Recent Articles - Page 2

Pork Rinds Recipe

Pork rinds have always been my favorite thing to sink my teeth into. The crunchiness and the flavor are indescribably good. Sit down with your favorite drink and dip these babies into a hot sauce like Nam Prig Noom or Chili Paste, the big bowl will be gone in no time.

I wanted to make my own pork rinds to experience throwing something into hot oil and have it puff 10 times. On my last visit to my local Hispanic store, the ready to use roll of pork rinds came home with me. And the fun began.

The process of drying and frying the rinds was much easier than I thought. Right after I took the pictures, the bowl of pork rinds disappeared in no time. Please make sure you have plenty of liquid to drink before and while eating the pork rinds to prevent tummy ache and dehydration.

Pork Basil Recipe

You've worked hard, you're so exhausted and can barely decide what to eat. The choice for many Thai's is 'pud grapow', one of the best-tasting and easy to cook dishes. Walk into nearly any restaurant in Thailand and you know the chef can make 'pud gaprow'. And your meal will be decent enough. When you down a pud ga prow you know have the energy for the next challenge.

Pud Gaprow comes in many shades and flavors. There are pud gaprow with chicken, pork, beef, and seafood. The latest popular pud gaprow is the thousand-year-old egg pud gaprow. Pud Gaprow is so versatile, so homey, so familiar and so loved. The heat level can hit anywhere from none to very high. The meat, rice and the cucumber make the dish a complete meal with proteins, carbs and veggie. Why isn't Pud Gaprow more famous than "Pad Thai'?

Iced Triangles in Syrup Recipe

Kow Tom Nam Woon, as it’s known in Thailand, has been a hard-to-find dessert these days. Even its old name ‘Gra Jub’, most Thais never heard of. My guess for the disappearing dessert is that as Thailand moves into the modern economy, any products that take less time and make more money are favored. Even a well-regarded dessert like Kow Tom Nam Woon can become extinct.

Kow Tom Nam Woon hits 3 great spots; the chewy texture of the sticky rice, the fragrant sweetness and the cold shaved ice in fiery heat of Thailand. When the air is so thick that you can’t breathe and you’re sweating profusely, having chewy Kow Tom Nam Woon going down to quench your overheated body is like drinking cool nectar from heaven.

Vegetarian Southern Red Curry Paste Recipe

What sets southern food apart from other regional food in Thailand is the tumeric and the non-stop fiery heat in your mouth, tongue and down in your belly. From this curry paste, many other famous southern dishes are formed. Often, vegetarian versions of classic dishes miss core flavors, but this Southern Red Curry Paste still offers the full southern Thai food experience.

Wonton Wrappers Recipe

I started making wonton wrappers out of laziness; I don’t like to go to the store just for one item when I have all the ingredients to make wonton wrappers.

Often fried wontons can be heavy and greasy, these homemade wonton wrappers are light and very crispy when fried. The wontons are soft and silky when boiled. And best of all, there are no eggs, preservatives or food colors.

The process of making wonton wrappers is the same as making fresh pasta and noodles. It’s a lot of fun seeing the dough turning into a wonton sheet on the pasta bike. And if you have children, it’s worth getting a pasta bike for a fun time together.

See how I made the wonton wrappers from vdo below:

Mango Sticky Rice

I'm amazed at the quality of the mangoes that we get in the US. Mangoes used to be hard-to-get, and when you found them, they were bruised and close to going bad. Now they're available fresh with a few varieties. When good mangoes are abundant, let's celebrate with Mango Sticky Rice.

See recipe and tips on making Mango Sticky Rice. 

Pennywort Juice Recipe

After walking in the tropical heat of Bangkok, a street cart carrying large jars of colorful icy drinks is a heavenly sight. Pennywort juice is dark green, in a jar often decorated with green leaves which resemble tiny lotus leaves. This drink is perfect for quenching your thirst and fueling your next adventure.

Pennywort is believed to have healing properties that clear out bruises. We even jokingly offer pennywort juice to our friends after they go through a breakup.

The green drink has an earthy taste with a spicy undertone. Make a large jar of juice and keep it in the fridge; it makes a great welcome home drink after work.

Pennywort

Pennywort (aka gotu kola) is known in Thailand as Bai Bua Bok, or ‘land lotus’. The leaves are 2 inches in diameter and look like miniature lotus leaves. It grows well in a wet or damp area

Pennywort is well known for its healing properties. Other traditional medicine practitioners like Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine doctors use pennywort to treat various ailments.

As a foodie, when I think of pennywort, a nice cold green juice comes to mind first. But we also eat the leaves raw in dishes like Lohn Pboo Kem and Kanom Jeen Nam Ya.

Pineapple Mussel Curry Recipe

The sight of young girls lining up for a meal along the school corridor, the sound of them chit-chatting, the clinking sound of plates and silverware and the smell of Pineapple Mussel Curry...all are so clear in my mind, even so many years later. Pineapple Mussel Curry was served so often so that it etched in my memory. For me, the curry is synonymous with school. It’s a simple curry to make and it tastes sweet and sour, just what I crave for today.

Pineapple Mussel Curry tastes exotic and delicious. Neither the pineapple nor the curry paste burns your tongue; this is the curry for kids and people enjoying mild Thai food. And for the novice cook, you can’t go wrong with this curry. Give it a go and taste Thailand.

Tom Sab Leng Recipe

Another thing that’s great about Thai food that it’s alive and ever-changing, with a complex meandering journey. The Tom Sab I had known as a kid has transformed and now branched out into new directions.

‘Tom Sab’ originates from Isan or northeast of Thailand. Over 20 years ago, when you referred to ‘Tom Sab’, it meant a spicy dish with a clear soup, full of chewy tripe and inner beef organs. Now, Tom Sab is an entire category of dishes.

With the rise in popularity of Goddess Guan Yin, many followers stopped eating beef and turned to pork instead. Combining the spicy soup from the northeast and a Chinese cut of pork, Tom Sab Leng was born. Leng is a Chinese name for pork backbones.

Some restaurants took Tom Sab Leng even further into the Chinese style by adding daikon. Others, added carrots reflecting the new foreign root vegetable.

Now it seems every restaurant in Bangkok has rushed to put this part Chinese, part northeast soup on the menu. Let’s find out why the soup is so good that everybody wants to claim a style to it.