Fried Fish in Chili Paste

My favourite dish on the Friday Lunch Menu today is this one, the "pla tod rad prik gaeng". Basically fish fried in chili paste. Very simple but also very tasty. The chili paste includes shallots, garlic, lemon grass, minced galangal, shrimp paste and red curry paste. This was only 20 baht. Really a side dish though.

Bamboo Shoot boiled with pork bones

I guess this is then the main dish. I like bamboo shoots with red curry. However, this dish was very bland and unexciting. There was a lot of this left over so we only bought it for you to see. Luckily we had a couple of repeat dishes of stir-fried vegetables and pork and an omelette which interestingly had a little bit of coconut milk. The bamboo shoot dish was 30 baht.

Rice Noodles in Coconut Milk Sauce

Despite the colour, this dish was actually interesting. It is called "mee kati" which literally means "coconut noodles". This was a vegetarian version that had bean curd, egg and bean sprouts. But you can also have chicken or pork. Everything is basically cooked in coconut milk. This includes shallots, fermented soybeans, sugar, tamarind juice, bean curd and dried chilies. Half of this is then removed and the thin rice noodles is cooked in the remainder. The leftover sauce is then used as a dip. I did enjoy this but I think it would have been better if it wasn't so pink. This was only 20 baht.

Glossy Sticky Rice

You cannot really go wrong with any Thai dessert that uses sticky rice. The green colour comes from our old friend the pandanus leaves. This is mixed together with sugar and coconut cream. Then it is boiled until it becomes a thick mixture. The sticky rice is then mixed in. Very tasty and only 2 baht each.

Duck Red Curry (kaeng pet bpet)

One of my favourite Thai dishes is the red curry with duck. It is also sometimes served with pineapple. This dish is quit expensive in the restaurants. This is a street food version which we bought for 25 baht. It tastes good, but as far as meat goes, you get what you pay for! I usually add my own meat to help it go further. The red curry is often served with cherry tomatoes and also eggplants. These are like oversized peas and are rather hard.

Khee Lek Curry

This is a strange curry dish. I have had eaten it on several occasions but I will never buy for myself. The main ingredient are the leaves of the "khee lek" tree. As you can see, it has been liquidized in a food blender! Other than that, it has red curry paste, coconut milk and is seasoned with fish sauce and palm sugar. It was supposed to have beef as well. But, basically, what you can see at the top of this dish is all we got! Again, what do you expect for 25 baht. Actually, we were the winner of a lucky dip. I found a shrimp in this dish too! Not sure where that came from unless there were two versions. A warning to people who might be vegetarians. I have actually seen food vendors pick out the meat from a cooked dish to serve to a vegetarian customer!

Stir-fried Cauliflower with Shrimp

You cannot really go wrong with a stir-fried vegetable dish. I always order at least one for all meals. This one is basically cauliflower and shrimp. I usually season my stir-fried vegetable dishes with oyster sauce. But this one had fish sauce instead. As Thai people are sweet toothed, they always add some sugar to most dishes. This was 25 baht.

Mung Beans in sugar Syrup

I am not really that keen on any beans - in particular mung beans. But, I guess you can make anything delicious if you add a sugar syrup to it! A few spoonfuls was enough for me. If you want to cook yourself, just soak the mung beans in water overnight and then cook on a medium heat until tender. Then just add lots of sugar! This was only 8 baht.

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Sorry for the lack of blogs recently from myself. We have been very busy moving and upgrading websites and servers. I haven't done any travel blogs for a while as I have been working hard every weekend. Hopefully I will be back blogging again next month.

Noodles on the Boat

Boat Noodles is probably one of the most famous noodle dishes. Despite its name, it is not always served on the canals, however you will often see that land based noodle stores still have a boat on display. This dish can be either pork or beef. The most popular noodle is probably sen lek. This version you see here has beef with morning glory. There are no noodles which are optional. The soup can vary quite a bit though it is never that simple like other noodle soups as it has spices. Another notable ingredient is quite often pigs blood. The dish is often served in small bowls for less than 20 baht.

Tom Yum Fried Rice

This next dish is a bit of a strange hybrid. It is cross-between fried rice and the popular tum yum soup. Though this version doesn't have the soup. The basic ingredients are all the same. Like lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, red shallots, straw mushrooms and even my favourite, chili jam (nam prik pao). Unlike normal tom yum, all the ingredients are chopped up fine so that you eat all. It was good but I felt it was a little dry. My other favourite tom yum hybrid is egg noodle tom yum. This fried rice with seafood was 25 baht.

