Great Recipes - Pork Blood Noodles

Most everyone knows of blood sausage, so this shouldn't come off as that strange. The point is, blood is made up of a lot of protein and when heated it becomes a solid with a consistency similar to tofu.

My wife and I are adventurous eaters and once in a Thai food court we were served a delicious noodle soup with equally delicious chunks of something or another floating on top. We stopped to ask a waiter what they were. "That's pork blood," he replied with a big grin. We looked at each other. She said, "What the heck," and I said, "That's great."

Although I have never made anything with blood I come across recipes calling for it. There is blood sausage of course; which I believe is made with cattle blood. There are also sauces thickened with blood. These are a real challenge as blood curdles quite easily and will separate. I may have heard of blood pudding but that might just be wishful thinking. I know that people drink raw cobra blood, but I think that is one of those charlatan medicinal cures.

Anyway, if I were to cook pork blood, here's how I would do it:

In the top of a large steamer, place a wooden bowl containing two quarts of pork blood into the top. Steam on low heat for forty minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the congealed blood to cool in the steamer for twenty minutes.

The blood will still be hot but you should be able to handle it. Let it rest on the counter for another twenty minutes. Turn the bowl over and let the mold slide out. Gently slice it into bite size chunks. It's up to you to decide what to do with it from there but I know it goes good with noodles!

Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Sauce Recipe

I have realized that I have a very fond place in my heart for most curry dishes. It seems that they are more popular then ever these days, and I love to make and eat them often. I have tried several that are on the www but have found that I have not enjoyed them very well so I have created my own. I hope that you will find this to be a simple recipe and that you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients you will need: Chicken about 3-4 breast, Onions 1 small sliced like fajita cut, Red Bell Pepper 1/2 julienned sliced, 1/2 Can of Straw Mushrooms, 1/4 Cup of Matchstick Carrots, 1/4 Cup of Snow Peas. **For the Sauce: 1 Can of Coconut Milk, 2 Tablespoons of Sugar, 1 28 oz Can of Tomatoes Diced, 1 Yellow Can of Curry Paste, 3 Tablespoons of canola oil, 1 Toe of Fresh Garlic and Ginger, 1/4 Cup of Fresh Cilantro, Pinch of Salt and 2-3 Tablespoons of Corn Starch in about the same amount of water to make a slurry.

First you will get your sauce ready so you can let it simmer down after all of the ingredients are added. You will take a large sauce pan and add your oil and garlic and ginger over a low heat until you start to smell the aroma of them. Then add your Coconut milk and your tomatoes and curry and stir. Then add your sugar, salt and heat it up to about a simmer. When the sauce is warm add your slurry to thicken and then add your fresh cilantro and turn the heat on low and just let it hang out until your other ingredients are ready.

Chicken- You will want to cook your chicken. You can sauté it or bake it with a little salt pepper and paprika if you prefer. If you are going to sauté it you will need a little bit of oil in the pan preferably canola oil. It is a mono-saturated fat and it has a higher smoke point than olive. Get it to a golden brown in the pan and let hang out in the pan covered or in the oven on its lowest setting until done. To bake it you will add salt pepper and paprika and bake on 350 for about 15 minutes or until done. You do not want to overcook it because it will be dry.

Vegetables- You will want to get all of them washed and cut and ready to add the the sauce. I would sauté them in the pan that the chicken was cooked in to get the flavor from the chicken. When the vegetables are warm you will add them to the chicken. First i would add the onions and get them translucent and then I would add the carrots and bell peppers. I would add the mushrooms and the snow peas at the very last and give them a toss or two, and call them done.

**Rice/Starch- If you want to make some rice for this dish and you want to keep it more on the healthy side I recommend a brown rice if you prefer. The dish is fine without the rice but if you are trying to make sure you get your grains in for the day I say go for it.

When ready to serve if you are using rice and it to a serving dish and pour the sauce around the rice. Add your vegetables an top and the chicken to top of the veggies and serve. If you are not using rice add the vegetables to the sauce and stir. You will them add all of the sauce with veggies to a serving dish and the chicken will go on top of the sauce. Enjoy!

Mouth-Watering Thai Desserts - The Flour

A friend of mine told me that my article, " Mouth-Watering Thai Desserts" on August 9th, 2008, does not have information on flour used in Thai desserts. My friend was right - I mentioned flour in one of the seven main ingredients but I did not write anything about flour. Thus, continuing from the previous article on "Mouth-Watering Thai Desserts" this article will focus on flour used in Thai desserts. Taken together, these two articles give a fuller picture of Thai desserts.

