I’m going to visit Thailand

Yes…. I’m going to visit Thailand this spring to visit my friends, family, show off my baby and of course eat Thai food and Thai fruit.  This time I plan to visit this season, because it’s fruit season and all of the delicious fruit like Durian, mango street, Thai mango, rambutant

Rambutants

and a lot more line up for me to eat.  Also it is Thai new year called Song Kran.  Song Kran is a big festival in Thailand that we celebrate on April 13 thru April 15.  In the past Song Kran has been celebrated only on April 13.  That is the day Thai people will go to the temple to make merit for the family that already has passed away and after the ceremony all of the young people will throw water on each other but nobody can get mad because it is a traditional.  The reason for throwing water is for cooling down the temperature of summer, also in the past they used this day for the guy to check out the girl to date too.  Because boys and girls usually didn’t meet each other that easy back then, so this time will be the perfect time to get to see and get to know people.  In the present day the government made Song Kran into a festival by adding April 14 to be Family day and April 15 to be old people day making Song Kran become a national festival giving everyone 3 days off.  So this is the biggest time of the year that people come back to their homes and family (Just like Christmas plus Thanksgiving in the USA), but my favorite part is to throw the water.  It is so much fun that you can throw water on anyone and they cannot get mad at you(but please be nice).  The area I recommend to go to celebrate Song Kran is called Ta Noon Khaw Sann or Khaw sann road meaning (rice road).  This place is a famous spot for all foreign people and young Thai people.  I went there a lot of times when I was a teenager and it is guaranteed fun.  Another one is Chang mai which is in the northern Thailand province.  They have a parade and a big celebration that is very neat and beautiful full of northern tradition.  I also went there after my graduation.  I had so much fun.  Another one is in Chonburi which is a province that my family comes from.  They have the tradition called “Lai” which is always a couple days after Song kran.  In the past the tradition of “Lai” is when the guy will carry the girl they like and throw her into the ocean (That is how my dad met my mom!!!), but I’ve never been to “Lai” before so I don’t know how it is now, but my mom always says it is so much fun (of course it was her romantic time ha ha).

Anyway I also come back to Thailand in order to get more food recipes and inspiration from Thailand to write a blog for you to know about Thailand, so stay tuned and I will tell you about my journey to Thailand.

PS : it might be about a couple week I’ll see you again after I settle down with my baby in Thailand.

I’ll See you in a couple week!!!  

Thank you : picture from http://www.thailandpictures.org/

rad na : stir fried wide rice noodle with pork gravy sauce and Chinese broccoli

            This is my favorite all time noodle dishes.  Actually this dish is Thai-Chinese dish.  For this recipe it is very popular in Thailand called “rad nay yod puk” or in Thai meaning stir fried wide rice noodle with pork gravy sauce and Chinese broccoli.  For this recipe I recommend just pork, because it is the best to marinate with this recipe, but if you want to use chicken or beef or seafood you don’t need to marinate, but trust me pork is the best!!  For cooking instructions you will have 3 cooking parts first is for noodle, 2^nd is Chinese broccoli and last but not least is the pork gravy  served by laying noodle on the bottom and adding Chinese broccoli and topped with pork gravy.  This tastes not spicy and it is really good.  You can use thin rice noodle or crunchy noodle instead of wide rice noodle.

In Thailand when we always serve a noodle dish with fish sauce, dry chili pepper, vinegar, and sugar along the side for seasoning the dish in the way you like.  Because Thai people believe that difference people have different tastes.  Now it’s time to cook!!!

Ingredients

Noodle

1 pack dry wide rice noodle

6 cups water

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

2-3 tbsp. Sweet soy sauce (if you cannot find use soy sauce)

Chinese broccoli

1 tbsp. oil

½ pound Chinese broccoli cut into 1 inch.

