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Once boiling, add the ground duck and stir to cook quickly for about two minutes so that it separates into small pieces but remains pink. Remove from heat.
Using the saucepan as a salad bowl, dress the duck meat with fish sauce and lime or tamarind juice, and dried ground chili peppers and taste. It should be equally salty and sour, plus spicy from the heat of the chili peppers (depending on personal preference).
Once the correct taste profile is achieved, toss in the shallots, sawtooth coriander, green onions and cilantro leaves. Add the toasted rice grains and mix well; they will thicken the dressing and add a toasty aroma.
Spoon salad onto a plate and garnish with plenty of mint leaves and a few deep-fried dry chili peppers.
Serve with accompanying vegetables.
Note: This is a warm salad, so it should be served warm – not chilled. In Thailand, it is served at room temperature (which is about 37 degrees Celsius). The dressing is a straightforward Thai vinaigrette without oil. You can easily switch out the duck for chicken, beef or your other favorite meats.
Stir Fried Beef
Paste Ingredients:
Fresh Small Thai Chili Peppers (prik kee noo) 6-8 Each
Garlic Cloves 6 Each
Salt 1/2 tsp
Stir-Fry Ingredients:
Vegetable Oil 4 Tbsp
Ground Beef 400 grams
Fish Sauce 3 Tbsp
Palm or Granulated Sugar 1/2 tsp
Holy Basil Leaves, Picked 1 Cup
Make a rough paste by pounding chili peppers, salt and garlic (including peel) in a mortar with pestle.
Place a wok on the stove and heat oil.
When hot, add the paste and stir very quickly (do not allow it to burn).
Add the ground beef and stir-fry very quickly over a very high heat for about one minute until the beef is almost cooked. Season with fish sauce and palm sugar; stir to evenly distribute seasoning.
Turn off heat and add holy basil leaves.
Serve over rice with a fried egg, sunny side up.
This dish is considered the equivalent of the “Thai hamburger” – it is the national go-to dish for a quick, satisfying one-plate meal.
Pad krapao is actually a cooking term, meaning to stir-fry with chili peppers and garlic, finished off with holy basil. The seasonings do not change, but you can choose to add any kind of protein.-Serves 4
Green Papaya Salad
Dressing Ingredients:
Fresh Garlic 5 Cloves
Thai Chili Peppers 6 Each (amount optional)
Palm Sugar 1 Tbsp
Fish Sauce 2-3 Tbsp
Tamarind or Lime Juice 1 Tbsp
Salad Ingredients:
Long Beans cut into 2” lengths 1/4 Cup
Cherry Tomatoes, Quartered 2 Each
Green Papaya, Peeled and Jullienned 1 Cup
Roasted Peanuts To Taste
Dried Small Shrimp To Taste
Fresh Vegatables for Garnish
As Needed
Preparation:
Pound garlic and chilies into a paste with pestle and mortar to release their essential oils. This is the beginning of the process of making the dressing and the salad together in the pestle and mortar.
Add the long beans and the cherry tomatoes and pound them enough to break up and release the juices.
Add the julienned papaya and pound.
Season mixture with palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime or tamarind juice. Pound softly to mix together all the flavors.
Make sure not to bruise the strands too much or the salad will become limp and mushy when it should be crunchy and fresh.
Taste for correct seasoning – it should be equally sweet, sour and salty.
Add peanuts and dried shrimp and pound to mix quickly, then spoon onto a plate and serve with accompanying vegetables such as raw cabbage, morning glory stems, cucumber, and long beans cut into bite-sized pieces.
Pad Thai
Pad Thai Sauce:
Pickled Garlic 300 Grams
Fresh Garlic, Peeled and Chopped 100 Grams
Thai Chili Peppers 170 grams
Thai Chili Sauce 3 Cups
Ketchup 1 Cup
Pickled Garlic Juice 1 Cup
Palm Sugar 1 Kilogram
Distilled Vinegar 375 ml
Tamarind Juice 3 Cups
Salt 3 Tablespoons
Fish Sauce 1/2 Cup
Water 3 Liters
Pad Thai:
Vegetable Oil 60 mL
Garlic, Minced 3 Cloves
Prawns, Cleaned and Peeled 250 Grams
White Bean Curd, Diced Small 150 Grams
Daikon, Finely Chopped (Sweet Pickled Chinese Turnip) 80 Grams
Dried Shrimp 30 Grams
Dry Thai Rice Stick Noodles (Soaked in cold water until strands are white, and drained) 300 Grams
Pad Thai Sauce 230 mL
Eggs 2
Bean Sprouts 150 grams
Chives cut to 1/2 Inch Length 70 Grams
Chopped Toasted Peanuts, Unsalted 50 Grams
Chili Powder
Optional Garnish
Lime Wedges
Garnish with 4 Pieces
Yield
6 Portions
Directions
Pad Thai Sauce Directions:
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, stir to mix well, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer in order to allow the sauce too evaporate and thicken.
Once the liquid is reduced by almost half and tastes sweet, sour and slightly salty, allow it to cool.
Once cooled, transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate until you’re ready to make Pad Thai.
Pad Thai Directions:
In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add prawns and stir-fry until pink but not cooked through.
Immediately take out of the wok and reserve.
In the same wok, add a little more oil, then add white bean curd and dried shrimp. Stir-fry until bean curd browns.
Add the noodles and stir-fry to soften.
Add Pad Thai sauce a little bit at a time. Stir-fry to mix quickly. The noodles will soften further and absorb the flavors of the sauce. Taste.
If the flavors are not intense enough, add a little more sauce and allow it to seep into the noodles.
Add the Daikon and more dried shrimp. Stir-fry to incorporate the ingredients.
Move the noodles to one side of the wok. Raise the temperature and crack the eggs into the clear side of the pan.
Cover the eggs with the noodles. Reduce the heat a little and allow the eggs to cook.
Toss all the noodles together to spread the eggs. Mix in the bean sprouts, chopped chives and peanuts.
Serve the Pad Thai, garnished with fresh bean sprouts, chives, lime wedges and a banana blossom if available.
