Step by Step Cooking Thai

MCIA

Description

Step-By-Step Cooking: Thai is a collection of authentic recipes that feature the very best that Thai cuisine has to offer. Valuable insights are offered through detailed information on food preparation techniques and cooking styles. Accompanied by clear step-by-step instructions and photographs, each recipe will be a breeze to follow and recreate in the kitchen. Savour rich, flavourful dishes such as the Thai Chicken Curry and Thai Fish Chowder, and give new life to the usual meal staples by whipping up Fried Rice with Prawn (Shrimp) Paste or Rice Vermicelli with Coconut Milk. Serve up quick, easy snacks like Thai Money Bags or Spicy Red Curry Fishcakes, and temper the heat of spicy dishes with simple but wonderful desserts like Coconut Bananas and Pomegranate Seeds in Coconut Milk.

Informations

• Publié par: MarshallCavendishM
• Date de parution: 01 août 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814435185
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

step-by-step cooking
THAI
delightful ideas for everyday meals

step-by-step co oking
THAI
The Publisher wishes to thank Sia Huat Pte Ltd for the loan of their crockery and utensils.
Photographer: Sam Yeo Food Preparation: Gourmet Haven
2008 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
Published by Marshall Cavendish Cuisine An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail] Online bookstore: http://www.marshallcavendish.com/genref
Limits of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The Author and Publisher of this book have used their best efforts in preparing this book. The Publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book and is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe in this book. While the Publisher has reviewed each recipe carefully, the reader may not always achieve the results desired due to variations in ingredients, cooking temperatures and individual cooking abilities. The Publisher shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offices:
Marshall Cavendish Ltd. 5th Floor, 32-38 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8FH, UK Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown NY 10591-9001, USA Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
National Library Board Singapore Cataloguing in Publication Data
Thai. Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, 2008. p. cm. (Step-by-step cooking) Includes index. eISBN : 978 981 4435 18 5 ISBN-10 : 981-261-644-6
1. Cookery, Thai. I. Series: Step-by-step cooking
TX724.5.T5 641.59593 -- dc22
OCN232962850
Printed in Singapore by Times Graphics Pte Ltd
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Cooking Techniques Cooking Utensils Weights Measures
6 9 12
RICE NOODLES
Fried Rice with Prawn (Shrimp) Paste Fried Rice with Chicken and Basil Pork Fried Rice with Tomato Sauce Pineapple Rice Spicy Fried Noodles with Seafood Noodles with Meat Sauce Rice Vermicelli in Coconut Milk Beef Noodle Soup
16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
MEAT POULTRY
Duck with Curry Stuffed Chicken Wings Thai Chicken Curry Fried Chicken in Screwpine Leaf Spicy Chicken Salad Beef Cutlet in Egg Net Pattaya-style Chilli Fried Beef
34 36 38 40 42 44 46
SEAFOOD
Thai Pineapple Prawn (Shrimp) Curry Spicy Tom Yam Fried Crab Thai Steamed Fish Mousse Batter Fried Sea Mussels with Egg Savoury Golden Cups with Seafood Filling Crabs with Glass Noodles Baked Seafood Wrapped in Banana Leaf Stuffed Crabs
50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64
SOUP
Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Cream Chicken Soup with Galangal Savoury Seafood Soup Thai Fish Chowder Thai Vegetable Soup
68 70 72 74 76
VEGETABLES SALADS
Crab and Pork Stuffed Tomatoes Scallop Salad Papaya Salad Thai Mushroom Curry Asparagus in Coconut Cream and Lemon Grass Sauce Spicy Mackerel Salad Kidney Bean Salad
80 82 84 86 88 90 92
SNACKS DESSERTS
Thai Money Bags Steamed Rice Pancakes with Pork Coconut Bananas Spicy Red Curry Fishcake Steamed Glutinous Rice with Banana and Kidney Beans Water Chestnut Cake with Coconut Cream Topping Pomegranate Seeds in Coconut Milk
96 98 100 102 104 106 108
GLOSSARY INDEX
Glossary Index
112 118
COOKING TECHNIQUES
Thai cooking is very simple. Its flavours come mainly from the skilful manipulation of certain essential ingredients such Thai basil, chillies, coriander, coconut cream, garlic, onions, shallots, shrimp paste, lemon grass, fish sauce and soy sauce. In most dishes, very little fat is used and the ingredients are lightly cooked to retain their crunchiness and natural flavour.
The main methods of Thai cooking are stewing, steaming, grilling, baking, stir-frying and deep-frying.
STEWING
Stewing helps to retain all the nutritional goodness and sweetness of the ingredients in the stewing liquid. Tougher cuts of meat can also be used as the cooking process will render them tender. To stew food, the ingredients are usually cut into pieces of similar size and placed into enough liquid to cover them completely. The pot is covered and placed over low heat so the ingredients cook slowly. The stewing liquid is sometimes served as it is to accompany the dish, but it may also be reduced or thickened into gravy.
