FRIED BEANCURD WITH SWEET CHILLI PEANUT SAUCE

This is a popular Thai street food, crispy deep fried tofu [tao hu tod].  The firm beancurd is deep fried till golden and crispy on all edges and serve with a sweet chilli peanut sauce.  I love fried tofu or firm beancurd and this is especially good with a home cooked sweet chilli sauce.  The peanuts and cilantro enhance further this sauce.  As I do not have cilantro, I made do with spring onions which is also good.

This sweet chilli sauce can be used as a dipping sauce for any other fried food, so it is worthwhile to prepare the whole portion and stored away for later use.  I have omitted the chilli flakes as the sauce is rather spicy and hot.

Honestly, I don’t mind having just this for a light weekend lunch in the comfort of my home.

Recipe adapted from  Hot Thai Kitchen with modifications

Ingredients

3 pieces firm beancurd – quartered and deep fried or pan fried

Enough oil for deep frying or pan frying

Ingredients for SWEET CHILLI PEANUT SAUCE

2 red chillies – cut small pieces [spicy specie]

1-2 large cloves garlic

3 tbsp vinegar, tamarind juice and water

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp palm sugar – chopped

¼ tsp salt

3-4 tbsp coarsely ground toasted peanuts

2 tbsp chopped cilantro or spring onions

1. In a blender, add chillies, garlic, water, vinegar and tamarind.  Blend until there are no big chunks of the ingredients [ not necessarily smooth and fine].  Transfer to a sauce pan, add in sugar, palm sugar, salt.
2. Bring ingredients to boil over low medium heat  for 5 minutes or until slightly thick but not thick [the sauce will thicken a little when cooled].   Taste and adjust seasoning.  When ready to serve, add in peanuts and cilantro or spring onions.
3. For the firm beancurd, deep fry in medium hot oil or pan fry until golden brown or crispy.
4. Dish up on serve platter [I laid the base with some shredded cabbage],  pour sweet chilli sauce on top , sprinkle peanuts and cilantro or serve fried beancurd with sweet chilli sauce as dipping sauce.
   
   
   

STIR FRY TOMYAM STINGRAY

 I have cooked this dish a few times but couldn't decide if I should share it here.  The basic reason is the brand of Tom Yam cube used.  I have tried with different brands but find the 'M' brand a better choice.

This  is a dry tom yam flavoured fish dish.  I recommend to use fish fillet or stingray for this dish.  It is easy to prepare using  Maggi Tom Yam cubes.  As mentioned above, I have tried using other brands but I still prefer using this brand.  For a more spicy version, feel free to add some small chillies as the  Tom Yam cubes are not spicy but the taste is just nice.

You can increase the seasoning [1-2 cubes] if you like this dish a little soupy.

Ingredients

1 piece [300 gm] stingray – cut bite size pieces

1 stalk lemongrass – sliced

1 tomato – sliced

1 big onion – peeled and sliced

5-6 kaffir lime leaves

½ tbsp oil

1 tomyam cube – dissolve in 1 tbsp water

50 ml water [more if you increase the seasoning cube]

1. Heat oil, sauté lemongrass until aromatic. Pour in the tomyam cube mixture.  Bring to boil, then add in the fish pieces.
2. Stir fry to cook, add in chillies, onions, tomatoes, and water.
3. Cover to cook for 2-3 minutes or until fish pieces are cooked.  Remove cover and continue to cook until sauce is reduced.
4. Lastly add in kaffir lime leaves.  Toss well and dish up to serve.

 

THAI GREEN PAPAYA SALAD

Thai Green Papaya Salad aka Som-tum Koong Sod in Thai is a very popular salad in Thai cuisine.

It may look difficult to prepare but in actual it is not so if you are able to separate the salad ingredients well.  The dressing is easy to concoct and the remaining ingredients is not difficult to assemble.  I prepared this salad using a home grown green papaya from my mum’s house.  It is a seedless small papaya, the size is just nice for making this salad.

