Red Curry with Roasted Duck
The red curry with roasted duck (kaeng pet bet yang) is my favourite version of the red curry. I don't often get a chance to eat it outside of restaurants. The downside of street food is that there is usually more bones than meat. But this dish was all duck and only cost 40 baht. Pretty good value for money. What you can see in the picture is the roasted duck, plum tomatoes, eggplant peas, basil leaves and kaffir lime leaves. It also has coconut milk and is seasoned with fish sauce and palm sugar. It is actually quite easy to make as long as someone else has prepared your curry paste. You can buy this down the market or even at supermarkets like Big C and Tesco Lotus. This curry paste has ground galangal, lemon grass, red shallots and garlic amongst other ingredients. Make sure you don't miss this highlight. It is also nice with pineapple chunks.
Stems of Waterlily (tom kati sai bua)
Fish lovers might like this healthy dish. It consists of sai bua (the stems of the waterlily) cooked in coconut milk with shallots. The fish is usually a mackerel like pla tu that is seasoned with fish sauce, tamarind paste and sugar. I am afraid it is not a favourite of mine though it only cost 34 baht. A little over $1.
Stir fried chicken and chinese chives
This is a tasty dish that looks simple to cook. I might give it a go this weekend. The two main ingredients are the chicken pieces and Chinese chives. It is cooked in a seasoning of fish sauce, light soy sauce and oyster sauce. All good kitchens should have these ingredients. Add some water if it drys out during cooking. This was only 35 baht.
Red Glutinous Rice (khao niew daeng)
This is a popular dish popular during the Songkran festival. The main ingredients are sticky rice, palm sugar and sesame seeds. It is a bit tough to eat and is a bit like caramel. It reminds me of another Thai dessert called kalamae. This one was only 20 baht.
Flower Shaped Candy (khanom dowk lamduan)
This is like a cross between a cookie and candy. It is very sweet so don't eat too many at once. The dough is made from wheat flour, egg yolk, castor sugar and vegetable oil. You knead this mixture into small balls which you then shape into flowers. It is then baked in an oven for about 15 minutes. This cost us 35 baht.Please leave a comment: Send feedback »All stories and photos are copyright and cannot be reproduced.
Tags: friday lunch
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Lunchtime Thai Menu 30
by Richard Barrow
Fri Aug 8, 2008 at 19:48:04 Words: 410 words Category: Enjoy Thai Food 4 feedbacks »
Spicy Fried Egg (yam kai dao)
The first dish for our Friday Lunch was this fried egg salad. This is a seafood version. You can also do it with fried bacon. The egg is first cooked in boiling hot oil so that it is crispy. This is then put on a plate while the sauce is prepared. This consists of fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. This is stirred until the sugar dissolves and finely sliced chilis are added. This is then poured over the fried egg. A very unique taste and it only cost us 25 baht.
Prawn and Holy Basil with Coconut
This rice dish is called "khao rat grapao kung yod mapao". The rice can either be plain or fried. The prawns are stir fried with chillies and garlic. The seasoning consists of sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce. The holy basil is added towards the end. This version also has coconut flesh. This dish was 30 baht.
Stuffed Vegetable Pudding (khanom kui chai)
This next Chinese dish is really a snack but goes well with a meal. They are usually steamed or sometimes fried. The filling today was vegetable, but you can also find dried shrimp and sliced taro. It is served with soy sauce. This was 20 baht.
Fried Fish with Chili (pla tod rat prik)
As I live in the seaside port of Paknam, there are plenty of seafood dishes to find. It is a shame I am not that keen on fish. But, I appreciate that some visitors to this food blog might be interested. However, be careful as this one is very spicy! Basically, garlic, pepper, chillies and salt are pounded together in a mortar and then poured over the fish. This was only 30 baht from a roadside vendor.
Unripe Mango with Fish Sauce(ma-muang nam pla waan)
We decided to have some fruit for dessert today to be a bit more healthy. A famous dessert that foreigners like is mango with sticky rice. This one is unripe mango with fish sauce! Not quite the same but still good. At school, the students like eating unripe mango with a dip that consists of sugar and ground chili. This one is sweetened fish sauce. In a large pot, sugar is mixed with water and fish sauce and is stirred constantly until it becomes a thick syrup. Chopped shallots are then added. When these are cooked, dried shrimp and sliced chillies are added. This snack is 30 baht.Please leave a comment: 4 feedbacks »All stories and photos are copyright and cannot be reproduced.
