hot & sour pork spare ribs soup

Hot & Sour Pork Spare Ribs Soup : Dtom Sab Kra-dook Moo On - ต้มแซ่บกระดูกหมูอ่อน

A week ago, I had a thought of cooking this dish and today I cooked it for lunch. This hot, sour and richly fragrant soup is absolutely delicious! Its very easy to cook but you need to simmer the spare ribs for hours in order the get them very tender (till melt-in-your-mouth).

Find below my very simple recipe

1 Kilo Pork Spare Ribs

3 Sticks Organic Lemon Grass, roughy sliced

1 Galangal, roughly sliced

3-4 Red Shallot, halved

3-4 Kaffir Lime Leaves, roughly shredded 

2-4 Fresh Organic Red & Green Chillies (Optional)

7-8 Fresh Organic Straw Mushroom, cleaned and halved (Optional)

2 Medium Organic Plump Tomato, quartered (Optional)

Fresh Organic Coriander

Fresh Organic Thai Long-leaf Parsley

Dried Red Chillies, fried and ground

3-4 Tablespoons Fish Sauce

3-4 Tablespoons Lime Juice

Preparation

Set a large pot over medium high heat, add water (you can use the stock but I use water as it will be simmered for hours.) and bring to a boil. Add a dash of sea salt, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, red shallot and lemon grass. Add spare ribs and leave to simmer for an hour or more (till fork tender). 

You can choose to season the whole soup in the pot at once or do each time in an individual serving bowl. I like the latter as you can keep the rest (wich is not yet seasoned with ribs in the fridge) and serve it later the next days. It tastes fresher and tastier to season it each time just before serving. 

Plating : In a serving (deep) bowl, add fish sauce, lime juice and ground dried chillies. Add the hot soup with spare ribs. Stir to mix well and taste if more seasoning is needed. Sprinkle with fresh coriander and Thai long-leaf parsley. Serve hot with a cup of whole grain steamed rice. What a very satisfying dish!

steamed rice topped with chicken in brown gravy

Steamed Rice topped with Chicken in Brown Gravy : Kao Nah Gai - ข้าวหน้าไก่

I started my new job a month ago and my life (time - to be precise!) is changed entirely. I thought this job is going to be easy and fun. Reality hits me hard! The thing is its fun but not as easy as I thought. Now I doubt that I could ever be able to run a restaurant alone. Anyway, I am not a kind of person who gives up on things easily, especially, things that I like. I am going to give it a try for a few years to see how it goes and if I really like it... then I shall decide what I will do with my life next. 

Geez, I have always thought that when we get to do what we love... it will be a happy ending.

Anyway, its my day off today. I got to stay home and I didn't want (too lazy as I am entirely worn out by long-hours-work) to go out and its too hot to handle in Bangkok right now. I cooked something easy for lunch and its delicious. So, I think I should post a recipe on here.

Find below a recipe

300 G. - Skinless Chicken Thigh or Breast (cut into cubes) 

5-6 Fresh or Dried Shiitake Mushrooms, halved (Optional)

2 Tablespoons - Oyster Sauce

1 Tablespoon - Shaoxing Wine 

1 Teaspoon - Black Sweet Soy Sauce 

2 Tablespoons - Soy Sauce

1/2 Teaspoon - Sesame Oil

1/2 Teaspoon - Un-refined Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon - Corn Flour/Tapioca Flour (Optional)

1 Teaspoon - Garlic (finely grated)

A dash of Ground White Pepper Corn

Garnish

Fresh Green Chilies - roughly cut

Fresh Red Chilies - roughly cut

Fresh Coriander 

Fresh Cucumber 

Fried/Boiled Eggs - halved 

Fried Cured Chinese Pork Sausage (Optional)

Preparation

Marinate the chicken cubes with all ingredients and keep in the fridge for 30 mins. Set a saucepan over medium-high heat, add a cup of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add marinated chicken. Stir till the chicken is well cooked and the gravy is thicken. (I personally don't like adding too much corn or tapioca starch into my food. Therefore, my gravy is a much lighter version.) 

