♥︎Thai whitefish with lemongrass & fish sauce

For ➍

1 stalk of lemongrass

500 g white fish fillets (e.g. cod)

2 tbs sunflower or other vegetable oil

1.5 tbs fish sauce

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 red chilli pepper, without seeds & chopped

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

freshly ground black pepper

pak choi*

rice

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Remove the outer hard leaves from the lemongrass. Chop the white part and discard the rest.

Place the fish, skin side down, in a shallow baking dish or roasting pan. Mix 1 tbs of the oil with the fish sauce, the shallot, the chilli and the lemongrass, season with pepper and pour evenly over the fish, so that it gets a nice layer of sauce. Bake the fish in the oven for 15 to 20-25 m, or until done.

Just before the fish is ready, heat the rest of the oil in a small frying pan. Add the garlic and fry slowly and at a lower temperature/4-5/ golden brown without burning. If necessary, add some water or cooking liquid from the pak choi.

Pour the hot oil with garlic over the cooked fish and serve immediately.

Serve the fish with rice and green vegetables, such as spinach or pak choy.

*Cut the pak choi into green and white pieces. Wok the white, harder, pieces for 3-5 m. Add the green parts and wok for another 1-3 m.

Thai fish soup

For ➍
1 tbs cooking oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 ts fresh ginger, grated
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
½ red chilli pepper, sliced (optional)
1 stalk lemongrass, bottom stalk only, bruised (substitute with peel of lemon or lime)*
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn (substitute with peel of lemon or lime)*
40 cl can coconut milk
2 dl vegetable broth
juice of ½ lime
1 tbs fish sauce
175 g shrimps, peeled & deveined
220 g salmon, cut into 2.5 cm chunks
assorted vegetables, such as spinach, snow peas, kale, tomatoes, bell pepper, etc.
1 tbs minced cilantro/coriander

In a wok or soup pot over medium high heat, add cooking oil and swirl to coat. When hot, add in the garlic, ginger, red onion, chilli pepper, lemongrass, kaffir and gently cook for about 2 m to release the aromas and flavors.
Pour in the coconut milk and broth and let simmer for 15 m. Remove the lemongrass, kaffir (or the lemon/lime peel if using)* and discard. Season broth with fish sauce and lime juice to taste.
Add shrimp, salmon, vegetables and cilantro. Cook for 3-4 m or until the shrimp and salmon is cooked through.
Add 250 g cooked dried rice noodles to turn the soup into a light dish.

*When substituting with the peel of a lemon or lime, use a vegetable peeler to get thin strips of peel  and give each strip a good bruising or twist to release the oils.
**Eventually, add some fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges.

Slow cooker chicken pumpkin curry

For ➍
40 cl coconut milk
2 tbs Thai red curry paste
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs soy sauce (or tamari)
1 tbs brown sugar
450 g sugar pie pumpkin (cubed)
600 g boneless skinless chicken breast
1 ts salt
1 red bell pepper, sliced
700 g baby spinach, fresh
1 lime, juiced
steamed rice
lime wedges
coriander
cashews, toasted

In the bowl of your slow cooker, stir the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Add the pumpkin and chicken. Nestle the pumpkin and chicken until it is submerged in the liquid. Cook on low for 8 h or high for 4 h. Switch the cooker to high if it’s not already, and transfer the chicken to a bowl. Season the liquid with salt. Add the spinach and bell peppers to the top of the liquid. Use two forks to shred the chicken (it will shred very easily) and return to the cooker. Cook the curry for 10-15 m longer, until the spinach is cooked and beginning to wilt. Add the juice of 1 lime. Serve over steamed rice with extra lime, cilantro and cashews.

Read tip on slow cooking.

Thai vegetables curry @ wok

For ➍
350 g broccoli & cauliflower
250 g green beans, broken
2 ts Thai curry powder (or curry paste)
40 cl coconut milk
180 g tofu, cubed
300 g rice
2 onions, diced

Boil rice.
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a wok. Bake tou for 1 m on high heat. Discard from wok.
Add 1 tbs of olive oil. Fry onions for 1 m.
Stir-fry broccoli,cauliflower and green beans for 2 m.
Add curry powder and coconut milk.
Lowerheat and cook vegetables for 6 m.
Add tofu.
Season. Serve with rice.

