Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

Chicken meat, cut into pieces	500 grams
Coconut milk	2 cups
Potatoes	300 grams
Salt	2 teaspoons
Shallots, fried and chopped	3 tablespoons
Cooking oil	½ cup

Curry Paste

Ingredients:

Big dried chilies, seeds removed and soaked in water	3 each
Shallots, grilled or toasted	¼ cup
Garlic, grilled or toasted	2 tablespoons
Galangal, chopped	1 teaspoon
Lemon Grass, finely sliced and toasted	1 tablespoon
Ginger, finely sliced and toasted	1 teaspoon
Coriander seeds, toasted and ground	1 tablespoon
Cumin (Jeera) seeds, fried and ground	1 teaspoon
Salt	1 teaspoon
Curry powder	2 teaspoons
Shrimp paste (Kapi)	1 teaspoon

Directions:

• Grind dried chilies and salt in a mortar until delicate, add galangal, lemon grass and ginger, and continue grinding. Add shallots, garlic and the rest of the ingredients, and grind all together until delicate and well-blended.
• Pour oil into a pan on a heat. Add chicken meat when the oil is hot, fry the chicken until its color turns golden. Spoon onto a dish. Allow to strain.
• Wash and boil whole potatoes for approximately 25-30 minutes. Remove from the heat and soak in cold water, peel and cut each potato into four equal pieces.
• Fry the chili paste in fried shallot oil. Lower the heat, and fry until the mixture is fragrant, add 1 cup of coconut cream little by little. Fry the mixture until fragrant, add the chicken meat, and fry until well-blended. Put the mixture in a pot on a heat, add the coconut milk, potatoes and salt.
• Remove from the heat. Top with fried shallots and serve with cucumber relish.

Cucumber Relish

Ingredients:

Cucumber	300 grams
Shallot, finely sliced	3 tablespoons
Big red spur chili, sliced	1 chili
Vinegar	1/3 cup
Sugar	2 teaspoons
Salt	1 teaspoon

Directions:

• Mix vinegar, sugar and salt, bring to boil and allow to cool.
• Cut cucumber lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick pieces.

Note: Add cucumber shortly before serving.

Correct Characteristics of Chicken Curry:

• The soup must be yellow, fragrant, clear and moderately rich.
• The outstanding taste must be saltiness, not spiciness.
• Chicken meat should be tender and taste sweet from coconut milk.
• Potatoes should be well-cooked and tender.

Cooking Tips:

• Chicken meat must be fried first to prevent it from becoming mushy when cooked in the curry.
• The curry paste should be cooked in the fried shallot oil rather than ordinary cooking oil for pleasant aroma

Eating Culture:

Apart from being eaten with rice with the main meal, Chicken Curry can be eaten with bread and pasta such as spaghetti and macaroni.

How to Serve:

Serve with cucumber relish with the main meal for eating with rice.

Recipe Variations:

Chicken Curry on Pasta

Name Derivative :

Chicken Curry (Kaeng Kary Kai) is named according to its ingredient – curry powder – and its odor.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Chicken Curry:

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Jeera (Caraway or Cumin)

Both Caraway and Cumin give slightly sweet tastes and similar aromas, but the seeds of Caraway are bigger in size while Cumin has better and stronger adors and is spicier.
Use : Add to curry paste and meat dishes such as Satay, roasted chicken, roasted beef, soup, sausages and ham as well as pickles, preserved fruit, cake, cookies and biscuits. Jeera is also used in salad cream and soup in certain countries. American mixed spices called “ Chilli Seasoning ” also contain Jeera.
Medicinal properties : Stimulant, antispasmodic, carminative Relieves diabetes, constipation, indigestion, nausea, fatigue and insomnia.

Luk Phakshee (Coriander Seeds)

Coriander seeds are small and white or pale brown and taste fizzy like licorice. Coriander leaves smell and taste better.
Use : Stir-fried coriander powder is used as spice in clear soup, curries, stew, duck, chicken, pork and goose dishes, or added to apple pies, custard, fruit salad, cream and even in gin.
Medicinal properties : Relieves swellings, high cholesterol, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, anaemia and kidney problems.

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all Thai dishes - soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes – contain garlic.
Medicinal properties : Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasites, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clears chest congestion.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

King (Ginger)

Use : In pan-fried chicken with ginger, finely shredded ginger is added after the chicken is cooked and seasoned. The cooked ginger will give off its flavour and its hot taste will be milder. In Tomson Pla Too (sweet and spicy mackerel soup). Shredded ginger is an essential ingredient of a tomsom. The ginger covers up the smell of fish with its pleasant taste and smell. The sweetness of the liquid will be less noticeable under the ginger taste. The ginger should be added after the fish and the soup come to a boil to bring out the ginger flavor.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, helps release phlegm, relieves stomachache and nausea, increases perspiration, dilates capillaries, helps cold and sore throats and poor circulation, soothes minor burns, and cures wounds.

Takrai (Lemon grass)

UseLemon grass is an essential ingredient of a Tomyam, a popular Thai dish served in most restaurants around the world. It gives a pleasant flavor and covers up the fish and shrimp smells. :
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves stomach pain, increases urine production, and relieves gall stone problems and high blood pressure.

Kha (Mature Galangal)

Use : Beef and chicken Tom Yams need mature galangal roots to improve the flavor of the beef and chicken. The dishes will have a better aroma and taste.
Medicinal properties : Relieves skin rash, diarrhea, indigestion and body pain due to crash and fall.