STEAMING
In steaming, the ingredients are cooked by the vapour that rises from the boiling liquid below. As the ingredients do not come in direct contact with the liquid, most of the nutrients are retained, making this a healthy means of cooking food. To get the best results out of steaming food, always use the freshest ingredients.
To steam food, place the ingredients in a heatproof (flameproof) plate or container and place over boiling liquid. Cover tightly with a lid to keep the steam in.
INTRODUCTION
STEAMING GLUTINOUS RICE
In Thailand, glutinous rice is traditionally cooked in a cone-shaped basket set in an urn-shaped pot with a flared mouth (see photograph page 6 ). Rice is washed then soaked for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. The basket is lined with muslin and the soaked rice is poured in and covered, first with muslin then with a pot cover. The pot is filled up to a third with water and the basket is positioned to sit in the mouth without touching the water. The water is brought to the boil for about 45 minutes or until translucent and tender.
Without this special basket and pot, glutinous rice can also be steamed using any steamer. If the holes in the steamer basket are large, wrap the soaked rice in muslin or cook it in a heatproof bowl.
GRILLING (BROILING)
Grilling is done by setting food above or below a heat source to cook it. This can be done over hot coals/ charcoal, under the electric grill, in the oven or even on the top of the stove using a heavy-based pan. In Thai cooking, meats are exposed directly to the heat, or wrapped in leaves and/or aluminium foil. Screwpine ( bai toey ) leaves and banana leaves are commonly used as they impart a lovely fragrance to the cooked food.
For successful grilling, the heat must be well-regulated so the food doesn t burn or blacken on the outside too readily while remaining raw on the inside.
GRILLING THAI FISH CAKES
The traditional way of cooking Thai fish cakes is with a flat reddish brown earthenware pan with seven shallow cups or depressions (see picture on page 8 ). Each cup is filled with the fish cake paste and covered with small individual dome-shaped caps. The pan is then set to cook over a charcoal fire on an earthenware stove. Once cooked, the entire pan is taken to the table and guests lift the caps to dig out the fish cakes on their own.
An alternative way of cooking fish cakes is by placing the fish cake paste in leaves and grilling or baking. In this book, we have included a recipe for Thai Steamed Fish Mousse ( page 54 ) which is cooked in banana leaf cups and steamed.
STIR-FRYING
Stir-frying is a quick and fuss-free method of cooking. If you do not have a wok, a large frying pan (skillet) will suffice. Ensure that the wok/pan is hot before adding in the cooking oil. Allow the cooking oil to heat up before adding in your ingredients. Stir them around quickly with a spatula to heat them through. Once the food is cooked, dish out and serve hot.
Because the stir-frying process is so quick, you need to have all the ingredients prepared and on hand before heating up the wok. This will ensure that the ingredients do not overcook or burn as you are busy with the other ingredients.
Note: When stir-frying seafood, toss it quickly to cook. This will seal in the juices without overcooking the seafood. Overcooked seafood will be tough.
DEEP-FRYING
This is a method where food is cooked in a large amount of cooking oil, deep enough to cover it completely. Deep-frying can be done in a wok or in a deep pan. Fill the oil halfway up the wok or pan so that any splattering will be contained. The temperature of the cooking oil is very important when deep-frying. If not hot enough, the food will absorb all the oil and be greasy; but if too hot, the food will burn. The optimum
temperature for deep-frying is at 180 C (350 F). Check the temperature with a fat thermometer, or gently lower a morsel of the food for deep-frying in and watch how quickly it browns. If it takes about 45 seconds to a minute, the temperature is right. Continue to monitor the temperature and regulate it by turning the heat down when the oil starts getting hotter.
Have on hand a wire strainer or tongs to remove the deep-fried food from the oil once it is ready. Drain on absorbent paper to remove excess oil. This will also help the food to stay crisp longer.
7

COOKING UTENSILS
Despite the exotic flavours of Thai food, the cooking utensils are very simple. No special equipment is necessary. This list of basic cooking utensils below will fully equip you for Thai cooking, as well as many other Asian cuisines!
WOK
While you may be able to use a deep pan in place of a wok, having a wok in the kitchen is always a useful tool. The rounded sides of the wok enable food to be easily and continuously moved around over high heat to prevent burning or overco