¼ tsp. salt

Pork and Gravy

Ingredients

½ pound pork chop sliced into ¼ inch thick

2 egg whites

4 tbsp. oyster sauce

6 tbsp. soy sauce

8 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. ground pepper

3 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. oil

4 cups of water

3 tbsp. corn starch mixed with 3 tbsp. water

Cooking instructions

Noodle

1.      In the marinate bowl mix pork, egg white, oyster sauce, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tbsp. sugar, ground pepper together until mixed well and let it marinate about 1- 3 hours

2.      Boil hot water then add noodle, cook until noodle soft about 2-3 minute. (If you can find soft noodle skip this part)

3.      In large pan preheat oil in high heat when oil is hot add soften noodle stir it, add sweet soy sauce keep stirring until sauce mixed well about 2-3 minutes, take  it out from pan. Set aside

4.      In the same pan add 1 tbsp. oil preheat in high heat when oil is hot add Chinese broccoli and salt stir it until broccoli is cooked, take it out from the pan and set aside.

5.      In the pot preheat 1 tbsp. oil in medium high heat when the oil is hot add minced garlic cook until golden brown.

6.      Add marinated pork stir until it cooked

7.      Add water and remaining sugar and soy sauce for seasoning keep stirring.

8.      Add corn starch, mix into gravy and keep stirring until gravy is thickened.

9.      In the serving bowl lay noodle on the bottom and then broccoli and top with gravy pork and fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, dry chili on the side.

Sticky rice with mango

This is one of the most popular Thai desserts in Thailand, also you can find in a lot of Thai restaurants in America.  The taste of the original dish comes with 2 part first sticky rice and is not just normal sticky rice that I cooked before.  This is sticky rice with coconut sauce that taste silky smooth and sweet from coconut milk sugar balancing the taste of a little bit of salty from coconut milk topping sauce and the second part is sweet and a little bit tart because of the mango.  In Thailand our mango has its own aroma and tastes sweet that notthing can compare to.  Also we have 2 kings of mango that taste good with sticky rice one is called  “Num Dog Mai” and another one is my favorite called   “Og rong”.  So if you a have a chance go to Thailand and try our Thai mango and you will forget about all of the mangos in the world…

For me I have experimented myself and made sticky rice with mango in America.  One day I wanted to have it so bad.  So I went to the grocery store and bought mango and cooked sticky rice.  I was very disappointed with it not because my sticky rice but the problem is the mango was sour and some are sweet so ended up just eating the sticky rice only.  So I called my mom for help!!!  I need to find my way to enjoy this dessert in America.  My mom told me the secret of mango (may be you already know).  It is when you buy the mango pick the one that is not ripe all the way, because if you pick it all the way ripe it will bruise and not be sweet.  Then leave it in room temperature until it smells without touching it, also leave it in a paper bag with a ripe banana to make the mango ripe faster (that is what my grandma does in Thailand).  So now I got a sweet (enough) mango to go with my sticky rice, now let’s make sticky rice.

Ingredients

Coconut sticky rice

1 cup sweet rice or sticky rice

¾ cup coconut milk

1/3 cup sugar

½ tsp. salt

Coconut topping sauce

½ cup coconut milk

½  tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. corn struch

Cooking Instructions

1.      Soak sticky rice with water at least 1 hour

2.      Meanwhile mix ¾ cup coconut milk with 1/3 cup sugar and ½ tsp. salt stir it until sugar dissolves.

3.      After soaking the rice rinse water off until having water about ¼ inch above the rice.

4.      Put it into a microwave for about 3 minutes.  Check on rice if it is not cooked, turn it with a fork.  Cooked in microwave another 2 minutes or until it’s cooked

5.      Pour coconut mixture into cooked sticky rice, stir until mixture cools rice. Let it set about 30 minutes



sticky rice with coconut mixture before 30 minute



sticky rice after 30 minute



6.      Meanwhile make the coconut topping sauce by mixing coconut with corn starch and salt, stir until it’s mixed well then put it on heat on medium low heat until it boils turn the heat off.

coconut milk topping before the turn the heat

coconut milk topping

7.      Peel mango cut it into bite sizes

8.      In a serving plate put sticky rice on one side and mango on another side drizzling coconut milk topping on top of the sticky rice.