Nam Prik Ong (Tomato Chili Paste)

Ingredients:

Pork, ground	300 grams
Lemon grass, chopped	½ cup
Shallots, finely sliced	½ cup
Garlic, chopped	½ cup
Salt	1 tablespoon
Fermented soy bean sheets or shrimp paste (Kapi)	1 tablespoon
Big dried chilies	15 each
Small tomatoes or Sida tomatoes	1 kilogram
Coriander plant, chopped	½ cup
Garlic, chopped	3 tablespoons
Cooking oil	½ cup
Water	1 cup

Directions:

• Grind chilies, lemon grass and salt until delicate. Add shallots, garlic and shrimp paste, and grind all together until delicate and well-blended. Add pork, continue grinding, add tomatoes, and grind the mixture until well-blended.
• Pour oil into a pan, add garlic and fry until fragrant, add the chili paste mixture, fry all together on a low heat. Fry until the mixture is oily, add water. Fry until the mixture is dry and can be picked with a fork. Spoon onto a bowl, garnish with coriander leaves.

Correct Characteristics of Nam Prik Ong:

Nam Prik Ong should be red brown in color, sheer, little oily, fragrant, little spicy, sour from tomatoes, and little salty, but not sweet.

Cooking Tips:

• Tomatoes must be finely chopped, ground and mixed with chili paste and pork, and toasted until tender and sheer.
• If Sida tomatoes are used, add 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste to the chili paste because this kind of tomatoes is sweeter than small-sized tomatoes called orange tomatoes.

Eating Culture:

Nam Prik Ong can be eaten with cooked glutinous rice, or jasmine rice. For fusion eating, Nam Prik Ong can be put on top of spaghetti or used as sandwich spread.

How to Serve:

Serve with the main meal for eating with rice, especially sticky rice according to Thai northern style.
Serve with either fresh vegetables and/or boiled vegetables. The side dish could be Khaeb Moo (fried pork skin).
Fresh vegetables – krathin (lead leaves), cucumber, thua-pu beans, cabbage, makhua (Thai eggplant), and yard long beans
Boiled vegetables – khae leaves, khae flowers, banana blossom, pumpkin, and morning glory.

Recipe Variations:

Nam Prik Ong on top of Spaghetti
Nam Prik Ong as sandwich spread

Name Derivative :

Nam Prik Ong is named according to its cooking method – frying – as this dish must be pan-fried.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Nam Prik Ong:

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all Thai dishes - soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes – contain garlic.
Medicinal properties : Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasites, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clears chest congestion.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Takrai (Lemon grass)

Use : Lemon grass is an essential ingredient of a Tom Yam, a popular Thai dish served in most restaurants around the world. It gives a pleasant flavor and covers up the fish and shrimp smells.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves stomach pain, increases urine production, and relieves gall stone problems and high blood pressure.

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Bai Pak Shee (Coriander Leaves)

Use : Tom Yam, Tomkha, soups and salads require coriander leaves as flavorful and colorful garnish.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, prevents constipation, cures scurry, pellagra and beriberi, increases appetite, and relieves cold symptoms.

Larb Kai

Ingredients:

Chicken meat, ground	300 grams
Chicken liver	100 grams
Spring onion plants, chopped	2 each
Shallots, finely sliced	4 tablespoons
Menta leaves	½ cup
Coriander plants	2 each
Rice, toasted and ground	2 tablespoons
Dried chilies, toasted and ground	1 tablespoon
Lime juice	5-6 tablespoons
Fish sauce	2 tablespoons
Fresh vegetables i.e. cabbage, lettuce and yard long beans

Directions:

• Bring water to boil, add a lemon grass plant which was cut into short pieces and crushed. When the water comes to boil again, add chicken liver, boil until well-cooked, remove from the heat, and cut the liver into small pieces.
• Add 4 tablespoons of lime juice to the pound chicken meat. Squeeze water off the chicken meat. Pour the water from the chicken into a pot, bring to boil. Add the ground chicken meat and stir until the meat is well-done. Spoon the meat onto a plate.
• Mix the ground chicken, liver, fried ground dried chili, finely sliced shallots, spring onion and coriander, correct seasoning with fish sauce for saltiness and lime juice for sourness. Add the toasted rice. Mix all together. Top with menta leaves.

Correct Characteristics of Larb:

• Ground chicken meat must be tender and not stick to each other like balls. Larb must be dry and fragrant from ground dried chilies.
• The texture of Larb must be dry.

Cooking Tips:

• Chicken meat or beef must be finely ground and squeezed in lime juice before being toasted on a low heat so it will be tender and not stick like balls.
• Dried chilies must be toasted first for good aroma.
• Add toasted rice last to ensure the dry texture of Larb.

Eating Culture:

Larb is usually eaten as the first course or with the main meal with rice. For fusion eating, it can be used as sandwich spread or put on top of canapes or pizzas.

How to Serve:

Serve with fresh vegetables such as cabbage, yard long beans and lettuce. Serve either as the first course or with the main meal for eating with rice, especially sticky rice according to to Thai northeastern style.

Recipe Variations:

Larb as Sandwich Spread
Larb on Canapes
Larb on Pizza

Name Derivative :

Larb is named according to its preparation method – finely chopping. All kinds of meat for preparing Larb must be finely chopped before mixing with other ingredients.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Larb:

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Saranae (Mentha)

Use : as ingredient in Larb, Yam, and northeastern-style Kaeng Om, etc.
Medicinal properties : aids digestion, increases urine production, relieves stress in ulcer and colon.

Nam Manao (Lime Juice)

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Tom Yam and Kaeng Som and also as beverage.
Medicinal properties : Relieves coughs, sore throat, swollen gum, tooth bleeding, constipation, dizziness, the lack of Vitamin C, and phlegm.

Onion

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Khao Phat and other Thai dishes.
Medicinal properties : Used as an antiseptic, also used against coughs.

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Bai Pak Shee (Coriander Leaves)

Use : Tom Yam, Tomkha, soups and salads require coriander leaves as flavorful and colorful garnish.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, prevents constipation, cures scurry, pellagra and beriberi, increases appetite, and relieves cold symptoms.