The following are the common flours used in Thai desserts: sticky rice flour, rice flour, cassave starch, corn starch, wheat flour, arrowroot starch and mung bean flour.

Sticky Rice Flour (paeng khao niaw)

Sticky rice flour is also referred to as "sweet rice powder" or "glutinous rice flour." It is made from short-grain sticky rice that becomes moist, firm and sticky when cooked. This is due to its proportionally higher number of waxy starch molecules. With its chewy texture, sticky rice flour is a favorite base for buns and pastries. Sticky rice flour is often combined with plain rice flour to create a variety of Thai desserts.

In Thailand there are 2 types of sticky rice flour: wet and dry. Wet sticky rice flour is finely milled with water, whereas dry sticky rice flour is finely milled without water. When buying sticky rice flour, choose products that have a white color and no smell or moisture.

Example desserts using sticky rice flour are Paeng Jee (grilled coconut cakes), Bua Loy Benjarong (taro, pumpkin, and mung dal bean balls in coconut milk) and Khanom Thua Paep (mung bean stuffing coated with shredded coconut meat).

Rice Flour (paeng khao jao)

Rice flour is used to thicken various dishes and is also an important ingredient in various Thai desserts. Rice flour is a good substitute for wheat flour, in that the latter causes digestive system irritation in those who are gluten intolerant. However, rice flour should not be used or substituted in some desserts like cakes. This is because rice flour is not finely milled like cake flour, and would not yield the same quality of desserts. In Thailand, there are 3 types of rice flour:

rice flour made from rice older than a year - good for absorbing water,
rice flour made from new rice - does not absorb water as well because of its moisture, and
rice flour made from new rice without water - excellent at absorbing water.

Beyond the type of flour, there are many grades for each type. To buy rice flour, choose products with a white color and absence of an old smell. If you plan to make a dessert using rice flour, find flour that was finely milled so your dessert will have a smooth texture.

Example desserts using rice flour are Khanom Chan (nine-layered dessert) and Khanom Thuay (coconut cakes).

Wheat Flour (paeng sa lee)

Wheat flour is a fine white powder that has high gluten content. There are different types of wheat flour depending on the types/characteristics of wheat used and the milling process. The common wheat flours are bread flour, all purpose flour and cake flour. These 3 types of wheat flour are different in the percentage of protein contained in the flour. Bread flour has the highest percentage of protein, 12%-13%, followed by all purpose flour at 9%-10% and cake four at 6%-9%.

Protein content is an important key for a buyer to know because it yields different result in cooking. High protein content means more water will be absorbed and there will be a longer mixing time to achieve optimum consistency. Thus the desserts/snacks that are chewy or sticky usually use the high protein content wheat flour.

Mung Bean Flour (paeng tao khiaw)

Mung bean flour is made from mung beans. It is a gluten-free flour. Some brands offer a very fine texture of flour. If the flour is not finely ground, one must grind it before use to prevent lumps. Mung bean flour comes in a variety of colors depending on how much it has been precessed. When cooking mung bean flour (with water on a stove), it turns transparent. One of the most well-known uses for mung bean flour is in so-called glass/clear noodles, very fine noodles made with a highly refined form of mung bean flour. When raw, these noodles are almost transparent, and they turn completely transparent when cooked. Khanom Salim is a Thai dessert that requires mung bean flour and cannot be substituted. Khanom Salim is sweet mung bean threads in syrup with coconut milk on top. It is served cold with ice. The mung bean thread is colored with natural colors like Flower of Chitoria Tematea Linn (Dok Un Chun) yielding a blue or lac (krang) yielding a red.

Cassave Starch (paeng mun)

Cassave starch is often called tapioca starch (paeng sa koo). It is a refined white flour which is made from cassava root. Cassave starch is very finely textured, and is a common substitute for arrowroot starch and cornstarch. Cassave starch is gluten-free and easy to digest. It is often added to gluten-free baking as a thickener. It is broadly used as a thickener for sauces, soups and desserts in Thailand. In desserts, cassave starch is almost always used in blends with other types of flour so that desserts are more soft and sticky than when using only one type of flour.

Corn Starch (paeng khao pod)

Corn starch is made from corn kernels and is finely textured. Corn starch is best dissolved in cold water. When cooking corn starch (with water on a stove), corn starch tends to form lumps. Thus, it is important to stir frequently on low heat. It is used as a thickener and used in blends with other types of flour like rice flour.

