Tag Archives: Shallots

It is easier to get older than wiser!

I am in the process of updating my older posts… spellcheck was definitely required… lol…This one gives you an insight into my daily life and my favourite salad and the first one I was taught to make…The jewellery making now is on the back burner for the moment… So much to do and so little time… 30 hour days would be nice at the moment…Only kidding about the days xx

Retired? No one told me!

Well, that’s true… am I wiser…Depends…lol……….TIT ( This is Thailand )
TIT ONLY IN THAILAND……..I  never cease to be amazed at how much or how many people you can get on a bike a or in car or lorry.

Do you know if I could have just 1 wish ……it would be to pick this up and drop it smack in the middle of the M25…Ha Ha and watch the reaction……..For anyone who hasn’t experienced the M25 car park, it’s in the UK.

traffic-Jam

It’s  Thai lesson time soon, my young grandson is helping me with my pronunciation and tones and I am feeling quite pleased so far…..but long way to go…..the teller is when you go out and ask for something in what you think is brilliant Thai and you get that blank look that says ..what!…..but hey ho will keep trying…..

It’s 86 degrees and rising..lovely……but no snow…xmas trees up and decorated, looks lovely…..but…

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Fish Friday….Thai Squid Salad.

 

Another authentic Thai recipe…

Squid Salad

I used to hate squid with a passion…..the only squid I had ever tasted was those squid rings in batter..fried to death and tasting like a rubber tyre…that is until my son bought his Thai girlfriend home and she introduced me to this amazing salad with the softest squid I have ever tasted. Doesn’t that just look amazing?

Ingredients:

  • 400 gm(14 oz) baby squid.
  • 5 Spring Onions. (sliced)
  • 5 sm shallots.( thinly sliced)
  • 20 cherry tomatoes. ( halved)
  • half sm cucumber sliced and quartered.
  • Coriander big bunch or again to taste…I like lots…(chop)
  • Mint. ( optional)
  • 1-3 birds Eye Chillies chopped( seeds optional)
  • 2 tbsp Fish Sauce.
  • Half lime,  juice.
  • Palm Sugar ( up to 2 tbsp ) again optional I don’t use it but depends on personal preference.

Let’s Cook!

Clean the squid. Getting all membrane off and remember to pull out the plastic quill.

Cut head/parrots beak off leaving the  tentacles(the best bit)

Slice squid into 3/4 to inch slices.

Heat a small amount of water in a pan and add squid,  cook until opaque less than a minute, Drain on kitchen paper and combine with other ingredients.

Again TASTE and check to season. You cannot taste too much. It is just getting those delicious Thai flavours of sweet, sour, spicy and salty just right for you..it took me a while so just keep tasting…

Squid Salad

I just love Thai food one because of the taste and also because of the ease of preparation. It takes longer to chop ingredients than to cook the dish the majority of the time. And as long as you remember to TASTE, taste and adjust seasoning to your personal taste and as you know by now I love chillies, fish sauce, coriander and mint in abundance.

Enjoy!

Serve with Sticky/ Steamed Rice or noodles.

Just in case you missed any of the previous weeks Fish Friday posts they are below:

British Fish and Chips 

Sea Bass with Lime, Ginger and Fennel

Prawns with Asparagus

Thank you for reading I do hope you have enjoyed the recipes and if you try them please let me know what you think…

 

Gluten Free Mu NamTok ( waterfall pork)

One of my favourite Thai dishes served with glutinous rice…Nam doc Moo

It is quick and easy to make for lunch and although the name glutinous rice infers it has gluten it does not… it means sticky here. The rice is gluten free.

Ingredients:

Serves 2.

200 gm Pork loin.

2 shallots sliced thinly

Hand full coriander chopped

Mint a big handfull, stripped for the stem

A tbsp of ground roasted rice

1-3 tsp dried chilli

2 cheeks of lime

1-2 tbsp Fish Sauce

2 spring onions finely sliced ( optional)

Firstly cook pork on a griddle or BBQ until just cooked allow to rest before slicing.

Thinly slice shallots.

Mix with coriander and mint leaves. Thinly slice pork and add to dish with shallots, mint and coriander. Also, add any juice from the meat. Add fish sauce, dried chillies, roasted rice and lime juice then gently combine and TASTE… Adjust seasoning if required.  Taste!

Serve with Sticky rice and a dish of washed Thai vegetables.

The meat for this dish can also be sliced thinly and cooked in a little water which a lot of Thais do…I prefer mine griddled I think it has more taste…

N.B: HOW TO DRY ROAST THE RICE.

Heat a small pan and add a handful of glutinous rice, stir to prevent it burning until the rice has coloured slightly a nice light brown, then remove from the heat and grind in pestle and mortar…Do not grind to a powder it needs to be a little coarse as it gives taste and texture to a dish. It will keep in a sealed container for about 6 weeks.

Until next time stay safe, have fun and laugh a lot as it is the best medicine you can get and free…

 

 

 

 

 

Prawns with Tamarind Sauce( Goong ma kham)

These beautiful prawns in a tamarind sauce are one of my very favourite Thai dishes. I just love the sweet sourness of the Tamarind fruit.

pRAWNS WITH tAMARIND sAUCE

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil ( I use coconut oil)

2 small dried chillies

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

3 large fresh red chillies julienned

A small carrot julienned.