Tags: friday lunch
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Thailand Food Journey
by Richard Barrow
Sat Aug 2, 2008 at 13:58:37 Words: 637 words Category: Enjoy Thai Food 7 feedbacks »
If you go to Thailand on holiday, you will most likely find that the local food is one of your highlights. You will find this both delicious and cheap. My sister and her family were here in Thailand this past week, so I thought I would share with you some pictures of the street food that they ate. For the past seven months or so I have been sharing with you pictures of the food that we have been eating in the Paknam Web offices every Friday. My sister has been following these food blogs too and so when they came here this week they wanted to try out some of the highlights. Some of the food we bought came from roadside food hawkers. These were obviously cheap. Other times we ate in restaurants.
1. Tom Yum Egg Noodle with Red Pork (baa mee tom yum)2. Egg Noodle with Wonton and Red Pork (baa mee kieo nam moo daeng)
At noodles stalls you are often spoilt for choice as there are at least five different kinds of noodles. Then you can choose either dry or with soup. With wontons and with red pork or fish balls. These are my two favourites. The first one is hot and spicy. The other is up to you how much of the four flavours you add.
3. Chicken in Yellow Curry (khao mok gai)4. Chicken Rice (khao mun gai)
These two are always very popular. You can choose either fried chicken or boiled chicken. They both come with sauces and a bowl of chicken stock. The yellow rice has turmeric.
5. Noodles Fried in Soy Sauce (pad si-eel)6. Crispy Noodles in Gravey (rat naa mee grob)
Like the earlier noodles, you can choose any kind you like. I prefer the wide noodles and the crispy egg noodles. The same stall usually sells both of these dishes.
7. Chicken curry (gang gari gai)8. Green Curry with pork (gaeng kieo moo)9. Green curry with bamboo shoots10. Red curry with pork
There are so many different currys and soups. Difficult to be comprehensive here. Two that I missed here are massaman and penang curry. The traditional Thai curry are coconut milk based.
11. Tom Yum Chicken (tom yum gai)12. Coconut Soup with Galangal (tom kha gai)
I like the bottom two soups a lot. Tom Yum is the dish made with lemon grass and galangal. The latter dish has more galangal and coconut milk. Tom Yum is often cooked with fresh prawns. But, it is equally as good with chicken.
13. Fish cakes (tod mun pla)14. Satay Pork
There are so many roadside snacks that there is only room for two favourites here.
15. Grilled chicken and sticky rice16. Som Tam
Som tam, made with shredded green papaya and sauces such as lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind paste and also crushed garlic. It is often eaten with grilled chicken and sticky rice. I never grow bored with this dish and can eat every week.
17. Fried noodles with dried shrimp (pad thai)18. Fried mussels in batter (hoi tod)
The last two dishes are often sold together. The first one, pad thai, is popular with most foreigners. Like any dish, the recipe varies a lot and I will often cross the town to eat at my favourite food vendor. The second dish is fresh mussels fried in a batter that also includes an egg. I like the crispy version of this one.
This list is by no means comprehensive but gives an idea what you should try and eat on a short holiday in Thailand. Feel free to add your own favourites in the comments section. If I don't have them already over at our sister site www.ThaiStreetFood.com then I will add them soon. Come back next week to thai-blogs.com when I will be continuing our weekly Friday Lunch Menu.Please leave a comment: 7 feedbacks »All stories and photos are copyright and cannot be reproduced.
Do you have any questions about Thailand? Maybe you are planning a holiday or just want to learn more about Thai culture. Have all of your questions answered for free at ThailandQA.com. These forums are part of the family friendly Paknam Web Network.
Lunchtime Thai Menu 29
by Richard Barrow
Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 22:46:12 Words: 517 words Category: Enjoy Thai Food 5 feedbacks »
Sour and Spicy Mackerel
This is a continuation of our Friday Food blog. We are back after the holidays last week. Every week we bring you photos of the food that we are eating in the Paknam Web offices. If you didn't know, Paknam means "river mouth" in Thai and that is where we are located. Paknam in Samut Prakan is the point where the Chao Phraya River enters the Gulf of Thailand after meandering through Bangkok. The first on our menu today was a variation of our favourite "tom yum". As you probably know, this is more commonly eaten with shrimp though I also like the chicken version. The main ingredients are lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and shallots. To be honest I didn't eat this one as I am not keen on fish. The dish cost 30 baht which is just under US$1.