Beef, Chicken, or Pork Masaman Curry

Ingredients:

Beef, chicken, or pork	½ kilogram
Coconut, grated	400 grams (or coconut milk 3 cups)
Peanuts, roasted	2 tablespoons
Onions, small, peeled	5 each (or 100 grams)
Potatoes, small, peeled and boiled	5 each (or 100 grams)
Bay leaves	3 each
Cardamom fruits, roasted	5 each
Cinnamon, 1 cm long and roasted	1 each
Palm sugar	3 tablespoons
Tamarind juice	3 tablespoons
Lemon juice	3 tablespoons

Directions:

• Cut beef, chicken, or pork into 2 inch chunks.
• Add 1 ½ cups of warm water to coconut and squeeze out 3 cups of coconut milk. Skim off 1 cup of coconut cream for use in the spice mixture for cooking. Pour the remaining coconut milk into a pot with chicken, pork, or beef, and simmer until tender. (If beef is used, 2 additional cups of coconut milk are needed because of a longer cooking time required.)
• Heat the coconut cream in a frying pan until oil patches appear on the surface, add the spice mixture and cook until fragrant. Spoon into the pot with the meat and add peanuts. Taste and Correct seasoning for sweet, salty, and sour flavors with tamarind juice, palm sugar and lemon juice. Add bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, potatoes and onion, and simmer until tender.

Masaman Curry Paste

Ingredients:

Dried chilies, seeds removed and soaked in water	3 each
Salt	1 teaspoon
Galangal, minced and roasted	1 teaspoon
Lemon grass, thinly sliced and roasted	1heaping tablespoon
Shallots, roasted	5 each
Garlic, roasted	2 bulbs
Cloves, roasted and ground	2 each
Coriander seeds, roasted and ground	1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds, roasted and ground	1 teaspoon
Pepper	5 each
Shrimp paste	1 teaspoon

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a mortar and grind until well-ground and mixed thoroughly.

Correct Characteristics of Masaman Curry :

The soup must be red brown, rich and fragrant from spices, and taste mild but not have oily sheens while the beef or meat must be tender and fragrant and absorb the soup. Nuts in the soup must be well-cooked.

Cooking Tips:

• The beef must be cooked in coconut milk until very tender before being brought for cooking Kaeng Masaman.
• Masaman paste must be fried until fragrant.
• Potatoes must be boiled until well-cooked before being added to the soup.
• Onions must be boiled or scalded before being added to the soup.
• Kaeng curry must be cooked on low heat.
• Chicken meat or pork can be used in place of beef.

Eating Culture:

Masaman curry is usually eaten with the main meal with rice. For fusion eating, it can be eaten with bread.

How to Serve:

Spoon the curry into a serving bowl and place in the middle of a dining table. Serve with pickled ginger, pickled cucumbers, or salad. Serve with the main meal for eating with rice.

Recipe Variations:

Masaman Nua (beef)
Masaman Mu (pork)
Masaman Kai (chicken)
Masaman on Bread

Name Derivative :

Masama Curry is one of Thai dishes described in King Rama II’s Thai food and dessert admiration prose.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Masaman Curry:

Krawan (Cardamom)

Cardamom is in a lotus flower-like small round shape and white color with soft shells. Cardamom seeds are black, have good aroma like lemon and taste little spicy and bitter sweet. Cardamom leaves look like Kaew or Orange Jasmine leaves. Dried cardamom leaves are brown.
Use : Krawan (Cardamom) is an important ingredient of several Thai dishes such as Masaman and beef curry.
Grounded cardamom is used in certain kinds of pastries and cake or added to hot beverages in some countries.
Medicinal properties : Relieves dyspepsia, nausea, loss of taste, indigestion, bad breath of Halitosis, hoarseness, Pharyngitis and sore throat, cough and cold, phlegmatic cough, diarrhea, dysentry and exhaustion.

Kanphlu (Cloves)

look like nails and have good aroma and very light weight. Best-quality cloves must be buds.
Use : Roasted cloves with sweet aroma and spicy taste, either as grounded cloves or whole cloves are used in several kinds of Thai soup (Kaeng), desserts and beverages. They can also used as garnish. In Indonesia, cloves are mixed with tobacco in the tobacco industry.
Medicinal properties : Antiseptic. Helps flatulence and indigestion, relieves muscular cramps, cholera, nausea, gum and teeth ailments, headache, heaviness in head due to cough and cold, throat irritaion due to cough, and bronchial afflictions.

Obchoey (Cinnamon or Cassia)

Cinnamon is the dried bark of various laurel trees in the cinnamomun family.
Use : Cinnamon can be used as spice both in main dishes and desserts.
Medicinal properties : Stimulant. Helps reduce vomiting and flatulence, relieves diarrhea, bad breath, loss of taste sensitivity in the tongue, hoarseness, Pharyngitis, sore throat, headache caused by exposure to cold air, cough, acne, blackheads and pimples and insomnia, improves complexion, and betters memory.

Jeera (Caraway or Cumin)

Both Caraway and Cumin give slightly sweet tastes and similar aromas, but the seeds of Caraway are bigger in size while Cumin has better and stronger adors and is spicier.
Use : Add to curry paste and meat dishes such as Satay, roasted chicken, roasted beef, soup, sausages and ham as well as pickles, preserved fruit, cake, cookies and biscuits. Jeera is also used in salad cream and soup in certain countries. American mixed spices called “ Chili Seasoning ” also contain Jeera.
Medicinal properties : Stimulant, antispasmodic, carminative Relieves diabetes, constipation, indigestion, nausea, fatigue and insomnia.

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Kha (Mature Galangal)

Use : Beef and chicken Tom Yam need mature galangal roots to improve the flavor of the beef and chicken. The dishes will have a better aroma and taste.
Medicinal properties : Relieves skin rash, diarrhea, indigestion and body pain due to crash and fall.

Takrai (Lemon grass)

Use : Lemon grass is an essential ingredient of a Tom Yam, a popular Thai dish served in most restaurants around the world. It gives a pleasant flavor and covers up the fish and shrimp smells.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves stomach pain, increases urine production, and relieves gall stone problems and high blood pressure.