Num Prick Oung : spicy tomato and meat sauce

Original VS spaghetti 

            In Thailand we have a lot of kinds of spicy dip we call them Num Prick.  Thai folk don’t eat dip like snacks in America, but we eat it as a main course with a lot of vegetables, fish and rice.  For Num Prick Oung it is a Northern Thai spicy dip.  I think it is very easy to make and a very good step for the person who wants to try real Thai food in another level from menu in a regular restaurant in America, because it is not too spicy.  For the recipe I got it from my aunt she came from north of Thailand, but since I cannot make the paste like the original, I substitute it with red curry paste to make easier to find the ingredients for me and you.  In the original we serve it with fresh cabbage, fried pork skin “Cap Moo”, sticky rice.  After I know more about western style cooking.  I realize this recipe is almost like pasta sauce.  So I try to serve it with spaghetti as a pasta sauce amm.. it came out pretty good.

Ingredient

2 tbsp.  red curry paste

½ pound ground pork

1 (16 zo) can dice tomato

¼ cup sherry tomato (optional)

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. fish sauce (1/2 tsp. salt)

Cooking instructions

1.      In the mixing bowl mix ground pork, red curry paste and tomato together

2.      In the medium pot add mixture, stir it until cooked

3.      Add sugar and fish sauce stir it until mixed well, keep stirring until it gets thicker (about 7-8 minutes)

How to serve

1.      The original serve with cabbage pork skin and sticky rice just like dip.

2.      For pasta serve over spaghetti just like meat sauce

You try it and tell me which one do you like more… 

Shrimp fried rice : Khaw Pad Kung

            Yesterday I felt very lazy.  Around 4 pm my hubby asked me “Honey! What are we having  tonight?”. Oh my god !!! I forgot to go to the grocery store.  I opened the refrigerator and all I had left over was steamed rice and some eggs, checked in the freezer and got a bag of frozen shrimp (I always have frozen shrimp in my hand).  So the easy menu popped up in my head “fried rice shrimp” my family’s favorite.

            Fried rice is a very common Asian food that you can find in a lot of countries and one of America’s favorite.  In Thailand we have a lot of kinds of fried rice, the regular one with all kinds of meat like chicken, shrimp, pork, crab and seafood.  We also have a difference kind of ingredient in it, some of them have a shrimp paste and some of them have a lot of ingredients in it. (I think we can make everything fried rice almost) but I have to tell you all about those recipes in the future, because today we are going to start with basic fried rice.

            The key of fried rice is you need to use dry cooked rice meaning when you cook rice don’t put too much water in it (you can find how to cook rice in the rice blog), and it would be better if the rice is cold or sat overnight, so the left over rice is the best.  Also another important thing if you cook fried and you want egg in it, you need to cook the egg before you pour rice in with it. 

 That will make your rice look and taste good because if you put the egg after the rice has been fried, the rice will become fried cake rice or soggy rice.  For this recipe there is a little bit of difference from the original Thai food, because I put butter at the end to make the dish smell even better!!!  That’s why this recipe is a modern Thai food recipe.  Now get started cooking!!

Ingredients

½ pound shrimp

2 cups of fried rice

2 eggs

¼ cup diced onion (if you don’t like it leave it out)

1 tbsp.  minced garlic.

 ¼ cup frozen pea and carrot (you can put any kind of vegetable you like)

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

4 tbsp. soy sauce (it’s up to you)

1 tbsp. butter (but If you don’t want it leave it out)

Cooking Instructions

1.      Preheat the large pan at high heat, pour the oil, when the oil gets hot turn back to medium high heat.

2.      Add garlic cook it until golden, add shrimp stir until it cooks then set aside.

3.      Add egg stir it just until it scrambles egg, then add onion stir about a couple times add rice and keep stirring.

4.      Add soy sauce all over the rice, keep stirring it until mixed well (all rice turn into brown color) keep stirring.

5.      Add pea and carrot keep stirring them about 2-3 minute

6.      At the end add butter stir until butter melted all over the rice, Turn the heat off.

7.      For Thai traditional we serve with slice cucumber and lime fish sauce and chili dipping sauce (recipe in Thai Basil stir fried blog), or for my hubby I serve with siracha sauce.