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Thai & Lao Food

A Thai / Laos girl, Manivan Larprom shows you how to cook Thai & Lao food through her videos. Her authentic cuisine roots from Sakon Nakhon, Thailand and Paksan, Laos. Enjoy!

Monday, December 25, 2006

Fresh Soy Milk

Merry Christmas! I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with my parents. We "roughed it" in the farm house which I have not slept in for over 13 years. In the morning instead of reheating sticky rice, my dad and I roasted sticky rice with eggs over an open fire just like we use to. Some things don't change and I wouldn't change a thing.

My favourite song for Christmas is "Let There be Peace and Earth and Let it begin with me." May you love yourself and be gentle to yourself so that you can shine and spread your cheer to the world. Peace on earth and let it begin with me / you.

I post this vegetarian drink recipe because every Christmas I over eat. So for one day, I eat nothing but drink fresh soy milk to shed the extra pounds I had gained over the holidays. My parents drink fresh soy milk to lower their cholesterol.

Drink Recipe: Fresh Soy Milk2/3 cup dry soy beans
6 cups water
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Rinse dry soy beans in water to remove any debris. Add water to cover soy beans and soak for minimun of 8 hours. Drain water and add to blender with 6 cups of water. Blend for about 30 seconds. Drain soy milk through a cheese clothe or a colander that has very small holes. Discard grounded soy beans. Boil the soy milk in medium heat for 15 minutes and make sure soy milk does not boil over. Remove from heat and stir in optional salt and sugar. Serve hot or cold. Use fresh soy milk in the steam bun recipe.


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Sunday, December 17, 2006

Khao Bune Ba - Festive Fish Curry Noodle Soup

The host of a Lao gathering who calls for a celebration like a birthdays, weddings, new years and Christmas will serve khao bune soup. Khao Bune soup is traditionally made with either fish or pork and I've given you the fish recipe.

If you are serving this soup to Thai or Lao guests they will help themselves so serve the garnish, herbs and sauce in a baffet style. Any left over shredded banana blossoms, shredded red cabbage, Thai basil, and Vermicelli noodle bundles may be rolled into making spring rolls made with rice paper.

For non Thai and Lao guests, I recommend having the individual bowls ready with noodles, garnish and herb. When everyone is at the dinner table, pour the broth into the bowls, add squeezed lime juice and fish sauce. Let the guests mix the soup.

Soup Recipe: Khao Bune Fish Broth
2 lbs grouper or any fresh water white fish like cat fish
2 litres cold water
1 inch galangal
3 kaffir lime leaf
2 inches lemongrass
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons Thai Lao Curry Paste
1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh coconut milk

Side Garnish, Herbs, and Sauce:
Vermicelli noodle bundles
Shredded red cabbage
Shredded long beans
Shredded banana blossoms
Bean sprouts
Chopped green onions and cilantro
Thai basil
Lime wedges
Dried chili flakes
Fish sauce

Making Khao Bune broth: In a pot over high heat, add water, fish, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, and salt. Bring to boil and cook 20 minutes. Remove foam that rises to top. Remove fish from broth and save the broth reduce heat to medium. Once fish cools, remove the bones and skin. Mince the fish meat by using a food processor, mortar pestle, or just a fork.

In a wok over high heat, add oil and garlic. Crisp the garlic before adding chopped tomatoes. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add minced fish and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add Thai Lao Curry Paste and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add fresh coconut milk and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add fish coconut curry into reserved fish broth. Bring the heat to maximum when ready to pour red curry fish broth to khao bune noodle serving bowls.

Making Khao Bune soup individual bowls: In a large serving bowl, add 2 vermicelli noodle bundles. Add small handfuls of garnish and herbs. Boil khao bune broth and ladle about 2 cups into bowl or until it just covers the noodles. Add 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon squeezed lime juice, and 1 teaspoon dried chilies. Mix and enjoy.


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Saturday, December 09, 2006

Mak Bea - Banana Blossom Salad

I have described how banana leaves are used to make khao dome. Well, banana blossoms or 'mak bea' are used to make unto a salad, added as a filling for rice paper spring rolls, and used to as a garnish for khao bune ba - fish curry noodle soup.

Salad Recipe: Mak Bea – Banana Blossom
1 cup shredded banana blossom
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon chopped chilies
1 tablespoon squeezed lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ cup chopped green onions and cilantro

In a bowl, add 3 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of squeezed lime. Shred finely, in an angle, of only the purple layers of the banana blossom. Place the shredded banana blossoms into lime water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain water out. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and toss to make the Mak Bea Salad.



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Friday, December 01, 2006

Long Bean Noodle Salad

I post this Thai and Lao salad to introduce 'Ba Dek' which is salted and cured fish. Basically, it is fresh fish that is cleaned and chopped, mixed with salt and rice, and then covered for about 4 days to cure and sour. You can always find this at Asian supermarkets.

In northern Thailand and Laos, green papaya salads are mixed with salted fish. Another reason for posting this video is to show you how to mix vermicelli noodle with green papaya salads and long bean salads.

Since the fibers of long beans are tougher than green papayas, you must crush the long beans with garlic and chilies until they are in small pieces before adding other ingredients.
Salad Recipe: Long Bean Noodle with Ba Dek4 chilies
1 clove garlic
1 cup long beans chopped into 1 inch lengths
1/4 cup tomato slices
2 tablespoons squeezed lime
2 tablespoons Salted Gourami Fish (ba dek)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon MSG (optional)
1 to 2 rice noodle bundles (Sin Khao Bune)

Using the Thai / Lao Mortar & Pestle Set, crush chilies and garlic until they are separated. Add chopped long beans and crush with a pestle for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients in the mortar and mix all the ingredients. Cut rice noodles in half, add into mortar, and mix with spoon.



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