Pad kra pao gai (Thai holy basil chicken)

For ➊*
for the egg: *
1 egg
2 tbs oil for frying
for the chicken:**
1 chicken breast (or any other cut of boneless chicken, about 200 g)**
5 cloves of garlic
4 Thai chillies
1 tbs oil for frying
1 ts of oyster sauce
½ ts light soy sauce
½ ts sugar
1 splash dark soy sauce
1 handful Thai holy basil leaves

Prepare your rice as usual.
Heat about 2 tbs of vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan on high-medium heat. When the oil is hot and sizzling, drop in the egg. Let it sizzle and bubble up, and at the same time, splash some of the hot oil onto the top of the egg. Don't flip the egg.
After the egg looks about right, take it out, drain the excess oil, and put it on a plate for later.*
Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces.
Rinse and peel the garlic and chilies, and pound them in a mortar and pestle (alternatively you can just mince them with a knife). They don't need to be super fine, you just want to bring out the oils and flavors from the garlic and chilies.
Pluck a good sized handful of holy basil leaves off the stems.
Heat your wok on high heat, and add about 1 tbs of oil to the pan.
When the oil is hot, add the chillies and garlic. Stir fry them for about 20 s or so until they get really fragrant, but don't let them burn or get too dry.
Toss in your chicken. Keep stir frying continuously. At this stage you want to continue to stir and cook your chicken until it's just about fully cooked all the way through (depending on the size pieces of chicken and how hot your fire is, it should take about 2-3 m). If it starts to get dry, add just a tiny splash of water.
Add 1 ts of oyster sauce, ½ teaspoon light soy sauce, ½ teaspoon sugar, and finally a splash of dark soy sauce. Keep stir frying for about another 30 seconds.
Grab a handful of holy basil, toss it into the pan, fold it into the chicken, and then immediately turn off the heat.[On an electric stove, remove the pan from the burner]. The holy basil really only needs to cook for about 5 s, and it will continue to wilt and cook from the existing heat of the chicken. This step is important because if you cook the basil for too long, it loses some of its glorious flavor and gets slightly chewy.
Serve with the rice.

*You can leave the egg side-dish out.
**Prepare with pork or beef.

Holy basil has been revered for its medicinal value throughout India for thousands of years. Ayurvedic texts describe holy basil as a pillar of holistic herbal medicine. The leaves smell of peppermint, cloves, licorice and/or lemon. Holy basil is believed to be helpful when fighting stress.

Pad krapow gai (Thai basil chicken)

For ➊-➋
250 g skin-on chicken thigh
2 ts oyster sauce
1 ts dark soy sauce
½ ts sugar
2 tbs vegetable oil
9 g garlic (1 very large clove), roughly chopped
5 g Thai chilli peppers (2 peppers), roughly chopped *
1 large egg 20 grams
holy basil

Remove the skin and any fat from the thighs and chop into small pieces and set aside.
Cut the thigh meat into 1 cm pieces.
Measure out the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar into a small bowl so that it's ready to add to the stir fry.
Prepare 2 frying pans, 1 for the egg and 1 for the chicken.
Put the chicken skin and fat into one pan and 2 tbs of vegetable oil into the other.
For the pan with the chicken skin, turn the heat onto medium-high and render out the fat, stirring from time to time to prevent burning.
When the chicken skin is browned and starting to crisp, turn up the heat to high and then add the garlic and chili peppers and saute until fragrant (about 30 s).
Meanwhile, turn the second burner onto high heat and heat until the oil is shimmering and hot.
Add the chicken to the first pan with the garlic and chili peppers and stir fry until the chicken is cooked through.
Break an egg into the second pan and fry, spooning some oil onto the egg to help cook the top surface from time to time.
Add the sauce mix to the chicken and continue stir-frying until the sauce coats the chicken evenly. Turn off the heat and toss the holy basil together with the chicken on the plate immediately.
Top your pad krapow gai with the the fried egg.

*: 2 Thai chillies will make this basil chicken fairly spicy, if you don't like a lot of heat, either cut back on the chillies, or smash (but don't chop) them so you can pick them out after cooking. If you want to make this crazy spicy, just add more chillies.