Northern Thai Noodle Curry Soup (khao soi)
This is one of my favourite dishes from Northern Thailand. I always eat when I go to Chiang Mai. There are some places here in Central Thailand where you can buy this noodle curry soup, but you might not find it to be as authentic. Whenever I go to book fairs at Queen Sirikit Convention Center I always buy khao soi in their fast food center. This one was bought on Srinakarin road about 15 minutes from my house. The noodles used are quite distinctive. They are a bit like egg noodles but more curly. They give you two versions - the soft boiled noodle inside the curry and the crispy fried one on top. This is a coconut curry mixed with a curry paste. This dish comes with pickled cabbage and shallots. This was 30 baht. Not the best I have had, but always welcome.
Spicy Roast Pork Slices (nam tok moo)
This is a popular dish from Isaan, the north-east of Thailand. The name "nam tok" means waterfall which refers to the juices that drip from the meat and is then used in the dish. You can either get beef or pork. The meat is mixed with chilies, lemon juice, red shallots and roasted rice powder. Some people might find it a little spicy but it is a good dish for 30 baht.
Steamed Egg (kai tun)
This is a basic side dish which goes well with anything too spicy. It is basically steamed egg topped with some minced pork. This was only 15 baht.
Pumpkin in Coconut Milk (fak tong kaeng buat)
This is enough good Thai dessert that uses pumpkin as the main ingredient. To make, you need to mix sugar, salt and coconut milk together and cook over a medium heat until the sugar has all dissolved. Then add the sliced pumpkins and cook until done. When nearly done, pour in some coconut cream. This can be served either hot or cold though I prefer if it is chilled. This is only 10 baht.
These Friday lunches are starting to get expensive for the four of us. This one was just under US$4. Street food is averaging about 30 baht a dish now. Desserts are usually cheaper.Please leave a comment: 5 feedbacks »All stories and photos are copyright and cannot be reproduced.
Tags: friday lunch
Do you have any questions about Thailand? Maybe you are planning a holiday or just want to learn more about Thai culture. Have all of your questions answered for free at ThailandQA.com. These forums are part of the family friendly Paknam Web Network.
Lunchtime Thai Menu 28
by Richard Barrow
Fri Jul 11, 2008 at 21:59:22 Words: 438 words Category: Enjoy Thai Food 1 feedback »
Pork Curry with Morning Glory
This is the continuation of our weekly Friday Lunch Menu in the Paknam Web offices. Every Friday we are bringing you photos of the Thai Street Food that we eat. Our budget for four people is about $5. Our first dish today is "gaeng tay-poh moo" which is basically morning glory in a red curry with fried pork. I don't eat this one that often but still enjoy. In fact, I enjoy most coconut curries. This one was only 30 baht.
Northern Thai Green Chilli Dip
We have been doing these weekly food blogs for seven months now. I have shared with you most of my favourites. In order to provide you with a variety I need to also show you some of the food I am not so keen on. This Northern Thailand dish called "nam prik num" is one of them. I am sorry, I am not really keen on anything that uses fermented fish as the main ingredient. Though apparently they like it up north. It is often eaten with vegetables or, as in this case, with crispy pork skin. Which again I wasn't that thrilled about. The main dish was 20 baht and a bag of crispy pork skin was also 20 baht.
Northern Thai Spicy Sausage
Sausages in Thailand are not the same as we have in most Western countries. I am not talking about the synthetic sausages that you get at places like 7-Eleven. The street food sausages are from Isaan and Northern Thailand. These are either beef or pork and have extra fillings such as sticky rice, minced ginger and pepper. This one is from the north and is called "sai aua". The ingredients of this one is different to other Thai style sausages. It contains pork, kaffir lime leaves, and a mixture of sauces including dark soy sauce, fish sauce and light soy sauce. This is then marinated with a chilli paste. The sausages are served with sticky rice, pickled ginger and small hot chillies. This was only 20 baht.
Shrimp Nugget (hoi jor)
This dish, called "hoi jor" is a good side dish which is always worth ordering if you are at a restaurant. The main ingredient of this one is shrimp. The mixture is wrapped in soy bean sheets. This is then first steamed and then later deep fried. This cost 35 baht which put us over budget this week a bit.
Glossy Coconut Dessert (ma-prao kaew)
The dessert today is "maprao kaew" which is basically sweet dried coconut. I don't like dried coconut that much and as usual this was a bit too sweet. The cost was 30 baht.Please leave a comment: 1 feedback »All stories and photos are copyright and cannot be reproduced.