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all Thai dishes - soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes – contain garlic.
Medicinal properties : Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasites, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clears chest congestion.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Luk Phakshee (Coriander Seeds)

Coriander seeds are small and white or pale brown and taste fizzy like licorice. Coriander leaves smell and taste better.
Use : Stir-fried coriander powder is used as spice in clear soup, curries, stew, duck, chicken, pork and goose dishes, or added to apple pies, custard, fruit salad, cream and even in gin.
Medicinal properties : Relieves swellings, high cholesterol, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, anaemia and kidney problems.

Nam Makham Piak (Tamarind Paste)

Use : Tamarind paste can be used in place of lime juice. It is an essential ingredient of Kaeng Khua, Tom Khlong and some spicy salad, which require sweet and sour flavours. It lends a beautiful colour to Tom Khlong.
Medicinal properties : Prevents and relieves constipation, relieves cold symptoms i.e. coughing, runny nose, and sore throat, and relieves indigestion, loss of appetite and tastelessness.

Nam Manao (Lime Juice)

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Tom Yam and Kaeng Som and also as beverage.
Medicinal properties : Relieves coughs, sore throat, swollen gum, tooth bleeding, constipation, dizziness, the lack of Vitamin C, and phlegm.

Kai Pad Med Mamuang Himmapan

Ingredients:

Chicken meat	400 grams
Sweet soy sauce	1 teaspoon
Cashew nuts, fried	100 grams
Spur chilies	3 each
Spring onion plants	5 each
Garlic, finely chopped	1 tablespoon
Sugar	1 teaspoon
Fish sauce	2 tablespoons
Salt	1 teaspoon
Chicken stock	3 tablespoons
Onion	1 each
Cooking oil	2 tablespoons
Dried big chilies, cut into ½-inch pieces	1-2 each

Directions:

• Clean and cut chicken meat into thin slices. Marinate with fish sauce and sweet soy sauce for about 20 minutes. Toast the meat until 70% cooked.
• Clean and slide cut chilies. Clean and cut the spring onions into ½-inch-long pieces by separating leaves from lower parts of the plants. Peel and chop onion into ½-cm pieces.
• Pour cooking oil into a wok on a heat. Add chopped garlic and fry it until its color turns yellow. Add the chicken meat, onion, fish sauce, salt, chilies, and the lower parts of spring onion. Add about two tablespoons of chicken stock if the mixture is too dry.
• Add cashew nuts and spring onion leaves. Fry all together. Remove from the heat.

Correct Characteristics of Kai Pad Med Mamuang Himmapan:

• Chicken meat must be tender and brown from the color of sweet soy sauce. It must be toasted first to prevent unpleasant smell.
• This dish should not taste sweet or be added with oyster sauce. Cashew nuts must be crispy while onion must be well-cooked. The meat should absorb the marinate sauce and taste mild.

Cooking Tips:

• Chicken meat must be toasted until medium rare, not well-done, or it will be rubbery when fried with other ingredients.
• Fried big dried chilies should be used for the taste of slight spiciness and pleasant fragrance.

Eating Culture:

Kai Phad Med Mamuang Himmapan can be eaten either with rice or pasta by putting on top of Chinese egg noodles (Bami) or spaghetti.

How to Serve:

Serve in a plate for 3-4 servings. Top with fried dried chilies.
Serve either as the first course or with the main meal for eating with rice

Recipe Variations:

Kai Phad Med Mamuang Himmapan on top of Chinese Egg Noodles
Kai Phad Med Mamuang Himmapan on top of Spaghetti

Name Derivative :

Kai Phad Med Mamuang Himmapan is named according to its main ingredients: Kai (chicken) and Med Mamuang Himmapan (cashew nuts) – and its cooking method – Phad (frying).

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Kai Phad Med Mamuang Himmapan:

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all Thai dishes - soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes – contain garlic.
Medicinal properties : Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasites, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clears chest congestion.

Onion

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Khao Phat and other Thai dishes.
Medicinal properties : Used as an antiseptic, also used against coughs.

Kaeng Phet Ped Yang

Ingredients:

Duck, deboned and cut into 1-inch strips	1 each
Red curry paste	3 tablespoons
Vegetable oil	1 ½ tablespoons
Coconut milk	2 ½ cups
Water (or chicken stock)	½ cup
Cherry tomatoes	10 each
Lesser eggplant (Turkey berry or makheua phuang)	1 cup
Kaffir lime leaves, halved	4 each
Fish sauce	2 tablespoons
Salt	½ teaspoon
Sugar	1 teaspoon

Directions:

• Pour vegetable oil into a wok on a medium heat, add red curry paste, stir well, add ¾ cups of coconut milk and stir to mix thoroughly.
• Add duck and stir well. Next, pour the mixture into a pot, add the remaining coconut milk, water, tomatoes, eggplants, kaffir lime leaves, sugar, salt and fish sauce. Bring to boil and remove from the heat.

Red Curry Paste:

Ingredients:

Dried chilies, seeded and soaked	7-10 each
Cumin seeds	2 teaspoons
Coriander seeds	1 teaspoon
Kaffir lime rind	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	1 teaspoon
Lemon grass, chopped	2 tablespoons
Galangal roots, chopped	1 tablespoon
Shallots, chopped	1 1/2 tablespoons
Garlic, chopped	1 tablespoon
Shrimp paste	1 tablespoon

Directions:

Toast coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a pan on a low heat. Fry and grind them in a pan on a low heat. Grind them in a mortar or an electric grinder and set aside. Grind chilies and salt together. Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend with the ground coriander seeds and cumin seeds and grind until the mixture becomes smooth paste.

Correct Characteristics of Kaeng Phet Ped Yang :

• The soup must be red brown and fragrant, not spicy, but sweet from coconut milk, and have no oily sheens.
• Duck meat must be tender, not rubbery.

Cooking Tips:

• Red curry paste must be fried in cooking oil until fragrant, added with coconut cream and cooked until oily sheens emerge.
• Duck meat must be cooked in coconut milk first.
• The soup must be added with pipeapple juice to prevent the taste of g reasiness, make duck meat tender, and improve digestion.