Mild red fish curry

For ➍
jar of Panang curry paste*
1 can coconut milk
a handful shallots, chopped
3 sturdy carrots, in pieces
3 sweet potatoes, unpeeled
a red pepper
500 g cod fillet
fish sauce
coriander
basil
parsley

Shred a mixture of herbs (coriander, basil, parsley...)
Bake the sweet potatoes in their skins in the oven at 180°C for 3 m or until the skin comes off. Peel off the skins. Set aside to cool.
Allow plenty peanut oil to fry the shallots in, along with the raw carrots. When the shallots are translucent, then add the whole jar of curry paste. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 20 m until the carrots are tender. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water.
Meanwhile cut the red pepper into pieces and fry separately on a high heat. The pieces should remain crunchy and may be slightly burnt on the edge.
Pour the saus with carrots and shallots in an oven-safe bowl.
Cut the cooled sweet potatoes into wedges and arrange them in the bowl. Cut and add the fried peppers. Cut the cod into wedges and add.
Season to taste with fish sauce (or salt) and pepper. Leave the bowl in the oven for 15 m at 180°C (or until fish is cooked).
Spoon onto plates with rice and sprinkle generously with the fresh herbs. Drizzle, if necessary, some lime juice over it.

*Make it yourself. Or use a green curry paste.

Panang curry paste

For ➍
1 tbs galangal (or ginger) , peeled & chopped
2 tbs lemongrass, sliced thin
6 kaffir lime leaves, chopped *
2 tbs peeled and chopped coriander root
1 ts salt
2 tbs black peppercorns, crushed
2 shallots, sliced thin
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ts fermented shrimp paste
1 tbs coriander seeds, toasted
½ ts cumin seeds, toasted
4 pieces of mace, toasted
2 cardamom pods, toasted
4 big green peppers, toasted
10 big red dried chillies, reconstituted in water for 10 m

Pound all the ingredients together, incorporating them one at a time in a large mortar and pounding with a pestle until the paste is smooth.
Alternately, use a food processor or blender. Keep in mind that the best flavor comes from pounding all the ingredients in a mortar as the food processor oxidizes the ingredients creating a muddy flavor. It is well worth the energy of clunking the pestle. The paste will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Use 3-4 tbs of the panang curry paste in your curry depending on how spicy you like it.

*Use grated lime peel instead.

This batch curry paste recipe represents the Indian influences of southern Thailand utilizing plenty of dry spices. Use in a mild fish curry.

Kaeng paa moo (jungle curry)

For ➍
5 kaffir lime leaves (frozen, fresh or dried)*
½ chicken stock cube, dissolved in 30 cl just-boiled water
275 g long-grain or basmati rice
2 tbs sunflower oil
2 chicken breasts, boned, skinned, cut into small pieces**
1 large red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into 2 cm chunks
200 g fine green beans, trimmed, halved lengthways
200 g baby sweetcorn, trimmed, halved diagonally
2 tbs Thai red curry paste***
1 tbs Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 ts cornflour
50 g fresh spinach leaves
large handful fresh basil leaves (optional)

Stir the lime leaves in to the stock and set aside to infuse.
Meanwhile, half-fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the rice, stir well and return to the boil, then cook according to the packet instructions.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add the chicken, red pepper, green beans and baby sweetcorn and stir-fry for 2-3 m.
Add the curry paste and cook for a further 1-2 m.
Add the stock, lime leaves and fish sauce, bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.
In a small bowl, whisk the cornflour with 1 tbs cold water to form a smooth paste. Whisk into the curry and continue to simmer for 4-5 m, or until the curry sauce has thickened slightly.
Stir in the spinach and continue to simmer until just wilted. Stir in the basil leaves just before serving. Discard the lime leaves.
To serve, drain the rice and spoon it onto serving plates. Top each portion with a ladleful of the curry.

*Use grated lime peel instead.
*Use 500 g pork tenderloin, cut into thin (5 mm) medallions instead.
***This is a toned down version of the original Thai curry, using a curry paste instead of fresh herbs.