Serve hot over steamed rice or whole-grain rice. Sprinkle with lots of green chilies (I like to mix red & green chilies as they give more colour on the plate) and fresh chopped coriander. You can always garnish it with fried egg or boiled egg, sliced fresh cucumber and fried cured pork sausage. I like mine served simple as you can see from the picture shown above. 

northern curry noodle with chicken

Northern (Chiang Mai) Curry Noodle with Chicken : Khao Soi Gai - ข้าวซอยไก่

When I still worked in my old office in January, the new girl who replaced my position brought "Khao Soi" for my lunch. For some reason, it immediately ticked my to do recipes. I mean I have cooked many dishes more than a hundred times but I have never once thought of cooking "Khao Soi" until I that day. Its so delicious and memorable. I have an urge to give it a try. 

Find below a recipe 

3 Tablespoons of Red Curry Paste 

1 Tablespoon of Yellow Curry Powder

1/2 Teaspoon of Turmeric Powder

1 Small Fresh Organic Ginger, peeled & finely grated 

2 Free Range Chicken Thighs  & 2 Free Range Chicken Dumpsticks

1 Pack of Egg Noodles (approximately 400 G/100 G for each - enough for 4 portions)

1 Teaspoon of Black Sweet Soy Sauce (Optional)

2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

A dash of (un-refined) Brown Sugar 

2 Cups of Coconut Milk 

3 Cups of Chicken Stock

Garnish

1 Small pack of Pickled Green Mustard, roughly sliced

4-6 Organic Shallot, sliced 

Fresh Organic Coriander & Spring Onion, roughly chopped

Fried dried-chilies, whole chilies or ground 

Fried Egg Noodles, very crispy (you can simply use wonton wrappers)

Organic Lime Wedges  

Preparation 

Set a large saucepan on medium-high heat, add coconut milk. Wait till the coconut milk is bubbling and aromatic. Add red curry paste, stir to mix well. Later add yellow curry powder, turmeric powder and grated ginger. Keep stirring to mix everything well. Add chicken, tossing now and then to cook it evenly and to mix it with the curry paste and later add chicken stock. (You can always add Beef instead of Chicken but the beef will take longer time to cook.) Leave to cook for 20 mins or until the chicken is cooked through. Season with soy sauce and brown sugar. Taste if more seasoning is needed.

Cook the egg noodle as instructed on the package. Remove into cold water and drain. 

Plating : In a serving noodle bowl, lay chicken bits on top of a bed of cooked egg noodle. Spoon lots of curry soup over the chicken and noodle. Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and spring onion. Serve hot and garnish with crispy fried-noodle nests, a few pieces of fried dried-chilies, sliced shallots, pickled green mustard & lime wedges. Squeeze the lime wedges (to taste) over the noodle soup before eating, the lime juice really helps to bring out the flavour in the curry soup (like yellow lemon does in many Italian dishes). Absolutely delicious!

Serve : 2-4 

fried-rice with fermented pork sausage

Fried-rice with Fermented Pork Sausage : Kao Phad Neam - ข้าวผัดแหนม

I got so lucky. I got paid to be home for the past 2 weeks! I really enjoyed my mini break. This was the reason why I had time to post more recipes lately and I hope to be able to do a lot more this year. 

I felt like January was a very good & fresh start for me as, unexpectedly, many good things keep happening. It seems to me that my life is gradually getting back on track. If things work as the way I have planed. In the next 2 years, I will be moving to London and open my own restaurant! (keep my fingers crossed). 

Anyway, back to the recipe, last week, I craved for fermented pork sausage and I cooked this dish for lunch. Its very easy and delicious. I mean its boring to eat the same old fried-rice for lunch all the time - you know what I mean... 