Eating Culture:

Kaeng Phet Ped Yang is usually eaten with the main meal with rice. For fusion eating, it can be eaten with pastas.

How to Serve:

Spoon into a serving bowl and place this dish in the middle of a dining table. Serve with the main meal for eating with rice.

Recipe Variations:

Khaeng Phet Pet Yang on Pasta

Name Derivative :

Kaeng Phet Ped Yang is named according to its main ingredients – red curry and duck meat – and its taste – spiciness.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Kaeng Phet Ped Yang:

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Bai Magrood (Kaffir Lime, Leech Lime or Bitter Orange Leaves)

Use : Tom Yam, Tamkha, and all kinds of Thai curry contain kaffir lime leaves.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion and relieves stomachache.

Kha (Mature Galangal)

Use : Beef and chicken Tom Yams need mature galangal roots to improve the flavor of the beef and chicken. The dishes will have a better aroma and taste.
Medicinal properties : Relieves skin rash, diarrhea, indigestion and body pain due to crash and fall.

Takrai (Lemon grass)

Use : Lemon grass is an essential ingredient of a Tom Yam, a popular Thai dish served in most restaurants around the world. It gives a pleasant flavor and covers up the fish and shrimp smells.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves stomach pain, increases urine production, and relieves gall stone problems and high blood pressure.

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all Thai dishes - soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes – contain garlic.
Medicinal properties : Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasites, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clears chest congestion.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Luk Phakshee (Coriander Seeds)

Coriander seeds are small and white or pale brown and taste fizzy like licorice. Coriander leaves smell and taste better.
Use : Stir-fried coriander powder is used as spice in clear soup, curries, stew, duck, chicken, pork and goose dishes, or added to apple pies, custard, fruit salad, cream and even in gin.
Medicinal properties : Relieves swellings, high cholesterol, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, anaemia and kidney problems.

Hor Mok Pla

Spice Mixture Ingredients:

Cod steak, sliced	½ kilogram
Red curry paste	2 tablespoons
Fish sauce	1 tablespoon
Thick coconut cream	1 ½ cups
Egg, beaten	1 each
Cabbage leaves or sweet-basil leaves, chopped	1 cup
Spring onions, chopped	1 tablespoon
Red chili, seeds removed and finely sliced	1 each

Directions:

In a bowl, mix sliced fish with red curry paste, coconut cream and fish sauce. Add beaten egg, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens. Line a heat resistant pudding basin with chopped cabbage leaves or sweet-basil leaves. Spoon the curried fish mixture on top. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and red chili slices. Cover and steam for 30-35 minutes.

Red Curry Paste:

Ingredients:

Dried chilies, seeded and soaked	7-10 each
Cumin seeds	2 teaspoons
Coriander seeds	1 teaspoon
Kaffir lime rind	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	1 teaspoon
Lemon grass, chopped	2 tablespoons
Galangal roots, chopped	1 tablespoon
Shallots, chopped	1 1/2 tablespoons
Garlic, chopped	1 tablespoon
Shrimp paste	1 tablespoon

Directions:

Toast coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a pan on a low heat. Fry and grind them in a pan on a low heat. Grind them in a mortar or an electric grinder and set aside. Grind chilies and salt together. Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend with the ground coriander seeds and cumin seeds and grind until the mixture becomes smooth paste.

Correct Characteristics of Hor Mok Pla :

• Hor Mok Pla must be yellow brown, not red, from the colors of coconut milk and red curry paste.
• This dish must not be spicy, sweet or fishy but fragrant from the ingredients of red curry paste.
• The upper layer of Hor Mok Pla must bulge.

Cooking Tips:

• Big dried chilies, unseeded, are prefarable to ensure beautiful color and not spicy taste of Hor Mok Pla.
• Red curry paste must be finely ground first.
• Stir the ingredients slightly to prevent fish meat from breaking.
• Add coconut milk to the ingredients little by little and stir until the mixture becomes rich.
• Scald vegetables to be used as beds of Hor Mok Pla first and squeeze them to remove water.
• Bring Hor Mok Pla to the heat when water is boiling.
• Pork, chicken meat, shrimps, seafood, mushrooms, and bamboo shots can be used in place of fish.
• Hor Mok can be placed in empty coconut shells, foil cups or ceramics cups besides banana leaf cups.

Eating Culture:

Hor Mok is eaten with the main meal with rice.

How to Serve:

Serve with the main meal for eating with rice.

Recipe Variations:

Hor Mok Mu/Kai/Kung/Thalay (pork/chicken/shrimp/seafood) Hor Mok Het (Mushrooms) Hor Mok Nor Mai (Bamboo Shots) Hor Mok Maprao On (Coconut)

Name Derivative :

Hor Mok is named according to the wrapping method in which banana leaves wrap and hide Hor Mok inside. But, popular contianers for Hor Mok are now banana leaf cups instead of banana wraps.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Hor Mok:

Onion

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Khao Phat and other Thai dishes.
Medicinal properties : Used as an antiseptic, also used against coughs.

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Bai Magrood (Kaffir Lime, Leech Lime or Bitter Orange Leaves)

Use : Tom Yam, Tamkha, and all kinds of Thai curry contain kaffir lime leaves
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion and relieves stomachache.

Kha (Mature Galangal)

Use : Beef and chicken Tom Yams need mature galangal roots to improve the flavor of the beef and chicken. The dishes will have a better aroma and taste.
Medicinal properties : Relieves skin rash, diarrhea, indigestion and body pain due to crash and fall.

Takrai (Lemon grass)

Use : Lemon grass is an essential ingredient of a Tomyam, a popular Thai dish served in most restaurants around the world. It gives a pleasant flavor and covers up the fish and shrimp smells.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves stomach pain, increases urine production, and relieves gall stone problems and high blood pressure.