Tags: friday lunch
Do you have any questions about Thailand? Maybe you are planning a holiday or just want to learn more about Thai culture. Have all of your questions answered for free at ThailandQA.com. These forums are part of the family friendly Paknam Web Network.
Lunchtime Thai Menu 27
by Richard Barrow
Fri Jul 4, 2008 at 22:15:33 Words: 406 words Category: Enjoy Thai Food 1 feedback »
Rice with Red pork (khao moo daeng)
Around town you will probably often see some red pork hanging in the glass cabinets of the roadside food vendors. This goes with both rice and noodles. This popular dish is rice with red pork. If the vendor is lazy, the pork would have just been brushed with red food colouring before roasting. However, traditionally they marinate it in a mixture of tomato paste, dark and light soy sauces, and sugar. This is then barbecued. The sliced pork is placed on the boiled rice together with cucumber and a halved hard-boiled egg. The sauce that is poured amply on top is a main feature. This is made up with pork stock, light soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and rice flour. Not too exciting but a good standby meal if there isn't much else to eat. These days it costs at least 30 baht.
Rice with Crispy Fried Pork Belly (khao moo grop)
This is an alternative to the first dish. Instead of red pork, it uses the more crispy fried pork belly. You don't get an egg with this one but you get the same red/brown sauce. Again this one was 30 baht.
Chinese Fried Chicken on Rice
This dish is certainly in my top ten of street food in Thailand. It is quite common. There are two versions. Boiled chicken, and this one which is fried chicken. This is my favourite. A bit like eating at KFC but at a fraction of the price. The rice is boiled in chicken stock which gives it a better flavour. The dish comes with a bowl of chicken stock and chili dip which is also sweet. This has now gone up to 30 baht. I always ask for special by saying "piset".
Khanom Leb Meu Nang
Our dessert today was good as usual however I wouldn't rush to buy again. It is called "leb meu nang". It is made up of a mixture of rice flour and cassava flour. This is made into a kind of dough and then shaped to look like thin fingers. These are then placed in boiling water. When it floats it is ready. It is then mixed with grated coconut and salt. The first dip is coconut boiled with salt and then mixed with rice flour. The second dip is a mixture of stir fried sesame seeds and sugar. For only 10 baht, this Thai dessert is worth trying.Please leave a comment: 1 feedback »All stories and photos are copyright and cannot be reproduced.
Tags: friday lunch
Do you have any questions about Thailand? Maybe you are planning a holiday or just want to learn more about Thai culture. Have all of your questions answered for free at ThailandQA.com. These forums are part of the family friendly Paknam Web Network.
Lunchtime Thai Menu 26
by Richard Barrow
Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 22:23:56 Words: 307 words Category: Enjoy Thai Food 4 feedbacks »
Fried Fish in Chili Paste
My favourite dish on the Friday Lunch Menu today is this one, the "pla tod rad prik gaeng". Basically fish fried in chili paste. Very simple but also very tasty. The chili paste includes shallots, garlic, lemon grass, minced galangal, shrimp paste and red curry paste. This was only 20 baht. Really a side dish though.
Bamboo Shoot boiled with pork bones
I guess this is then the main dish. I like bamboo shoots with red curry. However, this dish was very bland and unexciting. There was a lot of this left over so we only bought it for you to see. Luckily we had a couple of repeat dishes of stir-fried vegetables and pork and an omelette which interestingly had a little bit of coconut milk. The bamboo shoot dish was 30 baht.
Rice Noodles in Coconut Milk Sauce
Despite the colour, this dish was actually interesting. It is called "mee kati" which literally means "coconut noodles". This was a vegetarian version that had bean curd, egg and bean sprouts. But you can also have chicken or pork. Everything is basically cooked in coconut milk. This includes shallots, fermented soybeans, sugar, tamarind juice, bean curd and dried chilies. Half of this is then removed and the thin rice noodles is cooked in the remainder. The leftover sauce is then used as a dip. I did enjoy this but I think it would have been better if it wasn't so pink. This was only 20 baht.
Glossy Sticky Rice
You cannot really go wrong with any Thai dessert that uses sticky rice. The green colour comes from our old friend the pandanus leaves. This is mixed together with sugar and coconut cream. Then it is boiled until it becomes a thick mixture. The sticky rice is then mixed in. Very tasty and only 2 baht each.