Find below a recipe

1 medium stick (180g.) of Fermented Pork Sausage (make sure to get a good or high quality one - mainly for a hygienic reason.), sliced/chopped roughly into small pieces

2-3 organic Eggs 

1-2 cups of Steamed Rice (white or whole-grain - I prefer whole-grain rice.)

2-3 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped 

2 tablespoons of Cooking Oil (I prefer Extra light & mild Olive Oil - I think its healthy!)

2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 tablespoons of Seasoning Sauce

1 tablespoon of Oyster Sauce (Optional)

A dash of un-refined (brown) Sugar 

1 medium Onion, roughly chopped (Optional)

1 medium organic Plum Tomato, sliced (Optional)

1-2 organic Red Chilies, sliced (Optional) 

Garnish 

Roasted Peanuts (Optional)

Organic fresh Ginger, thinly julienned (Optional)

A handful of fresh organic Coriander and Spring Onion, roughly chopped

Fresh organic Cucumber, sliced (I prefer Japanese Cucumber as its more crunchy.)

Organic Lime, cut into wedges

Preparation

Set a wok over medium-high heat, wait till hot but not too hot. Add cooking oil and chopped garlic and fry till aromatic. Add fermented pork sausage, red chilies and egg, stir-fry a few times and leave till almost set. Add steamed rice, stir-fry very quickly. Add soy sauce, seasoning sauce and a dash of sugar. Taste if more seasoning if needed. Removed into a serving plate. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and spring onion. Served with roasted peanuts, ginger, fresh cucumber and a few of lime wedges. How easy!

spicy vermicelli salad

Spicy Vermicelli Salad : Yum Woonsen - ยำวุ้นเส้น (ใส่กุ้ง ปลาหมึก หมูสับ)

I have been craving for "Yum Woonsen" for weeks but I was kept very busy with work after New Year. Luckily, this week, I am told to take a short break again. I am not sure if this is supposed to be a good thing as it sounds too good to be true and (I seriously think) it probably is... Anyhow, I am glad that I get to be home and get to cook this spicy vermicelli salad.. Its very delicious and I am totally satisfied. 

Please find below a recipe

4-6 King Tiger Prawns, cleaned and deviened 

1 medium Squid, cleaned and cut into rings 

1 cup minced free-range Pork

1 Medium Organic Onion, sliced 

A handful of organic Chinese Celery, cut 

2 medium organic Plum Tomatoes, sliced 

A handful of organic Spring Onion & Coriander Leaves, cut 

1 Small pack of Glass Noodle/Vermicelli (approx. 100 G.), cut and soaked in water

Roasted Peanuts/Cashewnuts (Optional)

Spicy Chillie & Lime Dressing 

4-6 Bird-eys Chillie, roughly chopped 

4 Tablespoons Lime Juice

3-4 Tablespoons Premium Quality Fish Sauce

A dash of Un-refined Brown Sugar 

A few of Coriander Roots, cleaned 

Preparation

Add all ingredients of dressing into a blender. Press a button briefly and there you have it. (Make sure that you don't blend the dressing too long as we don't want it too smooth/fine.) Set one side. 

Set a large sauce pan over medium-hight heat, add water and bring to a boil. Add minced pork, wait till almost cooked through, then add prawns and squid, leave to cook for a few mins and lastly add vermicelli. Remove everything into cold water to stop them from being cooked. (We don't want to over cook prawns and squid.) Strain the water and keep one side. (You can cook them separately ; one by one for each ingredient but to save time and energy, I cook them all at once as I know how to cook them nicely at the same time.)

In a large salad bowl, add all vegetables, cooked minced pork, prawns, squid and vermicelli. Drizzle with lots of dressing. Toss to mix everything well. Taste if more dressing is needed. Remove into a serving plate, sprinkle with roasted peanuts or cashewnuts. Serve immediately. (You can either serve it alone or with a cup of steamed rice.)