Horapa (Sweet Basil)

Use : All kinds of Thai curries and some pan fried dishes, i.e. fried long egg plant, shellfish dishes; contain Horapa. Horapa can be used fresh in salads and as an accompanying vegetable for regional dishes.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, increases perspiration, relieves coughing, fights parasites of the digestive tract, relieves constipation, and cures scurvy.

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all Thai dishes - soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes – contain garlic.
Medicinal properties : Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasites, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clears chest congestion.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Luk Phakshee (Coriander Seeds)

Coriander seeds are small and white or pale brown and taste fizzy like licorice. Coriander leaves smell and taste better.Use : Stir-fried coriander powder is used as spice in clear soup, curries, stew, duck, chicken, pork and goose dishes, or added to apple pies, custard, fruit salad, cream and even in gin.
Medicinal properties : Relieves swellings, high cholesterol, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, anaemia and kidney problems.

Phad Thai Kung Sod

Ingredients:

Narrow rice noodles	300 grams
Prawns, shelled	5 each
Eggs	3 each
Bean sprouts	500 grams
Cake soybean curd, cut into small slivers	1 each
Chinese leek leaves	50 grams
Lime, whole	1 each
Pickled white radish, chopped	50 grams
Peanuts, roasted and ground	½ cup
Dried chilies, ground	1 teaspoon
Shallots, chopped	1 tablespoon
Garlic, chopped	1 tablespoon
Sugar	4 tablespoons
Tamarind juice or vinegar	4 tablespoons
Sauce	3 tablespoons
Cooking oil	½ cup

Directions:

• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and sauté garlic and shallots. When its color turns yellow, add the noodles softened with little water, and fry, turning constantly with a spatula to prevent the noodles from sticking to the pan. Move the noodles to a side of the pan.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of oil into the pan. When hot, fry prawns, pickled white radish, bean curd, and dried chilies, sugar, tamarind juice or vinegar and fish sauce and bring back the noodles to the pan, mix thoroughly, and move to the side of the pan.
• Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the pan. When heated, break eggs into the pan and scramble with the spatula, spreading the egg in a thin layer over the pan. When set, bring back the noodles and mix together. Add half of the bean sprouts and the Chinese leek leaves and mix together.

Correct Characteristics of Phad Thai:

Noodle used for cooking Phad Thai must be tender and not broken. This dish must taste moderate, not sweet, sour or salty, but be fragrant and not greasy. According to a traditional recipe, dried shrimps are used in cooking this dish, but fresh shrimps or chicken meat are used in place of dried shrimps according to a modern recipe.

Cooking Tips:

• Cooking Phad Thai needs a lot of cooking oil, but not all at once. Cooking oil should be added little by little whenever noodles are too dry while on the heat. The whole portion of oil must not be used if the noodles are not dry.
• Ready-to-use Phad Thai Dip can be cooked with ingredients stated in the recipe, cooked until rich and kept in containers with tightly closed lids for use. About 3-4 tablespoons of ready-to-cook Pad Thai Dip should be used with 100 grams of noodles.
• Sprinkle water onto noodles until soft before adding the dip. If dry noodles are used, soak the noodles in water approximately for 15 minutes until soft before cooking. Small and thin noodles are preferable because they are not easy to break or become mushy.
• Only mature parts of banana blossoms should be used, halved, sprinkled with lime, finely chopped and soaked in lime juice so the color will not turn dark.
• Move the noodles to one side of the pan when adding eggs. Wait until the eggs are nearly cooked to mix the noodles with the eggs.

Eating Culture:

Phad Thai is a popular dish for lunch. For fusion eating, Pad Thai is wrapped with an egg roll, which is called "Phad Thai Hor Khai". Woon Sen (transparent bean noodles) can be used in place of narrow noodles.

How to Serve:

Spoon Phad Thai onto serving plates and sprinkle with ground peanuts. Serve with bean sprouts and Chinese leek leaves. Serve as the main meal (one plate per person).

Recipe Variations:

Phad Thai Hor Khai
Woon Sen Phad Thai

Name Derivative :

Khew Tiew Phad Thai is named according to its cooking method – Phad (frying) – and its major ingredient – Khew Tiew (noodles).

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Phad Thai:

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all Thai dishes - soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes – contain garlic.
Medicinal properties : Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasites, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clears chest congestion.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Nam Makham Piak (Tamarind Paste)

Use : Tamarind paste can be used in place of lime juice. It is an essential ingredient of Kaeng Khua, Tom Khlong and some spicy salad, which require sweet and sour flavours. It lends a beautiful colour to Tom Khlong.
Medicinal properties : Prevents and relieves constipation, relieves cold symptoms i.e. coughing, runny nose, and sore throat, and relieves indigestion, loss of appetite and tastelessness.

Nam Manao (Lime Juice)

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Tom Yam and Kaeng Som and also as beverage.
Medicinal properties : Relieves coughs, sore throat, swollen gum, tooth bleeding, constipation, dizziness, the lack of Vitamin C, and phlegm.

Phat Gaprao Kai

Ingredients:

Chicken meat, ground and 70% pan grilled (beef or pork can be used in place of chicken)	500 grams
Gaprao chili mixture	50 grams
Galangal, ground	5 grams
Fish sauce	2 tablespoons
Sugar	1 teaspoon
Chicken stock	8 tablespoons
Holy basil leaves	50 grams
Cooking oil	6 tablespoons (4 tablespoons used for frying shrimps)

Directions:

• Fry the gaprao chili mixture on a medium heat. Add galangal and fry until the chili mixture is fragrant and well-cooked (for approximately 2 minutes).
• Add fish sauce, sugar, chicken stock and ground chicken, and fry all together
• Add holy basil leaves and fry together until the leaves are cooked.
• Place about 100 grams of the Pad Gaprao in one serving plate. Gamish with fried basil leaves.

Correct Characteristics of Phat Gaprao Kai(chicken)/Nua (beef)/Mu (pork)/Kung (shrimp):

• Minced beef, pork, chicken meat or prawns must be tender and not dry, mushy or sticky as balls.
• Phat Gaprao must be fragrant from chili paste and holy basils, well-cooked, not greasy, spicy and salty, and not sweet.

