Pad Thai ( Emergency)

This blog will present the most famous dish of most people in the would have know about Thai cuisine, Pad Thai. I think the number one that people know it is Thai dish because of the name " Pad = Stir fry, Thai = our nation "

Pad Thai was introduced to Thai nation as 19th century campaign to reduce rice consumption in Thailand. Thai economy in that time was depending on rice exports, the campaign spread very quickly and gave the poor more opportunity to start small business such as produce rice noodles and prepare ingredients for selling in small restaurants as well as street food vendors. From the effort, rice noodles became firmly rooted in the country and have widespread into staple other foods.

Pad Thai in Thailand is dry and light than Pad Thai you found in western countries, which add tomato paste or sometime ketchup that make it less dry and saucy Pad Thai, also turn the noodle red color.

When I was asked to cook Pad Thai to American family, I didn't know that the way my noodle turn out was different than what they had tasted in the Thai restaurant there, so I went to buy the American pad thai in fusion Thai restaurant and tried it out. I could taste the different that they used peanut butter instead of ground peanuts and add hot sauce instead of ground dried chili. Poor Pad Thai, that was my impression to the American pad thai.

So when I moved to Canada, I introduced the Canadian family to original pad thai, they loved it and have been asking for more. So I'm going to write how that I make my Pad Thai as close as original Pad Thai you will find in Thailand.

Pad Thai with Chinese Sausage

 ( I used sausage this time because that what I had in my fridge, but you can substitute with shrimp or chicken )

Ingredient;

1/2 lbs of dry rice noodle, soak in hot water until soft
4 Chinese sausages, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup of diced bean curd ( hard tofu )
1 cup of bean sprout, cleaned
3 eggs, scrambled
15 g of tamarind
1 1/2 cup of hot water
1/2 cup of Palm sugar or 3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of fish sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce
2 Tbsp of minced shallot
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 cup of chicken stock
3 tbsp Vegetable oil
Ground peanuts, sliced green onion, hot chili pepper flakes, limes

Direction;

1. Preparation, cooked sausage and drain access oil, cooked bean curd just for crispy outside but still soft inside and scramble eggs, set these aside
2. In a wok, with medium heat, add 1 tbsp of oil, garlic and shallot, stir until smell aroma, pour in tamarind juice, fish sauce and add sugar, stir until the the sugar melt and let it shimmer, about 3 minute or the sauce have thicken up.

3. Turn up the heat to medium high heat, stir in the noodle and coating with the sauce, slowly add more oil from outside of the wok, when the noodle become stick together, slowly add chicken stock, stir until the noodle soft and tender,
4. Add scrambled eggs, sausages, bean curds, Optional, ground peanuts, hot chili pepper flakes and lime juice. Stir in bean sprout for 30 second and turn off the heat, spring with chopped green onion and serve with fresh bean sprout, ground peanut, hot pepper flakes and lime wedge.

Extra meats that will go good with Pad Thai : you can substitute sausage with cooked shrimps or chicken.

Leftover fix ; Seafood Fried Rice

Every time I have leftover from the day before I would like to create the menu with that leftover. I did create a menu that satisfied everyone in this family especially the boys. We actually have fish every Thursday since the father doesn't like fish, especially oily fish, and he will work until later that day, so that is perfect day for the rest of family who love fish. I experimented that the boys love fresh water fishes more than oily fish, however I do not want to make them choosing the meals that they are usually comfortable with, because I think when they are a grown up, they will be more picky.

Now I have tried to experiment and create new recipe about fish as much as I can to make them feel more interesting to try new dishes. Today I know they love Fried Rice and especially this dish will make a extra way for them to consume more vegetables too. I broke up the leftover, Grilled trout fillet to smaller flakes and diced all fresh vegetable we grew in the garden as small pieces as I can so they can not take it out. I suggest you can also use mix frozen vegetable.

Trout Fried Rice

Tip; Rice for making Fried rice; you would want to use less water than you used to prepare normally.