Arrowroot Starch (paeng thao yay mom)

Arrowroot Starch is made from the root of the marantha arundinacea. In Thailand, arrowroot starch consists of tiny white balls that must be ground before using. However, in some brands, arrowroot starch is a fine powder just like cassave starch. Arrowroot starch is a gluten-free flour that has no identifying taste or scent. It is used as a clear thickener with any mixture or in blends with other types of flour. Its thickening power is about twice that of cassave starch. Arrowroot starch is used in many Thai desserts.

Thais love desserts and they have been a part of our lives for a long time. Thai desserts cannot be perfected without attentive use of flour. For some desserts, some types of flour can be substituted for each other, but in other cases substitution is not advisable. Each type of flour has its own characteristics, which in some cases preclude substitution, depending on how they interact with the rest of the dessert. When making delicious authentic Thai desserts, it is more important to closely follow the recipe than it is for non-dessert kinds of dishes. Enjoy the many wonderful tastes and textures of Thai desserts!

Napatr Lindsley

Restaurant Soup Recipes Are All The Rage

Scientists claim to have confirmed what grandmothers have known for centuries, that chicken soup is good for colds and other ills. Garlic soup is also a well-known cure-all. Next time someone under your roof is knocked out with crud, why not give them a double shot of goodness by making a batch of garlic chicken soup? Mmm.

Soup goes back a long, long way in human history: The archaeological evidence of someone stirring up a pot of soup for a meal dates to around 6000 BC.

Soup is a great starter for almost any meal. It's a comfort food, and, all by itself, makes a perfect meal for a wintry or rainy day--just add some bread and maybe a salad on the side, and the nutritional balance is complete.

One of the best things about soup is that you can make it up in large quantities and freeze the extra to thaw, heat and enjoy at any time. Another suggestion: Add leftover pasta to a favorite soup to bulk it up and make it heartier.

Soup need not be boring--far from it. Cooks are discovering all kinds of creative ways to make it exciting. Undoubtedly, some of the most interesting soup creations today are found on the menus of those bread-and-soup restaurants that are springing up everywhere. When your main offerings are bread and soup, you know you have to go the extra mile to make your menu as enticing as possible!

The other day I went to one of those bread-and-soup places and sipped a cup of tomato basil soup that was one of the most delicious taste experience I've ever had. I knew I had to get the recipe. Fortunately, the manager of this restaurant was happy to oblige me.

You can find many restaurant soup recipes on the Web nowadays; you just have to do a little digging to find the particular one that you encountered the last time you dined out. Or, you can download one of the inexpensive ebooks that are filled with "secret" recipes from America's top restaurants--including those wonderful soups.

Soup is the great culinary comeback story of recent years. Why not enjoy a bowl today?

Thai Rice - The Common Names And Cooking Tips

Shopping for rice these days can be as complicated as shopping for clothes: there are so many different types and colors available, it's hard to know what to choose. But if you've ever sampled the various types of rice on the market-from Chinese short grain to Indian Basmati, Italian Arborio (used for "Risotto"), or even the Native North American Wild Rice-you would have to agree that Thai Jasmine Rice is one of the best-tasting, not to mention one of the most nutritional of all types of rice.

Thai rice is often sold in our local grocery stores or Asian stores as "Fragrant Rice", "Jasmine Rice", or "Scented Rice". In Thailand, Thai rice is known as "Kao Hom Mali" (Jasmine-scented Rice), because of its naturally fragrant properties. With jasmine rice's good-taste and high-quality, it's no wonder that Thailand is the number one rice exporter in the world. In fact, if you were to venture via river boat out of Bangkok toward the Central Plains, you would see nothing but rice paddies for miles and miles, and the vibrant bright green of rice shoots growing.

For those who prefer an even healthier variety of rice, another option is "Thai Brown Rice" or "Thai Whole-grain Rice". This is the same jasmine-scented rice, except that the bran covering has been left on the rice kernel, giving it extra fiber plus valuable vitamins that are normally lost in the milling process. Sometimes this type of rice is also sold under the name, "Cargo Rice".

Common Rice Names

Thai Sweet Rice
Thai Sticky Rice
Jasmine Rice
Cargo Rice
Whole-grain Rice
Fragrant Rice
Scented Rice

Cooking Tips

By far the easiest way to cook Thai rice is with a rice cooker. Just follow the instructions that come with the cooker to make perfect rice every time. Or go by the ratio of 2 cups water to every 1 cup of rice. Then simply turn the rice cooker on and wait until the rice is done.

To cook brown rice, double the amount of water you would normally use for white rice (also double the cooking time). Then follow the same instructions (as written above) for white rice.