Stir-fried Prawns and Sponge Gourd

This is a simple side dish which is easy to make. You need to peel and wash the gourd and then cut up into bite size pieces. Fry some garlic in a wok and when it is golden brown add the gourd. Season with fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce and stock. Add the shrimp and keep stirring. This was only 25 baht.

Black Beans and Tapioca Balls

Our dessert today was "tua dum saku biak" or Black Beans and Tapioca Balls. As in many Thai desserts, it had thick coconut milk and plenty of sugar. I am afraid I wasn't too keen on this dessert. But, at least I tried. This was only 10 baht. The next time you are walking the streets in Thailand don't be shy to try something new. Thai street food is not that expensive and is worth experimenting.

Stir-fried Thai Flat Beans (kung pat sa-tor)

The Thai flat beans used in this dish are common in Southern Thailand. It is called "sa tor". This healthy dish which helps to increase your appetite has two versions. One with shrimp paste and this one with curry paste. Other major ingredients include pork, shrimp, garlic and shallots. It is seasoned with fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. This is a good side dish well worth buying to eat with something else. This cost us 30 baht.

Coconut Milk and Fermented Soy Bean Sauce (tao jiao lon)

The main ingredient of this is a mixture of coconut milk and fermented soy bean sauce. It also has chopped shrimp and pork and shallots and chillies. It is seasoned with sugar and tamarind juice. The fermented soy bean makes this a little salty. It is usually served with fresh vegetables such as cabbage and cucumber. This dish only cost 25 baht.

Fried Prawn and Squid in Curry Sauce (pat pong kari talay)

I really like the "pong kari" curry powder dishes. My favourite is the soft shelled crab curry (pu nim pat pong kari). Be careful when you order the hard shelled version as it can get quite expensive and is not very good value for money as you cannot eat everything. This version uses seafood such as fried shrimp and squid. I am never that keen on seafood like squid but I enjoyed the curry. I have never tried to cook this but might have a try some time. You basically fry the seafood with some curry powder. Then you add a mixture of milk, chilli paste and an egg. Add some oyster sauce and then chopped onion, spur chili and spring onion and season with pepper. Not a bad dish for 25 baht.

Banana in Syrup (kluay kai cheuam)

Our dessert today was delicious as usual. As you know, I don't normally like bananas, but Thai desserts with bananas are often very tasty. For this one, water is mixed with some sugar and put in a pan to boil. Then some lemon juice is added. The heat is then lowered and peeled bananas are put in the pan and allowed to simmer for about five minutes. The topping is some coconut milk which has a dash of salt. This was 25 baht.

Thai Fried Noodles with Fresh Shrimp (pad thai talay)

Probably the most famous of the Thai dishes is this one called simply "pad thai". You often see them making this in bulk at temple fairs for only 10 baht a plate. Though you obviously don't get the fresh shrimp or the quantity as in this picture. There are several versions. This one is "pad thai talay" which means it has seafood too. You can usually choose between fresh and dried shrimp. The latter is obviously cheaper. I actually prefer the texture of having dried shrimp. It is relatively easy to prepare. The main ingredients are rice noodles (sen lek), seafood, egg, bean sprouts, spring onion and tofu. You cook it in a sauce of palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind juice. It usually comes with a side helping of roasted ground peanuts, dried chili and a cut lime. Very delicious though the taste varies between vendors. I miss my local one who has gone somewhere else. The cost is 25 baht for dried shrimp and 30 baht for fresh shrimp.

Fried Mussels in Batter (hoi tod)

If you find a vendor selling "pad thai", then they often make this one called "hoi tod". It is basically fried mussels in a batter. I am not keen on mussels. I also don't like it when they do it "undercooked". Luckily, some vendors have a version which is nice and crispy which I enjoy a lot. I also would enjoy it more if they added another egg. I don't have this one that often and it costs about 30 baht these days.

Fish Chili Sauce with Green Mango

To be honest, I am not keen on any dish that uses fermented fish. I did have a bad experience once that laid me up for several days. This one is different to the normal "nam prik pla" as it has green mango. Main ingredients include shallots, garlic and chillies which are pounded in a mortar. Fermented fish is then added to this and also the green mango. It is usually served with fresh or cooked vegetables. This was only 20 baht.

