Thai- Chinese noodle Stir fried : pad mee-suar

                2 weeks ago was the start of Thai-Chinese vegetarian festival call “Kin Jea” (I already talked about this in mung bean stir fried blog) that inspired me to make this menu.  This egg noodle stir fried is very popular in this festival, because it is tasty and fuels you up.  In Thailand we use this special kind of thin long egg noodle called Mee-Suar cooked in boiling water (you can also use angel hair pasta) then stir fried it with vegetables like cabbage, carrot and dried shitake mushroom.  In this case you can use ready to use coleslaw mix that will work too.  If you can’t find dried shitake mushroom you can use any kind of mushroom instead, but the best one is dried Shitake mushroom of course (Why dried not fresh shitake mushroom, because the dried one has more umami taste than the fresh one).  Now let’s get start cooking.

Ingredients

8 oz. thin long egg noodle or angel hair pasta

3 cup thin sliced cabbage and shredded carrot /or ready to use coleslaw

1 celery stock sliced thin

4-5 dried shitake mushrooms

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tbsp. pepper

Cooking instructions

1.       Add noodle into boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes for egg noodles or follow directions to cook for angel hair pasta then drained and set aside.

2.       Rehydrate dried shitake mushroom by soaking them in warm water for about 4-5 minutes or until it becomes soft then cut it into strips.

3.       Preheat the large pan or wok in high heat add oil, when the oil is hot add shitake mushrooms and stir it about 30 seconds then add vegetables and stir it about 1 minute then add cooked egg noodle, soy sauce and pepper.  Keep stirring about 3-5 minutes, then turn the heat off.

4.       Serve as a main dish or as a side dish.

Custard in the Pumpkin

                Finally my favorite season fall is here.  The weather and the atmosphere of it makes me feel like I’m in heaven.. also coming with fall are pumpkins.  Just in case you want to try something different from pumpkin pie.  You should try this recipe.

In Thailand we have not too many kinds of pumpkins like in America.  I found out later that Pumpkin in Thailand is more like squash in America.  So today I wanted to make a Thai dessert called “Custard pumpkin” by using 2 types of pumpkin or squash.  One is called Carnival squash and the pumpkin is called Jack Be Little.  Why I picked these 2 are because they are little, cute and also they come out tasting almost like Thai pumpkin, so I just decided to take the inside of it off and add Thai coconut custard into it and steam it.  We serve this dish cold, so let’s get started cooking!!

Ingredients

4 Carnival squash or Jack Be Little pumpkin

4 eggs

½ cup + 2tbsp. coconut cream

½ cup of brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla or pandan extract

Note : Pandan is the plant that grows in Thailand and we use it in Thai food to flavor the food.  You can find the extract in a Thai grocery.

Cooking instructions

1.       Wash all of the pumpkins and take all of the inside out and wash well then let dry.

2.       In the mixing bowl beat coconut cream, brown sugar, egg and pandan extract together until the sugar dissolves.

3.       Strain the mixture with strainer then fill up the custard mixture into the pumpkin until it is full.  Then put the pumpkin into a bowl.

4.       The put the pumpkin with custard into the steamer and steam it about 20-30 minutes or until you can put the knife into the custard and it comes out clean.

5.       Let it cool, then put it in the refrigerator and sever it when it is cold.

Rice pudding with corn

                Today I got beautiful fresh corn that’s in season from my supermarket.   I decided to make another Thai dessert called Khaw Neaw Pake Khaw pod which means sticky rice pudding with corn.  This is a very easy dessert that you can make from your home.  This dish is one dessert that you can find from street food venders in Thailand.  The combination between the sweetness of sugar and a bite of sweet corn and the saltiness from coconut cream topping that makes this dish interesting!!!

Ingredients : 4 servings

¼ cup uncooked sticky rice

1 ¾ cup water

6 tbsp. sugar

1 fresh corn about ½  cup

 1 tsp. corn starch

¾ cup coconut milk

½ tsp. salt

Cooking instructions

1.       Add water and sticky rice into a pot and cook in medium heat about 15 minutes then stir occasionally or until the rice is cooked.

2.       Add corn and sugar and stir it until mixed well then turn the heat off.

3.       In another sauce pan add coconut cream, 1 tsp. cornstarch and salt.  Stir it until mixed well. Turn the heat on and bring it to a boil then turn the heat off.

4.       Serve it by putting the sticky rice into a bowl first, then top with 3 tsp. coconut cream mixture. You can serve hot or at room temperature.

 

Ka-Noom Som-Ma-Nus : Thai coconut Meringue

In the last blog I told you about my obsession about cooking.  Since I already made med-kha- noon that uses egg yolk and I have egg whites left over what can I do!!!  Of course Thai people in the past have never thrown anything away and they use it to make this Thai dessert  called “ Ka-noom Som ma nus” it means happy dessert

In the past most of the Thai desserts will have coconut milk, rice and sugar but we don’t use eggs in the ingredients until western cooking came to Thailand around the Ayutthaya period the reign of King Narai (1656-1688).  Marie Guimar, a foreign lady who introduced several exotic desserts to Siam(Thailand’s old name).  She brought several desserts from Portugal with egg and sugar as the main ingredients, and this dessert is one of them.  So this dessert has a very long story and it came from a long time ago and it was hard to find it in the present Thailand and believe it or not  a lot of Thai people don’t know this dessert exists!!!

Ingredients

¼ cup egg white

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 cup shredded coconut

 1 tsp. cocoa powder

 Cooking instructions

1.       Toast coconut in the oven at 250 F about 30 minutes or until brown.

2.       Spray oil into the baking sheet.

3.       Pour egg white into the mixing add cream of tartar.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed till soft peak form (tips curl).  Add sugar, 1 tbsp. at the time, beat about 7 minutes on high speed till stiff peaks form( tips stand straight up)

4.       Add cocoa powder and toast coconut, use spatula and fold until mixed well

5.       Use spoon scoop the meringue out of the bowl and with another spoon scoop out to a plate into a prepared backing sheet.  Make the space about 1 inch.

6.       Bake in a 250 F for 50-60 minutes, turn off the oven and let it sit for hour in the oven

7.       Serve with tea or coffee, leftovers put in to tight container.

I love this dessert!!!