Cooking Tips:

• Beef, pork or chicken meat must be minced and pan toasted before being brought to cook Phat Gaprao to ensure pleasant fragrance.
• Chili paste must consist of yellow spur chilies, galangal, garlic and coriander roots and finely ground. Galangal helps ease bad smell.
• Chili paste must be fried until well-cooking before adding the meat and holy basils and continuing frying until well-cooked.

Eating Culture:

Phat Gaprao is usually eaten with the main meal with rice. For fusion eating, it can be fried with rice to make ‘’Khao Phat Gaprao’’ or fried with spaghetti. Gaprao Kai can be also used as sandwich spread.

How to Serve:

Place about 100 grams of the Phat Gaprao in one serving plate. Gamish with fried basil leaves. Serve with the main meal for eating with rice.

Recipe Variations:

Khao Phat Gaprao
Spaghetti Phat Gaprao
Phat Gaprao Kai Sanwich Spread

Name Derivative :

Phat Gaprao is named according to its cooking method – Phat (frying) – and its main ingredient – Gaprao (holy basils).

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Phat Gaprao:

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Kha (Mature Galangal)

Use : Beef and chicken Tom Yams need mature galangal roots to improve the flavor of the beef and chicken. The dishes will have a better aroma and taste.
Medicinal properties : Relieves skin rash, diarrhea, indigestion and body pain due to crash and fall.

Rak Pak Shee (Coriander Roots)

Use : Coriander root is an important ingredient in soup and curry mixtures. It is also used in stewing soup stocks and most meat dishes.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, prevents constipation, cures scurry, pellagra and beriberi, increases appetite, and relieves cold symptoms.

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all Thai dishes - soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes – contain garlic.
Medicinal properties : Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasites, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clears chest congestion.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Gaprao (Ocimum sanctum red, or white basil, or holy basil)

Use : Gaprao is used in Pad Gaprao (fried meat with fresh chili pepper, garlic and gaprao), Gang Pa, Gang Kae, and Tom Jew.
Medicinal properties : Relieves flatulence and indigestion, helps release phlegm, and increases milik supply for breastfeeding mothers.

Pha Naeng Nua

Ingredients:

Beef, cut into thin strips	400 grams
Coconut milk	2 cups
Pha-naeng curry paste	3 tablespoons
Peanuts, roasted and ground	½ cup
Fish sauce	2 ½ tablespoons
Salt	¼ teaspoon
Palm sugar	3 tablespoons
Fresh or dry kaffir lime leaves	6 each
Red chili, thinly sliced	1 each

Directions:

• Prepare the pha-naeng curry paste
• Place 1 cup of coconut milk on a medium heat until oil patches appear on the surface, add curry paste and slowly bring to boil, stirring constantly.
• Add beef strips, cooked in coconut milk until soft, and cook for 5 minutes, add 1 cup of coconut milk.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients except kaffir lime leaves. Add this to the curried beef, stir well and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add kaffir lime leaves and remove from the heat.

Pha-naeng Curry Paste

Ingredients:

Big dried chilies (seeds removed)	6-7 each
Shallots	5 each (1/4 cup)
Garlic	2 cloves (3 tablespoons)
Galangal, chopped	1 tablespoon
Lemon grass, chopped	1 tablespoon
Coriander roots, chopped	½ tablespoon
Kaffir lime peel, chopped	½ tablespoon
Peanuts, roasted	1 tablespoon
Coriander seeds, roasted and ground	2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds, roasted and ground	½ tablespoon
Salt	1 tablespoon
Pepper, ground	¼ tablespoon
Shrimp paste (Kapi)	1 tablespoon

Directions:

Grind chilies and salt together. Add the rest of the ingredients and grind until delicate and well-blended.

Correct Characteristics of Pha-naeng Nua:

• Pha-naeng paste must be fragrant from coriander seeds, which is different from red curry which will be strongly red out of spices – roasted coriander seeds and cumin.
• This dish must be spicy and rich and have roasted and ground nuts. Beef, pork or chicken meat must be tender and absorbed with soup.

Cooking Tips:

Beef or pork meat can be used in place of chicken. In case of beef or pork, the meat must be cooked in coconut milk until very soft before being brought for cooking this dish.

Eating Culture:

Pha-naeng is usually eaten with the main meal with rice. For fusion eating, it can be used as sandwich spread or fried with rice to make ‘’Khao Phat Pha-naeng’’.

How to Serve:

Spoon Pha-naeng Nua into a serving bowl and serve with the main meal for eating with rice.

Recipe Variations:

In modern recipes, prawns, fish, salmon, lamb or turkey meat can be used in placed of beef, pork or chicken.
Pha-naeng Nua (beef)
Pha-naeng Mu (pork)
Pha-naeng Kung (prawns)
Pha-naeng Pla (fish)
Pha-naneg Kae (lamb)
Pha-naeng Kai (chicken)
Khao Phat Pha-naeng (frying with rice)

Name Derivative :

Pha-naeng was developed from red curry. Both Pha-naeng and red curry are cooked from red curry paste, but Pha-naeng paste has more coriander seeds and the soup of Pha-naeng is richer from roasted and ground nuts, but has no pea aubergine (Ma Kheu Puang) unlike red curry.
If cooked with pork, this dish is called Phanaeng Mu. If cooked with chicken or beef, it is called Phanaeng Kai or Phanaeng Nua respectively.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Pha-naeng Nua:

Pepper (Cayenne or Red Pepper) :

Use : Used as ingredient in Kaeng Liang, red curry and Kaeng Pa paste. Used as garnish. In many dishes, soup and boiled rice.
Medicinal properties :Helps constipation, flatulence and nausea.