Sweet & Sour Fish

Sweet and sour fish is one of the most popular traditional Chinese dish, normally cooked with carp. The method to cook an authentic Chinese sweet and sour fish (Tang Tsu Yu) is to use what we call 'Liu', meaning 'quick-fry'. The fish should be tender inside and crispy outside. Its original flavour gets reserved while the unpleasant raw fish smell would be completely removed. Many Chinese families cook this dish on a regular basis. It is considered an universal dish that has been enjoyed by people from everywhere in China for many years.

Ingredients:

a). For preparation of fish:
1 carp 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon cooking wine green onion ginger
cornstarch oil for frying

b). For preparation of sauce:
3 dried mushrooms (soaked) 4" green onion 2 slices of ginger 1 small bamboo shoot carrot

c). For preparation of sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce 6 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup soup stock 4 tablespoons Chinese (black) vinegar dash of monosodium glutamate
2 tablespoons ketchup

d). Other ingredients:
1 clove garlic
4 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon green peas

Method:

Clean fish, remove entrails and scale. Score deeply on both sides. Place cut green onion and ginger inside fish. Pour soy sauce and cooking wine over fish. Set aside. Dry fish, roll in cornstarch. Shake off excess cornstarch. Fry fish in 375F oil until crisp Shred all ingredients in b). Heat oil and put in garlic (from part d) and fry. Add ingredients from c). Add green peas. Thicken sauce with cornstarch mixed water. Pour sauce over fish.

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Nutritional Information:

Yield: 4 servings

Each serving provides:

Calories: 467

Protein: 34.8 g

Note: You may freely republish the above recipe as long as the author biography and active hyper links are intact.

Thai Recipes - Pad Thai Noodles Recipe

Pad Thai is a stir fried noodle dish, traditionally made with shrimps or prawns but can also be made with pork, chicken, beef, and even tofu. It can be made to be dry and light or heavy and oily depending on your tastes.

A delicious, quick, easy to prepare, and healthy dish, with low cost ingredients. It's easy to see why this dish is so readily available on the streets of Bangkok, and why it's so popular with budget conscious backpackers.

Flavours are somewhat complex, combining hot, salty, sweet and sour, but together a good balance is created.

Ingredients:
Serves 2

200g of Shrimps or prawns (raw preferred)
2 medium sized eggs
approx 130g of dry rice noodles
4 tablespoons of pad thai sauce
1/2 lime
1/2 cup chinese chives
1 cup of bean sprouts
1 tablespoon of crushed chillis
1 tablespoon crushed peanuts
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
1 carrot (optional)
2 spring onions (optional)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Pad Thai cooking instructions:

Step 1: Soaking the noodles - Fill a large bowl or container with warm water, and place the 130g of dried Thai rice noodles (approx 1/3 of the pack) into the bowl so that the water is completely covering the noodles. They will need about 10 minutes of soaking, so that they become soft, but not cooked.

Step 2: Take the 200g of prawns and using a sharp knife, make a cut along the back to open them up slightly, removing any stringy vein type material from inside. Once this is done, wash them all under cold water.

Step 3: Cut away the bottom 1/3 of the Chinese green chives and put aside for use later. Chop the other 2/3 of the chives up for cooking. Follow by slicing the spring onion diagonally into thin pieces. Also slice the carrot into thin slices, or grate it, keeping a handful aside for use later. Finally cut your lime into quarters, wash the bean sprouts, and your preparation is complete.

Step 4: By now the noodles should have been soaking for about 10 minutes, poor them into a sieve and drain all excess water.

Step 5: Put 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil into a wok or pan, and set your cooker to a high heat. When the wok is hot, put the prawns in (ensure they have been drained of any water to you don't get hot oil spat at you!) Immediately after the prawns, crack the 2 eggs and put the white and yoke into the wok. Stir contents thoroughly adding more oil if required. After a few stirs, add the noodles, and continue to stir quickly and frequently.

Step 6: Add the 4 tablespoons of pad thai sauce, and stir in. Ensure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together and the sauce evenly distributed. By this stage, all ingredients should have been cooking for just a couple of minutes on a high heat, cook for too long and the dish will become too dry.

Step 7: Add the chopped Chinese green chives, spring onions, some of the chopped carrot, and the bean sprouts into the wok. Once again stir everything together so the ingredients are well mixed. Add the 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, and continue stirring.

Step 8: Now the noodles should be soft and tangled - the cooking is complete. Pour contents onto a plate, and add to the side of the plate the bottom 1/3 of the Chinese green chives, bean sprouts, the 1/4 of lime, 1 table spoon of crushed chillies, and 1 tablespoon of crushed peanuts. Sprinkle some of the grated carrot you kept back earlier over the noodles.

Serve and Enjoy!