How to cook rice; 2 cups of Jasmine Rice + 3 Cups of water. In a pot of boiling water and rice, let it boiling for 3 minutes, reduce the heat to low and shimmer it about 5-8 minutes or until the top of the rice look clearer and no bubbling water. Turn heat off and cover the lid until use it. Fluffy with folk.

Ingredient;

2 cups cold cooked rice
1 cups mix vegetables; Diced carrot, corn, peas or sliced green beans
2 cups cooked Trout; flaked
2 eggs
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 cups diced crab meats
1/4 cup or 1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp black soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 tbsp butter

salt and black pepper

garnish with cilantro, lime, cucumber

Direction;

1. Preheat wok to medium high, add oil, butter and onion, cook till translucent then add garlic cook till yellow brown add eggs, cook as scramble eggs and add cold rice, soy sauce, black soy sauce and sugar, stir until mix well.

2. Add, mix vegetables, salt and black pepper, cook for about 3 minutes or the vegetable start to get bright color. Add tomato, crab meats and trout, cook for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and serve with cucumber, lime and cilantro. 

Every day Thai Foods; Vol. 1

All About Thai

First, I am aThai woman who love to travel and cooking. I was born and grew up in Thailand. In 2006, I traveled 10,000 miles to work and study English in the United States for 2 years. I lived with American family and took care of lo little cute creature with blue eyes and curly blond hair. I fell in love with him right away, the family gave me many opportunities to learn their culture, language, foods and people. It was not easy at first couple of months. However, i got through every things mostly by myself and I really love to look back at the good time I had in Chicago,

Now, I am working for Canadian family, familiar to what I did in Chicago, plus I cook meals everyday for the family. I offered to cook every meals just because I found myself have passionate about foods and bakery. I am spontaneous when it comes to food and eating :p. I have been open up to learn more other culture too.

Most Canadian people are not like spicy foods. They like regular meal with big portion of meats, potato and some vegetable that easily grown here. I personally like to have a lot of vegetable and different type of them. I do like chicken, pork and seafood more than beef. Also I love really hot and spicy foods. My boyfriend can't handle the heat of the hot peppers, so if I have to cook him something it have to be very little hot. He loves other Thai foods that is not real hot or spicy. His favorite dish is Pad Thai and Pad See Eew.

If I have to pick one of these two dish, I love Pad See Eew better. It is easy to prepare and it is not as sweet as the Pad Thai. I do love Pad Thai but I like the way they do not cook it in North America.

Pad See Eew ( Pad = Stir fry, See Eew = Soy Sauce)

Tip; when it comes to stir fry, you need to have a good wok, that can heat up quickly, and especially high heat with high smoking point oil. In this case I used canola oil, but Peanut oil is popular in Thailand for Thai cooking. An important method of Thai cooking, especially Stir fry, you need to prepare all ingredients ahead of time before you turn the heat on. Let's get cooking!

Ingredient;

1 lbs Fresh Rice Noodle, separated and cut in to 2 inch

2 cups of Chinese broccoli, washed and sliced about 1 inch

2 eggs
2 tbsp soy sauce, preferred light soy sauce
3 tbsp dark and sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp oilster sauce, optional*
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce, optional*

1 tsp garlic, minced

4 tbsp canola oil

4 oz of meat, thinly sliced, optional*
salt and black pepper




Direction;

Preheat the wok to high heat, add oil and garlic, cook until garlic get gold color but not brown. Add meat if need season with salt and black pepper, cook meat well.

Add eggs and cook until it almost firm add noodle right in the egg and stir quickly, if the noodle are not breaking up, add salt water to help it soft and break up the noodle. Add soy sauce, dark and sweet soy sauce, fish sauce, oilster sauce and sugar, stir it all well. Cook the noodle and the sauce until the noddle get all color of soy sauce evenly and softer. Add the Chinese broccoli, stir for a minute turn the heat off. Serve with Lime and hot pepper chili flakes.