Grilled lemongrass chicken

For ➋-➍
4-6 chicken thighs, skin on or off
2 stalks lemongrass
40 g onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
juice of ½ lime
2 fresh red chilies, minced, (or ½ ts chili flakes, to taste)
3 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
2+½ tbs brown sugar

Use a food processor for this recipe.
Cut off the bulb end of each lemongrass stalk, then slice up the rest. Toss out the upper stem. Pulse to create a fragrant, watery-like paste.
Open up the chicken thighs and lay flat, preferably in a flat baking-type dish. Pour the paste over chicken, turning the pieces to get each one saturated. Use a spoon to spoon the herbs onto the tops of the chicken. Cover and marinate preferably 2-6 h.
Brush a hot grill with a little vegetable oil, then grill chicken to well done.
Plate up the chicken with a nice portion of Thai jasmine rice. And a side dish like green papaya salad.

Som tam (Thai green papaya salad)

For ➍
200 g green (unripe) papaya, peeled & grated into thin strips
2 cloves of garlic
2 to 5 small chili peppers
2 Thai eggplant into slices
2 tbs dried shrimp
3 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs lime juice
1 tsp palm sugar
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tbs peanuts, unsalted, roasted

Mash the garlic, chillies and long beans and Thai eggplant in a mortar. Add the grated papaya, and stamp it with the other ingredients.
Add the dried shrimp, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar and stir well to the sugar has melted.
Add tomato and stir again to. Add the roasted peanuts.

Pad hed eryngii kap koong (eryngii with prawns @ wok)

For ➍
450 g fresh prawns
150 g eryngii mushrooms*
75 g scallions, cut in 5 cm pieces
2 tbs vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
pitch of pepper

Clean eryngii mushroom or wipe the mushrooms with wet clean cloth if there is not much dirt and cut into site bite.
Clean and remove the prawns shell but leave the tails for good appearance.
Then cut open the back of each shrimp to remove the veins.
Heat oil in wok over high heat. Wait until the oil is smoky, and then add minced garlic and prawns for fry until turn to pink.
Add mushroom, oyster sauce, soy sauce and water and all ingredients in the wok.
Stir quickly for 2-3 m, then turn down the heat.
Transfer to a serving place. Sprinkle with spring onion and pepper.
Serve immediately with hot steamed rice.

*Use oyster mushrooms instead.

Thai bananas in coconut milk

For ➋
3 bananas
20 cl coconut milk
1 tbs granulated sugar
a pinch of salt

Peel the bananas and chop into 5 cm segments.
Heat the coconut milk with the sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves.
Add the banana pieces and cook gently for 5 m.
Divide the mixture into small bowls.

Thai green curry chicken

For ➋-➌
700 g boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into (rather small) chunks
1 can coconut milk
4 kaffir lime leaves (or 1 ts grated lime zest)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise several times, then cut into chunks
generous handful fresh basil
2 tbs coconut oil or other vegetable oil
green curry paste

Prepare the lime leaves by tearing the leaf away from either side of the stem. Discard the central stem. Then, using scissors, cut leaves into thin strips. Set aside.
Warm a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl around, then add the green curry paste.
Stir-fry briefly to release the fragrance (30 s to 1 m), then add ¾ of the coconut milk, reserving 2-3 tbs per serving portion for later.
Add the chicken, stirring to incorporate. When the curry sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium or medium-low, until you get a nice simmer.
Cover and allow to simmer 3-5 more m, or until chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally.
Add the red bell pepper and zucchini, plus the strips of lime leaf (or lime zest), stirring well to incorporate. Simmer another 2-3 m, or until vegetables are softened but still firm and colorful.
Do a taste-test for salt, adding 1-2 tbs fish sauce if not salty enough. If you'd prefer a sweeter curry, add a little more sugar. If too salty, add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk. Note that this curry should be a balance of salty, spicy, sweet and sour, plus bitter (the bitter is found in the fresh basil garnish).
Serve in bowls with Thai jasmine rice on the side. Top each portion with fresh basil, then drizzle over 2-3 tbs coconut milk.

Green curry is a typical Thai curry, made with coconut milk.

Green curry paste

For ➋-➌
4 small green Thai chillies  (or 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers)
4 tbs shallot, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger), grated
1 stalk fresh minced lemongrass (or 3 tbs frozen or bottled prepared lemongrass)
½ ts ground coriander
½ ts ground cumin
¾-1 ts shrimp paste
15 tbs fresh coriander/cilantro leaves & stems, chopped
½ ts ground white pepper
3 tbs fish sauce
1 ts brown sugar
2 tbs lime juice
coconut milk

Place all the  ingredients together in a food processor, and process to a paste. If necessary, add a few tbs of coconut milk to help blend ingredients.
Set aside.
Use for instance for chicken curry.

