Thai Cooking Class
RED CURRY PASTE
Dry:
4 dry red chillies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Fresh:
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoon galangal
4 kaffir lime leaves
6” lemon grass
1 shallot
4 garlic cloves
4 corriander stems
2 teaspoon miso/shrimp paste
1 red pepper
½ lime juice
1. Soak the chillis for 20 mins, separate the seeds.
2. In pestle and mortar crush the dry ingredients
3. Add everything to a food processor and blend to a paste
THAI FISH CAKES – makes 6
Dipping sauce:
60 mls rice vinegar
60 mls white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ cucumber
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts (optional)
Fresh coriander (garnish)
1. Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a pan and heat until dissolved.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients.
Fish cakes:
125g fish eg cod
2 tablespoons curry paste
3 green beans finely sliced
2 l kaffir lime leaves – centre stalks removed, finely sliced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup Thai basil
1. Break up fish with hands (or blend in food processor).
2. Transfer to bowl and mix well with curry paste, beans, lime leaves, and fish sauce.
3. Heat the oil in a wok and cook the lime leave until dark brown, drain on paper towel.
4. Using wet hands and shape the fish cakes, and deep fry in the oil, until golden. Drain on paper towel.
5. Serve with the dipping sauce, and topped with the crispy basil leaves.
6. Can be served either warm or at room temperature.
NOTES: can be served as an appertiser, or with some rice as a main meal.
Can switch the fish for chicken or prawns. Can switch green beans for carrots or sweet corn.
PAD THAI – prawn and chicken
Sauce:
2 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoon tamarind (or paste) mix with hot water, and drain.
2 tablespoon white sugar
1 x Rice Noodles 100g
Vegetable oil
2 shallots
5 prawns raw
1 egg, cracked and in a bowl
50g chicken fillet
Fresh chives chopped
Small handful beansprouts
1 tablespoon chopped roasted peanuts (to serve)
Limes wedges to serve
Fresh coriander to serve
Chilli flakes to serve
1. soak the noodles in cold water – minimum 30 minutes
2. make the sauce by mixing the fish sauce, tamarind, and sugar together
3. Toast the nuts in the pan, remove
4. Cook the chicken and dice it, remove
5. Have all the ingredients ready.
6. Heat the oil and cook the onion, add the prawns until half cooked, shift to the side of the wok,
7. Add the egg cook until lightly cooked
8. Add the noodles and sauce, stir all together until all coated, add more liquid if needed so the noodles are softened.
9. Chuck in the beansprouts, ½ nuts, and chives and serve immediately with the lime wedges, and coriander, and a sprinkling of nuts on top.
TOM YUM
Shrimp raw, in shell
1.5 litres water
4 lemon grass smashed
8 kaffir lime leaves
1” galangal smashed
4 garlic cloves
2 shallots – smashed
8 mushrooms sliced
4 tomatoes
4 chillies
1 teaspoon salt
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoon lime juice
Coriander
Lime juice
1. Make stock – pan fry the shrimp shells and heads, add the water, lemon grass, lime leaves, galangal, garlic cloves, shallots leave to simmer for 1 ish hours.
2. Drain, and add the mushrooms, tomatoes, chillie, salt, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice, when mushrooms are nearly cooked, add the prawns. Ready in 2-4 minutes.
3. Serve with more chilli, squeeze of lime juice and fresh coriander
TOM YUM PLA – FISH SOUP
3 x small sea bass filleted – separate heads and bones
4 cups water
2 shallots
3 corriander roots 1
2 cloves garlic smashed
1 lemon grass
Dried chillies to taste
Soup:
1 x lemon grass 2
1 inch piece galangal
3 torn kaffir lime leaves
2 tbsp fish sauce 3
1 tsp sugar
150g mushrooms
3 tomatoes v – 1/4d
Fish meat from x 3 sea bass
2 limes 4
Pinch of salt to taste
Fresh coriander to serve
1. Make the stock with the above (bones and head only) on the hob, simmer and remove scum from the top
2. Drain the stock and bring to a simmer with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves – simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the fish sauce, sugar, mushrooms tomatoes and finally the fish meat.
4. Once the fish is cooked, add lime juice, and taste to adjust seasoning
5. Top with fresh coriander.