The salad ingredients are crunchy and the dressing is not overly sourish, sweet or savoury. Appetisingly good to serve with rice.  The prawns can be replaced with crabmeat.
Recipe adapted from Healthy and Easy Thai Cooking [my this month's selected cookbook for Cookbook Countdown Event #10]

Ingredients For The Salad

1 cup green papaya – skinned an shredded

½ cup shredded red carrot

2-3 long beans – cut 1 inch length - smashed

1 tomato – diced or 5 cherry tomatoes – halved

7-8 prawns – boiled

2 tbsp dried prawns – rinsed, fried and pounded

2 tbsp fried crispy peanuts

2 red chilli – seeded and chopped

4 pips garlic – smashed and chopped

Dressing [combined]

2-3 tbsp gula Melaka

2-3 tbsp fish sauce

2-3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp thick tamarind paste

1. Combine dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. Mix shredded papaya, carrots, long beans, tomatoes, chilli, garlic and prawns in a mixing bowl. Mix in dressing, toss well to combine.
3. Lastly add in dried prawns and peanuts.
4. Dish up on serving platter, garnish with extra dried prawns and peanuts.
   
   
   
   

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #10 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

YUM PLA TU-NA [THAI TUNA SALAD]

Thai Tuna Salad aka Yum Pla Tu-na

This is  another simple yet awesome Thai salad with  canned tuna.  The third recipe using canned from this cookbook. 

You may think it is difficult to prepare with a long list of ingredients but in fact most of them are easily available in your home kitchen.  Initially, I didn’t intend to prepare this too when I saw the ingredients.

Anyway, I am glad I went ahead to buy a green mango and a pack of crispy fried peanuts to make this salad.  It is really nice to me and I enjoyed it very much.  The green mango is crunchy and tasty infused with the dressing sauce that is savoury and sourish.
Recipe adapted fromHealthy and Easy Thai Cooking [my this month's selected cookbook for Cookbook Countdown Event #10]

Ingredients

150 gm canned tuna in brine – drained off liquid

1 small green mango – skinned and finely shredded

5-6 shallots – thinly sliced

4 pips garlic – chopped

1 cm young ginger – finely shredded

½ red carrot – finely shredded

3-4 small chilli – finely chopped

Some chopped coriander and spring onions

Some crispy fried peanuts

Dressing Ingredients [combined]

2-3 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp each of sugar and honey

1. Combined the dressing ingredients in a big bowl.
2. Prepare the other ingredients as stated above.  Add in to the dressing sauce.
3. Toss well and dish up to serve.  Garnish with crispy peanuts.
   
   
   

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #10 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

THAI STIR FRY TUNA WITH BASIL LEAVES

Reading through this book, I came across 3 recipes with canned tuna.  It never came across my mind that canned tuna can be used for stir fry and salads [thought it is awesome as filling for baked buns].    The first I tried was Nam-Prik Pla-tu-na [Tuna Salad] which was easy and good.

Thai Stir Fry Tuna With Basil Leaves aka Phad Ka-prow Pla tu-na.  This is the second recipe which I tried.  It is also very easy to prepare yet awesome.  Simple ingredients and seasoning yet this dish is very appetizing with rice.   Do add lots of chopped garlic if you like but I added tomatoes and onions too which you can omit. 

 While preparing this dish, I learned that fresh Basil leaves must not be left to soak in water.  It will turned dark like what you see in the picture.   Just rinse under running water before cooking, this is the advice from my neighbor who gave me these Basil leaves.

Back to this dish, it tasted savoury, sourish and has the refreshing sweet  aroma of the Basil leaves.  Overall this is a nice dish.
Recipe adapted from Healthy and Easy Thai Cooking [my this month's selected cookbook for Cookbook Countdown Event #10]

Ingredients

1 canned tuna in oil – drain away the liquid

2 tbsp chopped garlic

2 tbsp chopped red chilli [I added 2 small green chilli]

1 tomato – cut wedges – optional

1 onion – cut wedges – optional

1 bunch Basil leaves – use the leaves only

1-2 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

Some extra sliced red and green chillies

1. Heat oil in wok, sauté chopped garlic until aromatic and golden.
2. Add in tuna flakes, tomatoes/onions [if using] and chillies,  stir fry to mix.
3. Add in seasoning and 2 tbsp water.  Bring to boil and lastly add in the basil leaves. Toss well and dish up to serve with steaming hot rice.
   
   
   
   
   
   

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #10 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray