In the west we usually eat our eggs either scrambled, fried, or hard boiled with very little ornamentation. Sure we add salt and pepper, but not much else, unless you’re at a Sunday brunch and are enjoying Eggs Benedict. The following Thai recipe for Kai Look Koie gives hard boiled eggs a special kick with the addition of dried chili and a savory sweet and sour sauce that is, in my opinion, to die for. Kai Look Koie literally translates to Son in Law Eggs, and I’m uncertain where the name came from and so is my wife. Being the curious type, I started searching for the origins of the name for this dish. I actually came across several, but the actual truth of the matter will remain hidden. Choose YOUR favorite explanation for the name “Son in Law Eggs”.

• Theory #1: The frying of the hard boiled eggs gives them a golden brown color that is reminiscent of the color of gold. Thais are quite superstitious in nature, and colors are commonly associated with events, people and desired outcomes. Because every daughter’s parents want their new son in law to become wealthy, these eggs are served as a symbolic gesture to increase the son in law’s chance of finding wealth.
• Theory #2: One day a new groom’s mother in law came for a visit, but her daughter was out. The new groom wanted to be hospitable and also impress his new mother in law, so he headed to the kitchen to whip up a snack for her to eat while she waited for her daughters return. Unfortunately, the young man had no idea how to cook! He grabbed some hard boiled eggs that were left over from breakfast and threw them in some hot oil to reheat them. While the eggs were frying, he grabbed whatever happened to be close at hand and tossed in in the wok. Shallots were followed by tamarind paste, fish sauce, dried chili’s, and palm sugar. He stirred these all together and then sliced the now hot eggs and tossed them into the mixture. Proud of himself at this point, he remembered that there was no rice cooked. He scrambled to get the rice together, and while doing so forgot all about the mixture bubbling away in the wok. The sugar began to caramelize and by the time he got back it was nearly, but not quite, burned. Scooping the thick gooey mess out of the wok, he poured it over the rice and served it to his mother in law with a prayer to Buddha. Turns out he created a new and delicious dish!
• Theory #3: This theory is a bit gruesome, but considering the history of intentional castrations in Thailand I think it might be the closest to the truth. You see, Thai is a tonal language and the word “kai” can mean both egg and testicle, depending on the tone used. Ironically, the dish originated using quail eggs, which are roughly the same size and shape as human male testicles. Following along with the Thai tendency towards symbolism, what better way for a mother in law to warn her new son in law to behave himself than to serve him a dish of symbolic testicles covered in a sticky, hot, bubbling sauce? Make a wrong move son and these “kai” could be your “kai”.

Whatever the truth, these son in law eggs are universally loved by all classes of people in Thailand. You won’t find them in upscale restaurants, they are a common dish, best enjoyed from a streetside vendor or a food court. You are also unlikely to find them in any Thai restaurant in the West, so your best chance to give them a try is to make them at home yourself.

Kai Look Koie Recipe (Serves 3)

• 6 boiled eggs
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot
• 1/3 cup Thai Palm Sugar
• 1/4 cup tamarind juice
• 3 tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cups cooking oil, for deep-frying
• 5-10 dried Thai bird chillies, crisp-fried
• coriander leaves for garnish

1. Heat a wok over medium high heat and fry the dried chili’s in the dry wok until they begin to darken and become fragrant. You’ll know they are ready because you will be coughing violently in most cases.
2. Remove the chili’s from the wok and set aside for later use.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and preheat the oil over medium heat.
4. Deep-fry the boiled eggs until the whole egg turns golden brown.
5. Remove the eggs from the oil and drain on an absorbent paper towel.
6. Fry the shallots in the same vegetable oil over medium heat (~2 minutes) until golden and fragrant.
7. Remove the shallots and drain on an absorbent paper towel.
8. Prepare the sauce by using the same oil (from frying the shallots) over medium heat.
9. Add palm sugar, tamarind juice and fish sauce. Stir well until the sauce thickens (5-10 minutes) and then turn off the heat.
10. Cut the fried eggs into halves and put them on a serving dish, sprinkle with fried shallot and crisp-fried chillies.
11. Pour the sauce over the eggs generously. Garnish with coriander and serve!

For a twist on this dish, try using shrimp in place of the eggs. We use roughly 1 pound of cleaned and deveined shrimp for this recipe, and I have to say they are much better than any sweet and sour shrimp from a Chinese restaurant. Sweet, sour, spicy, and savory, this dish is sure to please.

Neua Naam Tok (Thai Spicy Grilled Beef) is really popular in the roadside restaurants around Bangkok. Normally when Thai people order Som Tum (Papaya Salad), grilled chicken and sticky rice they will also have a dish of grilled meats like nuea nam tok. In Thai, “nuea” means beef and “nam tok” means waterfall, so this is literally “Waterfall Beef”. It is called waterfall beef because of the way the sparks in the bar-b-que fire resemble the falling water in a waterfall. Nam tok can also be made with pork, called “moo” in Thai, which is equally delicious. Alright now I’m ready to present the Neua Naam Tok recipe for you.

Neua Naam Tok Recipe

(Serves 2-3 people)

• 200-300 grams beef (london broil or top round)
• 1/4 cup coriander, coarsely sliced
• 1/4 cup spring onion, coarsely sliced
• 1/4 cup mint leaf, coarsely sliced
• 1/4 cup lemon grasses, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp Thai chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp roasted Rice Powder
• 3 tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 tsp seasoning powder(Rod Dee) or if you can’t find can use 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 cucumber, sliced

1. Wash the beef and grill over medium heat until medium rare.
2. Slice thinly into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a mixing bowl.
3. Follow with coriander, spring onion, mint leaf, lemon grasses and shallots.
4. Season to taste with fish sauce, lime juice, seasoning powder(sugar) and chilli powder, toss well to combine.
5. Add ground roasted rice and toss lightly again. Arrange on a serving dish and serve with sliced cucumber and rice.

Neua Naam Tok is a great choice when you are looking to eat something spicy. The combination of the heat, the smokiness of the bar-b-que, the salt of the fish sauce, and the slightly sour taste of the limes combines perfectly. Together with sticky rice or even regular steamed jasmine rice it makes for a nice part of a well rounded Thai streetside meal. Add a vegetable dish (like this stir fried eggplant) and a soup (such as stuffed cucumber soup) and you will be eating like a king!

You can find spicy foods in many countries of the world from China to Mexico, but rarely will you find any spicier than Thai foods. This spiciness is almost always thanks to the ubiquitous Thai bird chili. This deceptively small chili packs a wallop that will make tears flow from the eyes of grown men.

Thais add these chili’s to many of their dishes, from the northern larb dishes to the southern curries. Even when the dish doesn’t contain chili directly, you can find a variety of chili condiments on the table at any Thai restaurant. These condiments range from dried chili powder to variations on nam prik, which means “chili water” in Thai and can be made from fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice and of course…Thai bird chili’s. Even when eating something as plain as fried rice, most Thais will add some nam prik to spice things up a bit.

The two most common Thai bird chili’s used in cooking are the prik kee nu and the prik chee faa chili’s. There are other varieties used, but nearly every dish will contain one of these two chili’s. Both are extremely spicy and not to be taken lightly. The prik kee nu is the smaller and hotter of the two chili’s. If you are not used to spicy food, you will want to exercise caution when you first experience true Thai foods. I’ve rarely found food in America that comes anywhere near Thai food in terms of heat. Even food that we would consider extra hot is mild in comparison with what you can get at nearly any food stall here in Thailand.

Both the prik kee nu and the prik chee faa come either green or red (I haven’t noticed much difference in heat between the two colors) and range from 1-3 inches in length. You can find these chili’s at most any Oriental grocery store in America. If you have to travel to a larger city to find them keep in mind that they do freeze well and will keep for up to year in the freezer. Wash the chili’s, dry them thoroughly and then place them in either a ziplock bag or tupperware before placing them in the freezer. This will give you an always available source of chili.

The dried prik kee nu is known as prik hang (hang means “dry” in Thai) and is even hotter if that’s possible. Prik hang are also available from Oriental groceries. Note that the heat of the chili seems to be inversely related to it’s size. That is, smaller chili’s are much hotter than larger chili’s. When we were living in the U.S. we used about 1/2 pound of these per month, but now that we are in Thailand we use much less at home since we often get our food from the street vendors. You can also grind these chili’s to make an powerful chili powder. First, roast the chili’s in a wok until they begin to brown. Then place them in a blender and blend until powdered. A small amount of this chili powder will go a very long way!

Thai food is not only about the heat. Although many dishes are spicy, they also combine elements of sour, sweet, bitter and salty. In addition, Thais typically eat family style and many dishes are served at the same time. So, there may be several non-spicy dishes to balance the spicy dishes on the table. The rice that is eaten with every meal also serves to cool the mouth when eating spicy food. So, next time you’ve bitten off more than you can chew in your favorite Thai restaurant, try eating some plain white rice to cool things down.

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Thai food is world renown for it’s diversity, excellence and flavor…not to mention it’s spiciness.  What many people do not know is that Thai food has not always been this way.  Prior to the 16^th century the food of the common people and royalty in old Siam consisted primarily of plain rice, fish and fresh vegetables.  So what is it that caused such a flavor explosion in Thai food?

Throughout most of Thailand’s history the Thai people had eaten their indigenous fruits and vegetables such as bananas, taro, sugar palm, mango and Thai oranges.  There were no domesticated animals up to the 17^th century, even though the pig had been domesticated in western Asia sometime around 6000 BC so any meats came from wild animals, fish and shellfish.

These meats were primarily grilled and food was cooked in clay pots.  There was no fried or stir fried dishes until the wok was introduced to Thailand from China in the 16^th century.  Primary dishes included yum (salads) and kruang jim (dips) which can still be seen as a mainstay in Thai cuisine today.  Spices were mostly added to food to mask gamy flavors from wild meats or bitterness from some vegetables.  In addition, fish was made into nam plaa (fish sauce) and kapi (fish paste) to add flavor to the plain foods.

All of this began to change in the 16^th century as the outside world discovered Siam and Ayutthaya became the commercial and political center of Asia.  At that time it seemed that all roads, both land and water based led to Thailand.  Traders and merchants came from all corners of the globe, beginning with nearby China, India and Malaysia, and later expanding to include travelers from Europe who arrived via the sea lanes.

As you can imagine these merchants and travelers brought with them the foods and cooking methods of their homelands, since many foods and spices were alien to Siam at that time.  Caravans would set up on the outside of Ayutthaya and sailors would be anchored in the river outside the city for months at a time waiting for the winds to turn and send them home.

As the merchants and sailors were cooking the foods of their homelands the delicious fragrances would be borne on the winds for all to smell and undoubtedly drew the attention of the Thai’s.  One can imagine them asking about the wonderful smells and tasting new spices, fruits and vegetables from the visiting travelers.  And after tasting these intriguing new dishes they would logically ask about the recipe and ingredients.  Over time these new dishes would become incorporated into the Thai cuisine that we know and love today.

Northern routes brought the Chinese to Thailand and with them came tea, dried fruit, the wok and bamboo steamer, rice noodles and the concept of sweet and sour flavors together.  The Thai’s expanded that even more by including spicy and salty as well to form the current well known Thai dishes.  From the west came Indians, and later Europeans, carrying curries, coffee and spices.   Thailand’s nearby southern neighbors contributed betel nuts, satay and massaman while eastern Thailand was influenced by Lao cooking and less so by Vietnamese and Cambodian cooking.

The arrival of the British, French, Dutch and Portuguese in the 17^th century created a huge impact on Thai foods.  Europeans brought the onion and shallot to Thailand which are now irreplaceable in Thai cuisine.  Merchants also brought garlic, peppercorns and chili’s which were surprisingly unknown in Thailand prior to this.  Other common Thai ingredients introduced at this time include lychees, papaya, watermelon, pineapples and cashews.

Europeans also introduced the white potato, corn and wheat to Siam at this time.  Along with the new foods, Europeans also brought new cooking tools and methods of preparation.  For example, the Portuguese and Indians introduced the addition of coconut milk to curries, which is now famous in Thailand and they also added tomato’s and eggplant.

Thai food is some of the most delicious and complex foods in the world.  Because of Thailand’s central location in Asia they were able to collect the best of the foods and cooking techniques of many lands and peoples.  They then took these as there own and made them uniquely Thai, combining sweet, salty, sour and spicy in sometimes amazing combinations to make some of the best tasting food one can find.  So next time you eat a Thai dish remember that it took many hundreds of years and the contributions of many lands to make Thai food what it is today…absolutely delicious!

Golf has already given us many of her Thai dishes to enjoy.  I’m wondering if there’s any specific Thai foods that you want to know how to make?  Or any recipes you can share with us.  Leave us a comment and let us know.

Recently I saw one of my Facebook friends posted about her life as “she thought to herself the whole time that cancer is something that would never come to her and her family until 3 weeks ago she received the shocking news that the most wonderful person in her life, her dad was diagnosed with the end stages of lung cancer”.

This post makes me realize how short peoples lives are.

Do you agree with me that most people don’t realize this and still live their lives like nothing will ever happen to them. I used to be one of them. I used to be the one who has no concern about anything and live my life like no tomorrow; up until I had Alivia, my most wonderful beautiful daughter. Since then I have been trying to pay attention to small things, try to slow things down, try to watch what I spend my money on, try to keep my weight in normal range and exercise, try to watch what I eat, and also try to be as healthy as I can. Because you never know when something bad will happen and what it might be.

The healthier food is something that I really want to talk about today. Most times I can’t control what I eat as much as I want to (just like anyone else). I’m one who has an excuse just like everyone else, such as unhealthy food tastes so good and it is what I have been craving for or I don’t like the taste and smell (I know the healthy foods are not always tastiest). Today things are more convenient for most people who have no time to watch over that.

Supplements come to be the most common role in peoples lives. I was the one who never cared or understand why I need to take it until I’m about to turn 30 and I feel like shit when I started to work again. I have to use a computer for 8 hours or more a day and plus when I get home I want to check my email, Facebook, do some work on my website, etc. so I noticed that my only pair of eyes started to bother me a lot. And my back, my neck all are painful and started to have muscle aches from sitting and using the computer for a long period of time. I did realize that hey..I’m almost 30 and am I going to be an old woman who is working without paying attention to my health? At that time one of my cousins “Noom” introduced me into the business he has been doing for the last 2 years and I was like okay though I don’t really care for this type of the business so why do I need to join. At first he talked to me about the business plan and the income that he has been getting for the past 2 years. That made me excited about it at first, but then it never really touched me until he talked about the product that he has been using and how it has helped his health specifically about“sciatica”. Noom had severe back pain and was diagnosed with a herniated disc and sometimes when it occurred he would not able to get out of bed for weeks. He suggested I should try “rice bran oil” for the problem I have with “dry eyes” and “muscle aches”. So first I only got 1 bottle of the rice bran oil and share it with my husband. Believe it or not I started to take 2 pills a day and it has been 3 days that I was using it like this and I found my self had no back pain, no neck pain and the most wonderful part is I don’t have any problem with my dry eyes ever since. My husband did not believe in the benefit of the rice bran oil tried it too. He is one who suffers from allergies and usually will have the stuffy nose and crusted eyes occur to him in the morning, and he feels good after taking it. He feels he has more energy and no more allergy problems in the morning too.

My dad is another severe case of herniated disc because he used to drive for a long period of time and he used to weigh over 250 lbs. Right now he lost all the weight, but one thing that doesn’t seem to go away since he lost weight is the problem of back pain. He still has sciatica and pain in his back. 2 weeks after beginning to take rice bran oil my dad feels wonderfully fine and his back didn’t bother him since then compare to before. With a severe case like his it’s typical to need surgery to finally get rid of the pain. My mom is 52 now and she needs hormone therapy due to menopause, and the medicine she has been receiving didn’t help her at all. She became sick and lost weight and was not able to sleep through the night. Since she took the rice bran oil she doesn’t need the hormone therapy any longer.

There was also a story about curing cancer from people who joined this business who had their cancer go into remission in the last stage of liver cancer. The doctor told him he only had 4 months left of life and he gave rice bran oil a try. He took 9 capsules a day and within a month he started to feel better and he returned to the hospital to do the lab test and the result was there was no evidence of the cancer to be found. At present he still takes the rice bran oil regularly, but has decreased the amount to lower than 9 capsules.

All are the benefits of the rice bran oil I would love to share with you and you also can find more information online. So now it’s up to you whether you want to be one who wants to start to take care of yourself before it’s too late and you have nothing left to take care or not. If you would like to get more details on the product please feel free to contact me, thank you and have a happy and healthy life!!!

Today’s snow, tomorrow’s sunny, the next day’s raining, this minute cold, the next minute hot. I’m so fed up with the weather here. So I decided to make a snack to fix the dullness with the recipe called Ka-nom Jeep Moo (Pork Dumplings), which I haven’t had for a long time. Thinking of Thailand, whenever I crave this dish I would go to Chinatown or Wang Lang, Siriraj; where this neighborhood has the regular vendors who make absolutely delicious dumplings…

Ingredients

• 1 pack thin sheet wonton wrapper
• 500 grams minced pork
• 1 cup yam bean (or jicama), finely chopped and squeeze the water out
• ½ large onion, roughly chopped and squeeze the water out
• 1/3 cup carrots, roughly chopped and squeeze the water out
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp corn starch
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp seasoning sauce
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2-3 coriander root, washed
• 6-7 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• Jig-Choh (black vinegar sauce), used for the dumpling sauce
• Side dish vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage and coriander, etc.

How to do…
1. Peel the garlic. Pound all of them roughly. Divide half of the garlic to fry with vegetable oil in the hot pan. Fry until fragrant and golden brown. Then scoop the oil and the garlic into a bowl and set aside (will be using that as the garnish on the cooked dumplings).

2. Pound the remaining garlic, coriander root and black pepper until fine to combine and mix thoroughly.

3. Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix and knead together. (Try to scoop a little bit of the mixed ingredients and put in microwave for about 15-20 minutes until cooked to taste. Adjust the flavor as your preference).

4. Start to wrap the dumplings. Place the wrapper on one of your hand as shown. Scoop ½ Tbsp mixture and put it in the middle of the wrapper. Then slowly bundle the wrapper around the filling by folding the plait all around the same time (use another hand to help by wetting finger with water before folding, this will make the plait easier). Make all until the filling is gone, arrange them on a plate.

5. Set the steamer to boil. Place the dumplings into the steamer when the water boils. Slightly spray the dumplings with water before steaming. (The spraying will help to prevent the wrapper sheets from getting solid). It takes about 7 minutes to steam.

6. Arrange cooked dumplings on a plate, garnish with fried garlic, and serve with Jig-Choh (black vinegar sauce), lettuce, cabbage and coriander.

Note
1. Dumpling filling can be altered to many things and to any kind of protein as you like, such as Ka-nom Jeep Gai (chicken dumplings), Ka-nom Jeep Goong (shrimp dumplings), etc.
2. Left over dumplings can be stored in the refrigerator. After removing from the fridge spray with water before heating.

An easy dish that isn’t easy to make as its name (Moo means a pig but can also use as the expression which refers to “so easy” in Thai as well). This is because we can not get the pork that is used to make Khao Moo Grob (Rice with Crispy Pork) in any typical grocery store in my town, because the pork that is sold in the grocery store is cut and separated into chops, roasts, etc.

Moo Grob (Crispy Pork) uses the part of the pork that includes meat, fat and the skin; the same part that bacon is made from. Fortunately, at a Vietnamese grocery store nearby my home they have exactly what I wanted. So today I’m thinking about making Khao Moo Grob. Another dish with tons of calories, but very tasty which will make you forget about getting fat .

• 1000 gram streaky pork (pork belly) with skin attached
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 1 tsp vinegar (for painting the pork skin)
• 1 tsp salt (for painting the pork skin)
• 6-8 cups water, or estimate it once you put in the pot; make sure it is enough to cover the pork
• Vegetable oil for frying the pork

Side dishes

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 Boiled egg
• 1 Cucumber
• Green onion and coriander leaves for garnishing

How to do…
1. Clean the streaky pork with water thoroughly. If there are some hairs left please scrape them off.

2. Add water into a pot and place over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of salt. When the water is boiled, put the streaky pork in, boil for about 40-45 minutes. Then scoop it out, leave it to drain, and wait until the pork is cool.

3. Pierce the pork skin with a fork thoroughly. Then flip the pork over so the meat side is up. Use a knife to cut the meat lengthwise about 2 inches width or in half (Do not cut through the pork skin).

5. Put the pork onto a tall cup skin down or any receptacle that you will be able to lean the pork on and allow the oil come out easily. Leave it overnight.

7. Place a pot (or a deep wok) over medium low heat. Add the oil into the pot deep enough to cover the pork when you fry. Wait until the oil gets hot then put the roasted pork in to fry (be careful with the splashing oil). Fry until both sides of the pork golden brown, crispy and inflated beautiful skin. Scoop it out and set aside.

8. Cut the finished fried pork into bite-sized pieces (cutting it right before serving).

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp palm sugar
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 2 Tbsp tomato sauce
• ¼ tsp Pa-Loh spices powder (Chinese Star anise, Cinnamon, and Cumin mixed)
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp roasted white sesame seeds
• A pinch of grounded black pepper

How to make the gravy
1. Add all the ingredients except corn starch into the pot. Place it over medium low heat. Stir until sauce starts to boil.
2. Reduce the heat when it boils. Dissolve the corn starch with approximately 1-2 tablespoons of water.
3. Gradually add corn starch water, little by little. Keep stirring at the same time to avoid corn starch clumping. Once the gravy is thickened add roasted sesame seeds. Stir a little bit, then remove from the heat and let it cool down. The gravy will thicken up more after removing from the heat. The finished gravy is supposed to be a little sweet in taste and not very red in color.

The sauce ingredients

• 2 Tbsp dark sweet soy sauce
• 3 Red and green Phrik Chi Fa, crosswise sliced
• 1 Tbsp Distilled vinegar

Mix dark sweet soy sauce with vinegar, and then add sliced Phrik Chi Fa into. Stir well.

How to serve Khao Moo Grob
Scoop cooked rice onto a plate. Place halved boiled eggs and sliced cucumber around the plate. Place the crispy pork over the rice. Garnish with chopped coriander and green onion. Pour the gravy over to wet. Serve and have it with the sauce (some places like to serve it with Goon Chiang Todd (fried Chinese sausage) also).

In general, crispy pork can be made into other dishes besides Khao Moo Grob such as Ka-nar Moo Grob (Stir fried Kale with Crispy pork), Pad Phrik (Stir fried sweet pepper) or even put in Som Tom (papaya salad) called Som Tom Moo Grob (papaya salad with crispy pork) ; this is also quite delicious. The left over crispy pork can be refrigerated. Whenever you want to have it then you just need to heat it up or use it to cook in another dish as mentioned. So no need to be afraid of wasting it at all.

Previously, I had already presented you with the Khao Man Gai (chicken with rice) recipe. And then I got a comment asking about how to make Khao Man Gai Tod (Fried Chicken with Rice). Therefore, I went to search for the recipe for you all to try, to make and to eat. Ingredients and how to make Khao Man Gai Tod (Fried Chicken with Rice) are simple as follows.

Ingredients

• 2 pieces chicken breasts (using the boneless ones)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup breadcrumb
• 1 egg
• ½ Tbsp soy sauce
• ½ Tbsp seasoning sauce
• ½ Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• A pinch of garlic powder
• A pinch of coriander powder
• A pinch of ground red pepper
• Vegetable oil to fry

How to do…
1. Wash the chicken breasts with water thoroughly. If the chicken is very thick, then cut chicken into pieces lengthwise about 1.5 – 2 cm thick and then put them in a mixing bowl.

2. Add soy sauce, seasoning sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, pepper, garlic powder, coriander powder, and red pepper into the mixing bowl. Mix well. Then put the marinated chicken in the fridge for an hour. If you have more time you can let it sit overnight (the mixture will absorb into the meat more).

3. Crack the egg into a bowl, then beat to rise. Before frying, dredge the marinated chicken in the all purpose flour. Lightly pat the excess flour off. Then dip the chicken into the beaten egg. Finally dredge the breasts in the breadcrumbs thoroughly.

4. Place the wok with oil in it over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot enough to put the chicken down to fry. Fry about 10-14 minutes until chicken is cooked, browned and floating. Then take them out and drain the oil. Wait to serve with rice and the sauce.

The Khao Man Gai Tod sauce (Fried Chicken with Rice Sauce)

Ingredients

• 4 large red Capsicum frutescens (Solanaceae) or Prik Chee Fah in Thai (will be dividing them into 2 parts: 3 of the chilies will be cut lengthwise along the grain and use the spoon to scrape the seeds out. The remaining one will be used as the whole chili to provide moderate spiciness).
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled)
• ½ -1 Tbsp water garlic pickled
• ½ cup vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt

How to do…
1. Put the chili, garlic, vinegar, water garlic pickled, and salt into the blender. Then blend until everything is mixed well and fine.
2. Pour the blended ingredients into a pot and place it on the low heat. Simmer to boil. Then add sugar, stir until dissolve and simmer for another 10 minutes to allow water to evaporate. Then will get the sauce that has a stronger taste and is a bit more sticky.
3. Turn off the power. Lift it down and let it cool.

How to serve Fried Chicken with Rice

Chop the fried chicken into bite sized pieces and on top of the rice. (How to make the rice, you can go and visit the Chicken and Rice page from previously). Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with cucumber obliquely sliced, the sauce and soup.

Tod Mun Plah Grai (Fried Fish Cake Thai Style) is another popular recipe for those who like to have fish. In addition to being easy to find to eat and for sale in a busy general community area Tod Mun Plah Grai is also an easy dish to make on your own at home. Or if inconvenient to make it yourself, you can buy it pre-made and then fry it yourself.

How to make Tod Mun Plah Grai so tasty and delicious, here are some tips and steps to do.

Ingredients

• 300 grams (10 ounces) Notopteridae fish meat (you can substitute any mild white fish), crushed or finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp red curry paste
• 1 cup long yard beans, finely chopped
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt, bring to thawed in 1 Tbsp ice cold water
• Vegetable oil for deep frying

How to do…
1. Bring the Notopteridae fish meat, red curry paste, long yard beans, kaffir lime leaves, and egg to mix and knead together until sticky.
2. Season with fish sauce, sugar and salted water and knead until sticky and well mixed.
3. Add the vegetable oil into the wok and place it on medium heat. When the oil is hot then reduce the heat to low. Then put the Tod Mun in to fry, by making it into a thumb sized ball and spread it out into a flat disk about 1 cm thick and 1 ½ -2 inches in diameter. Fry until it cooks and turns golden on both sides. When it is cooked, scoop it up to drain out the oil. Arrange on a plate and serve with the sauce.

The sauce ingredients

• ½ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
• 2 small cucumbers
• ½ -1 tsp pounded fresh Thai chili (depends on whether you like more or less spicy)
• 2 Tbsp grounded roasted peanuts (optional, depends on your preference)
• 2 coriander stalks, coarsely chopped

How to do the sauce…
1. Wash cucumbers with water thoroughly. Then cut in half lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise.
2. Add Thai sweet chili sauce into a mixing bowl. Follow with cucumber, fresh Thai chili, peanuts and coriander. Stir well. Then serve with Tod Mun.

Tip
Immerse the bowl that holds the Tod Mun mixture in crushed ice or refrigerate it over night. And then fry it the next day, so this will allow Tod Mun to inflate, rise, and look delicious.

