As I previously mentioned in my Bangkok blog post, one of our most enjoyable experiences in Thailand was taking a cooking class at the Silom Thai Cooking School. In fact, it was our favorite meal of the entire trip! I attribute that to having picked out all the freshest ingredients at the local market that very morning and having our very own tender-loving-hands (ok with a little help!) prepare the savory dishes. We even made our own coconut milk from coconut shavings purchased at the market! THAT kind of freshness you can’t easily get in the US! A souvenir provided to us at the end of our course was a book full of recipes including the dishes we learned to make. I thought it a crime to keep them all to myself so I’ve included a few of them here along with a few minor adjustments…no, you won’t be required to hand squeeze soaked coconut shavings to make your own milk…but…I’d still recommend it 😉
Appetizers
Chicken in Coconut Milk (tom kah gai)
Ingredients
1 cup chicken sliced or shrimp (veg: mushroom)
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
12 thin slices galangal ginger
2 stalks lemongrass, lower portion, cut and crush
2 straw mushroom (quarter)
6 fresh kaffir lime leaves (torn in half)
1/2 cup sliced spring onion (slice into 3cm width)
1 tbsp fish sauce (veg: soy sauce)
1/2 tbsp lime juice or tamarind paste
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
3 bird’s eye chili pepper, crushed
1 tomato (cut into quarters)
Preparations
- Combine coconut milk and water with chicken, galangal ginger, straw mushroom, chilies, lemongrass, tomatoes, and kaffir lime leaves in large skillet or wok. Cook until chicken is cooked through without pink
- Add fish sauce and lime juice
- Garnish with coriander leaves, spring onion and chili pepper (optional)
Chicken laab, sometimes “Larb” is a hearty appetiser and can be found in gourmet restaurants all the way to street vendors! This Thai staple is a people pleaser!
Northern Chicken Salad (laab gai)
Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken breast (veg: minced tofu)
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce (veg: soy sauce)
1/4 cup lime juice (may add additional 1tbsp for taste)
2 tsp ground dried red chilies
1/2 cup ground roasted white sticky rice (khao khua)
1/4 cup green onions (finely sliced)
1/4 cup coriander leaves (finely sliced)
1/4 cup shallots or white onions (finely sliced)
1 cup water
Preparations
- Cook chicken with a little water while stirring constantly until the chicken is cooked through without any pink. Set chicken aside to cool.
- In a large bowl combine chicken, fish sauce, white sugar, lime juice, ground roasted white sticky rice (khao Khua), green onions, coriander leaves, shallots, ground dried chilies and mint leaves.
- Mix well and serve with fresh vegetables and sticky rice.
Entrees
Green Curry with Chicken (kang khiao wan gai)
Ingredients
1/2 lb sliced chicken (veg: tofu)
2 tbsp green curry paste
1/2 cup Thai eggplant or purple eggplant cut into bite size
1/4 cup vegetable oil or coconut cream
2 cup coconut milk
40 leaves sweet basil
6 leaves kaffir lime leaves (torn in half)
1/4 cup finger ginger (shreded)
2 pinches palm sugar or white sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce (veg: soy sauce)
2 tbsp tamarind paste
Preparations
- Put oil or coconut cream into the wok over low heat
- Add curry paste stirring continuously until fragrant
- Add the chicken and fry until the chicken begins to change color
- Add coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, finger ginger, eggplants, sugar, tamarind paste and fish sauce,
- Stir constantly until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Reduce the sauce until thick
- Add sweet basil. Remove from heat and serve with rice.
Red Curry with Chicken (kaeng ped gai)
Ingredients
1/4 cup oil or coconut cream
1/2 lb sliced chicken (veg: tofu.)
1/4 cup red curry paste
4 cups coconut milk
1/4 lb eggplants cut into bite sizes
12 kaffir lime leaves (torn in half)
2 fresh red chilies (sliced lengthwise)
40 leaves of sweet basil
1/2 cup finger ginger (shredded)
2 tbsp fish sauce (veg: soy sauce)
4 pinches sugar
1/4 cup tamarind paste
Preparations
- Put the oil or coconut cream into the wok over low heat
- Add red curry paste and stir continuously until fragrant
- Add chicken. Pour coconut milk and stir constantly until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.
- Add kaffir lime leaves, finger ginger, sweet basil leaves and eggplants. Bring to a boil.
- Season to taste with fish sauce, tamarind paste and sugar. Reduce the sauce until thick.
- Pour into a bowl, decorate with red chilies on top
- Serve hot with rice.
Fried Rice (Khao pad)
Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 leaves chinese broccoli or kale (cut bite size)
2 tbsp green onion cut 1 inch width
2 tbsp garlic, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup sliced chicken or seafood (veg: mushroom)
1 cup cooked jasmine rice
1 tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce or seasoning sauce
2 tsp white sugar
1 lime
Preparations
- heat frying pan and add vegetable oil. Stir-fry garlic, fry until fragrant
- add shrimps fry until teh shrimp is cooked. add onions, green onion, Chinese broccoli, and tomato and stir until teh fresh vegetables are tender.
- break egg into pan and scramble with spatula
- When egg is dried, ad rice, soy sauce and white sugar
- continue to stir-fry until rice mixture reducing temperature as necessary
- Transfer onto the serving plate and garnish the plate with wedge of lime and fresh vegetables
Dessert!
Mango with Sticky Rice (khao neaw ma muang)
Ingredients
2 cup hot cooked sticky rice
1/4 cup white sugar or palm sugar
2 pinches salt
1 cup coconut milk
2 ripe mangoes peeled
1tbsp deep fried mung bean seeds (for topping)
1/2 cup pandannas leaves cut into 2 cm. pieces
Preparations
- Heat the coconut milk, pandannas leaves in a small pot over medium heat
- Stir continuously until the coconut milk simmers
- Add sugar and salt while stirring continuously
- Remove from heat
- Pour hot coconut milk over the hot sticky rice, mix together. Let it sit for 15-20 mins. The sticky rice will absorb all the coconut milk. The rice should be a little mushy.
- Serve warm on a platter with chilled mango topping with coconut cream and deep friend mung bean seeds.
The Shabby Suitcase 
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