Fried Chicken Thai Style (gai tod baep thai)

This is a different kind of fried chicken with spices that is made at our local Muslim stall. This is not as crispy as the other Muslim vendor which I prefer. (I mean his chicken is crispy, not the vendor is cripsy.) This was 30 baht.

Rice Flour Strings in Coconut Cream

Our dessert today is sweet as usual but comes with a twist. It is called "khanom pla grim kai tao". As you can see, it has two halves - one is sweet and the other salty. The "strings" are made with rice flour and sticky rice flour. The salty half is made with thick coconut milk and salt and the sweet half with thin coconut milk and palm sugar. Not too bad and costs only 10 baht.

The peak season for Mangosteen in Thailand is between May and June. This is a good time as the price is relatively cheap at only 20-25 baht a kilos. Which is less than US$1. The mangosteen starts of being green and then turns deep purple as it ripens. It is about the size of a small apple. However, you cannot eat it in the same way nor do you peel it like an orange. The easiest way is to careful cut around the diameter with a sharp knife, being careful not to pierce the fruit inside. Then you just twist the two sides apart. Inside you can see the white succulent fruit. It looks a bit like cloves of garlic but of course much softer. The number of segments vary. You can always find out how many there are inside before cutting it open. Just count the number of petals on the bottom of the mangosteen. Having six small segments is better than four fat segments. This is because the bigger ones are more likely to contain a seed which you shouldn't eat. The taste of the mangosteen is sweet though it can be a little sour if you bite into the seed by mistake.

Some people believe that the thick skin has medicinal uses. In Thailand, there is a popular soap made from mangosteen skin that is good for skin infections. There is also a tea that is supposed to help diarrhea and bladder infections. Other laboratory tests have shown that the skin may have anti-cancer benefits as well as being anti-inflammatory and antifungal. However, be very careful when you cut open the mangosteen. The skin contains a dye that is difficult to wash out of your clothes. Like an apple, once cut open, you should eat within five minutes as it will start to discolour. The next time you have an opportunity, try some mangosteen. You won't be disappointed.

Thai name: มังคุค​

Roti Mataba

We had a bit of a mixture today for our weekly Friday lunch in the Paknam Web offices. However, it was all very good. The first one is from the Muslim vendor around the corner from my house. It is a kind of stuffed roti called Mataba. There is actually a famous shop called Mataba near Phra Sumen Fort in Bangkok which everyone raves about. One of the members of the ThailandQA.com forum took me there last weekend as she wanted to introduce me to their rotis. The one bought today was just as good and cheaper. We bought two different kinds. One with a minced beef curry and the other with chicken. These cost only 25 baht and 20 baht each. It comes with a favourite dip of mine that has sliced cucumber, chillies and shallots in a sweet and sour vinegar sauce. The filling has spices such as coriander seeds and cumin. I will share more of their dishes later.

Deep Fried Crab (boo ja)

This was quite a nice side dish that we sampled. It is a deep-fried crab meat stuffed into an empty crab shell. It was only 12 baht each. It is actually made up with a mixture of half crab and half minced pork. It also has salted egg. You can either have a sweet dip with this or ketchup! I will eat this one again when I get an opportunity.

Stir-fried Pumkin and Egg (fak thong phat kai)

I have eaten a similar dish to this one before which was stir-fried wax gourd and egg (phat fak sai kai). This one is pumpkin and egg. It is quite simple to cook yourself. Cut up the pumpkin into small cubes. Fry it for a short while and then add soy sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce. When the pumpkin is nearly cooked through, break two eggs into the wok and stir quickly to stop it from sticking. This was 25 baht.

Crispy Sweet and Sour Rice Noodles (mee krob)

This one was a bit of a treat. It actually broke our budget as it cost 50 baht. But, it didn't really matter as there was some left over to take home. It was probably a bit sweet for my liking, but it was also quite addictive. It has fried noodles and also dried shrimp. The seasoning added gives it a sweet and sour taste.

Khanom Chun

Our dessert today is an old favourite of mine. It is called Khanom Chun, which basically means the layered dessert. The basic ingredients are topioca flour, grated fresh coconut meat and castor sugar. The colouring comes from a variety of sources: green is from pandanus leaves. Pink from rose petals. Violet from Anchan flower. Brown from Coco. This plate was 30 baht.

Come back to .com next week to see what we will eat next. In the meantime, I will have to go on a diet!