Coconut & lemongrass chilli chicken

For ➍
3 plump stalks lemongrass
50 g fresh ginger
2 hot red chillies
2 cloves garlic
a bunch coriander
2 limes
2 tbs groundnut oil
200 g tomatoes
2 tbs fish sauce (nam plah)
2 tbs dark soy sauce
8 chicken thighs
40 cl coconut milk
8 apricots, halved

Peel and discard the outer leaves of the lemongrass. Cut the inner leaves into short lengths and put in the food processor. Peel the ginger, then slice into thin pieces and add to the lemongrass.
Chop the chillies, discarding their stems and add to the ginger with the peeled garlic.
Roughly chop the stems and half of the leaves of the coriander to add to the food processor, reserving the rest for later.
Grate the lime zest into the food processor, reserving the limes for later, then turn the machine on and let it chop everything to a coarse paste. Add a little groundnut oil and scrape the sides down with a spatula if it sticks.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce and the tomatoes and process for a few s longer.
Warm a further tbs of groundnut oil in a deep pan over a moderate to high heat and use it to brown the chicken pieces, turning them so they colour nicely on both sides.
Lift the chicken pieces out and pour away anything more than 1 tbs of oil and juices.
Add the spice paste and let it fry over a moderate heat for 2 m till fragrant, stirring almost constantly, then return the chicken to the pan.
Pour over the coconut milk, stir, cover and leave to simmer over a low heat for 15-20 m.
Meanwhile halve and stone the apricots.
Test the chicken for doneness. Add the apricots. Leave to simmer for a few m, then add the juice of the limes and the reserved coriander leaves.
Serve with aromatic rice.

Sour pork & pepper @ wok

For ➋
100 g Thai jasmine rice
1 tbs sesame seeds
1 ts sunflower oil
250 g pork fillets, cut into finger-width strips
1 red & 1 yellow pepper, deseeded & sliced
2 ts cornflour
2 ts soy sauce
juice 1 lime
½-1 tbs clear honey
½ red chilli, sliced

Place the rice in a saucepan with 30 cl boiling water. Bring to the boil, stir once, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 mns, by which time the rice should have absorbed all the liquid and be perfectly cooked. 
Dry-fry the sesame seeds until toasted golden, then tip into a small bowl and set aside.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan or wok, add the pork and peppers and stir-fry for 5-6 m over a high heat until the pork is lightly browned and cooked through. Mix the cornflour and soy sauce together in a bowl, then add the lime juice, honey, chilli and sesame seeds, plus 6 tbs cold water. Pour into the wok and cook until the sauce has slightly thickened, tossing the pan to coat the pork and peppers.
Serve with the rice.

Yam nua (Thai beef salad)

For ➋
350 g beef
salt & pepper
½ lettuce (iceberg)
2 tomatoes, cubed (or halved cherry tomatoes)
1 cucumber, quartered & seeded, thinly sliced
(Asian noodles for ➋)

Heat the pan. Grill the beef in the pan until done, but still rosy inside. Rub with salt & pepper.
Cut the beef into thin slices. Put on a plate and put in the freezer to cool (it should NOT be frozen).
Prepare cucumber and tomatoes. Tear the lettuce in to small pieces. Put into 2 bowls or on 2 plates.
Cook the noodles. When ready, rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking.
Meanwhile, make the Thai cold sauce. Put the chopped onions and pepper, the pressed garlic in a mortar. Grind. Add 6 tbs of fish sauce, 8 tbs of lime juice and 5 tbs of sugar. Mix.
Take the beef out of the freezer. Sprinkle with the sauce.
Add to the salad. Garnish with the coriander.
Serve as a starter or as a light dish with the noodles.

Thai cold sauce

For ➋
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 small red onion, chopped
1 spring onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
6 tbs nam pla fish sauce
8 tbs lime juice
5 tbs brown sugar

Put the chopped onions and pepper, the pressed garlic in a mortar. Grind.

Add 6 tbs of fish sauce, 8 tbs of lime juice and 5 tbs of sugar. Mix.

Serve with luke-warm grilled beef, Thai beef salad or firm fish.