One of the Thai snacks that is often sold as a pair with Kow Gree-ap Pahk Mau (thin, flat steamed sweetmeat of glutinous rice flour) is Sah-koo Sai Moo (steamed tapioca filled with sweet pork). Sah-koo Sai Moo has a slightly sweet flavor mixed with a little salty. It is popular to have it with coriander, cabbage, and fresh Thai chili (Phrik Khee Nuu) to cleanse the oily taste. In addition it is the kind of food that is easy to eat, it is also simple to make, it does not require as much time and expertise to make as many other types of snacks.

Ingredients

• 500 gram (4 ½ cups) tapioca granules
• 250 gram (8 ½ ounces) minced pork
• 100 gram (3 ounces) salted radish, finely chopped (washed and drained)
• ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely pounded
• 1 Tbsp coriander root, finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp pepper seed
• ½ cup palm sugar
• ½ Tbsp fish sauce
• ½ Tbsp soy sauce
• ½ Tbsp seasoning sauce
• ½ -1 tsp black soy sauce
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup hot water
• Fresh vegetables for side dish such as cabbage, coriander, fresh Thai chili (Phrik Khee Nuu), etc.
• Cheesecloth to place on the Chinese utensil steamer before steaming

How to do…
1. Rinse Tapioca granules with water thoroughly. Drain the water out with a strainer. Then add into a mixing bowl. Gradually add hot water into it, stir well, then cover with damp cheesecloth for about an hour. Later, thresh the tapioca until it becomes sticky and homogeneous. Then mold the tapioca into small ball shapes about ½ -1 inch in diameter. Set them aside.

2. Add the oil into the pan. Place the pan over medium heat until hot. Add 3 Tbsp chopped garlic to fry until yellow (careful not to burn), then scoop them out and set aside.

4. Place the pan over medium heat. Add the remaining oil from frying the garlic 2 Tbsp into the pan. Wait until the oil is hot then add the pounded ingredients to fry until fragrant. Add chopped onions and minced pork to it. Stir fry the pork to be dispersed. Follow with chopped salted radish. Then season with palm sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, seasoning sauce, and black soy sauce. Stir well. Taste to ensure it is salty and sweet. Add the peanuts. Stir fry together until becomes sticky. Turn off the heat. Lift it down and let it cool.

5. Start to wrap by spreading out the tapioca ball into a thin sheet. Put the filling in the middle. Then wrap it up completely with tapioca sheet. Then lay them down on the tray.

7. Place steamed tapioca filled with sweet pork (Sah-koo Sai Moo) onto the plate. Sprinkle with fried garlic. Serve with cabbage, coriander, and fresh Thai chili.

Tips
Whether Sah-koo Sai Moo will be delicious or not depends on “the filling” having a mellow flavor, salty to lead and sweet to follow. And the tapioca must have the right consistency and stick together well, not too gummy so that it sticks on teeth or gums when chewing. In addition to pork, the filling can be changed to something else instead, such as chicken, shrimp, fish or vegetables, etc.

While stir frying the filling please be calm and cool, gradually continue to stir until the filling grips and sticks together well. The salted radish that you use, if it is very salty then it needs to be washed with water before chopping to reduce the saltiness. The peanuts that you use, they need to be roasted to be fragrant before pounding. And you must not pound too fine or too coarse. If pounded too fine, when you eat will not feel like you are eating the peanuts that are mixed in. In addition, the proportion of Sah-koo (tapioca) and the filling should about equal. Not like more tapioca and less filling. Or less tapioca and more filling and make the tapioca pierced.

You should dip your hands into the water every time you spread the tapioca and mold it into the ball to prevent the stickiness of tapioca on your hands. If you prepare by molding the filling beforehand, that will help you to mold Sah-koo Sai Moo faster. Avoid molding it too big. Because when you steam them the cooked Sah-koo Sai Moo will expand more.

Good Sah-koo Sai Moo when it is cooked, the tapioca must clear. If there is any white spots in the starch it shows that the Sah-koo is still raw yet. To steam Sah-koo Sai Moo is need to steam with boiling water in high heat. It takes approximately 10-15 minutes to be done (depends on the size of the tapioca (Sah-koo) too).