Tiger cry!!!

            Tiger cry or “Suer Rong Hai” is the name of this dish. Now you wander what kind of food I am talking about?  Actually it is marinated grilled steak.  This dish is from northeastern (E-sann) Thailand, but why is the name of it so funny.  I heard from my friend that because this grilled steak taste was so good it made a tiger cry, because he wanted to eat it.  That’s what he said, I don’t know how true it is maybe he wanted to joke with me so he made up this story who knows (If you have another theory please let me know)!!!  But one thing I know this dish tastes really good.  For the original recipe actually I have to tell you I don’t really know it, because different restaurants have their own recipe, but the main ingredient of rice powder(grounded toasted rice: recipe in Num Tok)  is always the same.  So one day I wanted to have Tiger cry so bad.  I made it my own recipe and it came out awesome.  Even my hubby loves it, so today I’ll share it with you.  Try it and please let me know what you think about this recipe.

Ingredients

1-2 pound top sirloin

2 tbsp. rice powder

2 tbsp. lime juice

2 tbsp. soy sauce or fish sauce

2 tsp. sugar

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. chili powder (optional you can also use Cajun pepper or chili flack to make it less spicy)

2 tbsp. thin slice green onion.

Cooking instructions

1.      In a ziplock bag mix all ingredients together except steak and mix well.

mixing the marinate

2.      Add steak, massage the meat and let it marinate  1 hour - 12 hours

Marinate steak

3.    At the grill preheat the grill till 375 F grill cook the meat 5 minutes per side for medium rare.  Or for the original cook well done about 7-8 minutes per side.

 Note : usually Thai folk eat our meat well done

4.      Take the stake out of the heat let it sit about 5 minutes for the juice of meat not run when you cut.





5.      Slice stake into bite size serve with Num jim jew (recipe follows)

Num Jim Jew

            Num Jim Jew is Thai E-sann dipping sauce is very common dipping sauce always served with northeastern style grilled food and also very easy too.  In the original recipe use tamarind  for sour component, but if you don’t have it use lime juice and add a dash of sugar to balance the taste.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. tamarind juice or lime juice

2 tbsp. fish sauce

2 tsp. rice powder

1-2 tap. Chili powder

¼ tsp. sugar (if need)

1 tsp. thin slice green onion (garnish)

Cooking instructions

 Very easy mix everything together and it is done!!!

Tiger cry with Dipping sauce

Todd mon kung

            Todd mon kung or Shrimp cake or as my hubby calls shrimp nuggets (He can eat 10 of them easily).  This dish actually is one of the new generations that created this dish (about 10-20 years ago).  It’s very popular in any restaurant in Thailand.  It’s very easy to make and very easy to eat, because it’s not spicy and of course it’s fried food served with sauce called “Num jim bouy” or sweet and sour plum sauce if you cannot find use sweet and sour just like in Chinese food is find.  In the original recipe use the fat of pork in it to make it soft in texture, but for me in America I can’t find it in a regular grocery store.  So I try to use something else to substituted pork fat in order to taste like the original.

Ingredients

1 ½ pound shrimp peeled and deveined.

¼ pound ground pork

¼ cup corn starch (for marinate shrimp)

1 Tsp. corn starch

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Pepper

1 egg white

2 beat egg

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup panko bread crumb

4 cup Oil for deep fried

Sweet and sour plum sauce

Cooking instructions

1.      Marinate shrimp with ¼ cup corn starch about 5-10 minutes then wash it and pad dry

Shrimp after marinate and pad dry

2.      In the food processor put the shrimp into it blend it about 30 seconds.

ground shrimp

3.      Add ground pork mix it about a couple of pulses (food processor).

4.      Add 1 tsp. corn starch, salt, pepper mix it well

5.      Add egg white mix it well



The shrimp mixture



6.      Meanwhile preheat oil until 350 F

7.      Mix all-purpose flour, salt, pepper put in to one plate set aside

8.      Beat 2 egg set aside  and put panko bread crumbs into a separate plate to get ready to be fried

9.      Scoop the shrimp mixture about 2 tbsp. make it into a ball, press it into an all-purpose flour, make flat tick about ¼ inch (in picture) coat with flour on both sides

press shrimp mixture into flour

10.  Dip it into egg and coat into panko bread crumbs again.

after coat with egg and panko

11.  Put it into hot oil fried until golden brown on both sides ( about 2-3 minutes each side)

12.  When it’s done take it out and put it on a paper towel.

13.  Serve with sweet sour plum sauce  

Back to cooking!!! Steamed Fish with salted Chinese plum.

Steamed Fish with Salted Chinese plum

Thai food culture comes from southern Chinese that moved and lived in Thailand a long time ago bringing culture of Chinese foods like soy products and a lot of Chinese cooking techniques to Thailand with them.  Also Indians came with the Buddhist religion bringing curry and coconut milk.  Thai people developed all of those techniques and ingredients together becoming Thai food that become famous all around the world. 

Why do I talk about this story?  Because this dish is a basically from China so you can also find it in some original Chinese restaurants too(not the take out ones).  We call “Pra-Nung-Bouy” this dish is light and delicate.  We steam the fish with the sauce until it is cooked and top with herbs for aroma.  In Thailand I usually use whole fish to make this dish, but in America I made this dish with filet fish.  I use filet fish for 2 reasons 1^st it’s easier to find and 2^nd when I use the whole fish it’s scare American folks (like my husband and his dad).  But if you’re not scared and want to make the dish like the original one I recommended using whole fish, because it is a lot tastier.  Let’s get started (I’m getting hungry)

Ingredients

1 Cleaned whole fish or 2 pieces of filet (Any king of white and mild fish Ex. Tilapia, Grouper, Founder)

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2-3 salted Chinese plum with liquid



salted Chinese plum with liquid



1 tsp. sugar

¼ cup. water

¼ cup green onion cut into 1 inch.

¼ cup ginger

Cooking instructions

1.      In a bowl brake down Chinese plum with liquid add soy sauce, sugar, water and mix well

2.      Lay fish in a baking bowl (picture) top with plum sauce.

3.      Cover with foil, bake at 400 ^o F  until the fish cooked

a.      Whole fish 20-30 minute

b.      Filet fish 4-6 minute per ½ inch thick

 Note: If the fish seem dry add more water

4.      When the fish done add green onion and ginger cover and bake about 1-2 minute.

Microwave Instruction:  Just do everything as above microwave it at high heat for ½ pound of fish for 2-4 minutes, 1 pound of fish 3-5 minutes.