Sugar snap peas or mange tout( optional)

8 red shallots, sliced

3 red birds-eye chillies, chopped

60 ml fish sauce

60 ml tamarind puree

150 g soft palm sugar

1 tsp salt

200 ml water

To make the tamarind sauce, heat the oil in a deep heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Add the dried chillies, then deep-fry until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper towel.

Add the garlic and large fresh chilli to the pan, cook for 1 minute. Add the shallot and continue cooking for another 1 minute, then add the birds-eye chilli, fish sauce, tamarind, palm sugar and salt and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Crumble the deep-fried dried chillies. Carefully add the water and dried chilli to the sauce, then simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Put to one side.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Place the prawns on a large flat plate. Combine the tapioca flour and rice flour and sprinkle over the prawns to coat, then shake off any excess.Deep-fry a few prawns at a time in the hot oil for 6 minutes or until the prawns just change colour and are cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Repeat with the remaining prawns.

Meanwhile, blanch the Chinese broccoli, carrots and peas ( if used) in a saucepan of boiling water for 1–2 minutes, then drain.

Pour 300g of the tamarind sauce into a small heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Leftover tamarind sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Place the Chinese broccoli on a serving plate and top with the prawns. Drizzle with the hot tamarind sauce and garnish with coriander leaves and chilli. Serve with steamed rice.

Enjoy! 

 

It is easier to get older than wiser!

Well, that’s true… am I wiser…Depends…lol……….TIT ( This is Thailand )
TIT ONLY IN THAILANDI  never cease to be amazed at how much or how many people you can get on a bike a or in car or lorry.

Do you know if I could have just 1 wish …...it would be to pick this up and drop it smack in the middle of the M25…Ha Ha and watch the reaction……..For anyone who hasn’t experienced the M25 car park, it’s in the UK.

traffic-Jam

It’s  Thai lesson time soon, my young grandson is helping me with my pronunciation and tones and I am feeling quite pleased so far…..but long way to go…..the teller is when you go out and ask for something in what you think is brilliant Thai and you get that blank look that says ..what!…..but hey ho will keep trying…..

It’s 86 degrees and rising..lovely……but no snow…xmas trees up and decorated, looks lovely…..but no snow……apparently the Uk is going to get some ferocious weather soon and when I see the pics and hear the moans bet I will be glad I have no snow.

The recipe for this week is Squid Salad. ( Yam pra muek ) which is one of my favourites and also one of the first Thai dishes I ever tried or have made.

Ingredients: 

  • 400 gm(14oz) baby squid.
  • 5 Spring Onion. (sliced)
  • 5 sm shallots. ( thinly sliced)
  • 20 cherry tomatoes. ( halved)
  • half sm cucumber sliced and quartered.
  • Coriander big bunch or again to taste…I like lots…(chop)
  • Mint. ( optional)
  • 3 birds Eye Chillies chopped( seeds optional)
  • 2 tbsp Fish Sauce.
  • Half lime juice.
  • Palm Sugar ( up to 2 tbsp ) again optional I don’t use but depends on personal preference.

Let’s Cook!

Clean Squid.Getting all membrane off and remember to pull out the plastic quill.

Cut head/parrots beak of tentacles(the best bit)

Slice into 3/4 to inch slices.

Combine all ingredients.

Heat a small amount of water in a pan and add squid cook until opaque less than a minute, Drain on kitchen paper and combine with other ingredients.

SAM_6224Again taste and check the seasoning. You cannot taste too much.

I just love Thai food one because of the taste and also because of the ease of preparation. It takes longer to chop ingredients than to cook the dish the majority of the time.  And as long as you remember to taste, taste and adjust seasoning to your personal taste and as you know by now I love chillies, fish sauce, coriander and mint in abundance.

Enjoy!

Oh and serve with  Sticky/ Steamed Rice or noodles.

Yesterday was our Craft Groups Xmas Lunch at a local Thai  Restaurant, I had one of my favourites…Massaman Gai and Keow Suey ( Steamed Rice ). Oh…and I think a copious amount of vino…Massaman is quite a mild Thai   Curry with potatoes ( Man Farang) and what I always have if I am not sure about the other food on the menu…… somehow most restaurants get Massaman right……haha…..

The New Year sees me giving a demo on how I make my jewellery..not sure about this as it comes from within…how do you demonstrate that?……. I just take my materials, cotton, string, beads in my chosen colours and twist and knot as I go …all very individual but no pattern and no two alike so think I will just take my box of goodies, choose my colours and away we go..wish me luck….. If you fancy looking at my creations I have a FB page…Taylor Originals……Don’t quite know why I did that as I don’t sell them just make them for gifts…..just a means of showing my friends and family what I get up to as I am so far away from them.

Very excited as some friends are over from the Uk….meeting them Monday and so looking forward to it……..

Tchau…..anyone guess correct? it’s goodbye in Germanic.

Not long now folks 13 days…don’t know about you but I still have lots of shopping to do……So if you have to brave the hoards of shoppers this weekend…Good Luck…..Or are you an armchair shopper?……I’m a bit of both…..Have a great weekend all of you and Happy  Shopping, Cooking or Partying.

Until next time Joigin.