Shallots (Hom Lek or Hom Daeng (in Thai)) :

It gives sweet flavor and scent to the soup or stock. It aids digestion, relives cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Lemongrass or Ta Krai (in Thai):

The lemongrass in Tom Yam Kung not only serves as a flavouring agent and helps balance the flavour, but also acts as carminative in addition to containing calcium. It improves the shrimp flavor, gives a well balanced taste to the liquid when being chewed on, and offers a medicinal value in aiding digestion. Lemon grass is a good source of fiber, iron and B-vitamins.
Lemon grass aids digestion, relieves stomach pain, increases urine production, relieves gall stone problems and high blood pressure.

Chili Peppers or Prik Kee Nu (in Thai):

These small fresh Thai chili peppers whose essential oil and flavors give the characteristic hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost any dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
This kind of herb relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion, the heat increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clot and prevents intestinal cancer.

Kaffir Lime Leaves or Bai Ma Krood (in Thai):

Kaffir lime leaf is a major ingredient of Tom Yam, Tam Kha, and all kinds of Thai curry which gives good aroma of Thai cooking.
It aids digestion and relieves stomachache.

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all-Thai dishes contain garlic, in soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes.
Medicinal properties :Cures and prevent atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, and fights some intestinal parasites.

Luk Phakshee (Coriander Seeds)

Coriander seeds are small and white or pale brown and taste fizzy like licorice. Coriander leaves smell and taste better. Use : Stir-fried coriander powder is used as spice in clear soup, curries, stew, duck, chicken, pork and goose dishes, or added to apple pies, custard, fruit salad, cream and even in gin.
Medicinal properties :Relieves swellings, high cholesterol, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, anaemia and kidney problems.

Jeera (Caraway or Cumin)

Both Caraway and Cumin give slightly sweet tastes and similar aromas, but the seeds of Caraway are bigger in size while Cumin has better and stronger adors and is spicier. Use : Add to curry paste and meat dishes such as Satay, roasted chicken, roasted beef, soup, sausages and ham as well as pickles, preserved fruit, cake, cookies and biscuits. Jeera is also used in salad cream and soup in certain countries. American mixed spices called “ Chilli Seasoning ” also contain Jeera.
Medicinal properties :Stimulant, antispasmodic, carminative, Relieves diabetes, constipation, indigestion, nausea, fatigue and insomnia.

Kha (Mature Galangal)

Use : Beef and chicken Tom Yams need mature galangal roots to improve the flavor of the beef and chicken. The dishes will have a better aroma and taste.
Medicinal properties :Relieves skin rash, diarrhea, indigestion and body pain due to crash and fall.

Khao Phat Mu

Ingredients:

Cooked rice	4 cups
Pork	150 grams
Shrimp, shelled and divided	150 grams
Eggs	2 each
Cooking oil	¼ cup
Onion	1 each
Ketchup	2 tablespoons
Sugar	1 tablespoon
Light soy sauce	3 tablespoons
Head cabbage	½ head
Spur chili, sliced	1 each
Spring onions	8 each
Lettuce plant	1 each
Whole lime	1 each

Directions:

• Cut the pork into small pieces and marinate in 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce for a few minutes.
• Cut onion into 1/5-inch-thick slices.
• Heat oil in a wok, fry onions and add the pork, shrimps, ketchup, sugar, and soy sauce. Fry and stir until the pork is well-done and add rice. Continue stirring the rice, scraping the bottom of the wok regularly to prevent the rice from sticking to the wok, until the desired degree of dryness is reached; and set aside.
• Return the wok to the heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil, allow it to heat and break the eggs into the wok. With a spatula, break, spread, and turn the eggs and when done, cut into strips. Add the fried rice, and mix well.

Correct Characteristics of Khao Phat Mu/Kai::

• Cooked rice used for making Khao Phat must not be mushy.
• Good Khao Phat must have easy-to-scatter rice and well-cooked eggs, and well-cooked and tender pork/chicken meat. It must also be fragrant, not smell fishy, and not be greasy.

Cooking Tips:

• Chicken meat must be marinated until it tastes good.
• Rice from the old harvest is preferable for cooking Khao Phat since it is not easy to be mushy. It is better to use hands or wooden spoons rather than scrapers to scatter and spoon rice to prevent rice from becoming mushy.
• Fresh chilies or tomatoes can be added to Khao Phat for additional tastes.

Eating Culture:

This dish can be eaten as breakfast, lunch and dinner or for picnicking. It should be eaten with fresh vegetables such as cucumber and spring onions.

How to Serve:

Spoon the fried rice onto a plate with shreds of chilies, and serve with cucumber, spring onions, cabbage, lettuce and wedges of lime.

Recipe Variations:

If desired, shrimps, crab meat and beef can be used in place of pork or chicken.

Name Derivative :

Khao Phat Mu/Kai is named according to its cooking method – Phat (frying) – and its main ingredients – Khao (rice) and Mu (pork) or Kai (chicken).

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Khao Phat Mu:

Nam Manao (Lime Juice)

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Tom Yam and Kaeng Som and also as beverage.
Medicinal properties :Relieves coughs, sore throat, swollen gum, tooth bleeding, constipation, dizziness, the lack of Vitamin C, and phlegm.

Onion

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Khao Phat and other Thai dishes.
Medicinal properties :Used as an antiseptic, also used against coughs.

Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai

Ingredients:

Chicken	300 grams
Kaeng khiao Wan chili paste	3 tablespoons
Eggplant or sweet peas, cut into bite-sized	½ cup
Coconut cream	1 cup
Coconut milk	1 ½ cup
Sweet basil	¼ cup
Kaffir lime leaves (optional)	2 each
Sugar	1 tablespoon
Fish sauce	1 ½-2 tablespoons
Cooking oil	1 tablespoon
Red spur chili, shredded for garnish	1 portion

Directions:

• Prepare Kaeng Khiao Wan Chili Paste
• Cut the chicken into long and thin slices, mix with ½ teaspoon of salt, and fry until dry.
• Fry chili paste in cooking oil until fragrant, reduce the heat, add little coconut cream at a time, and cook and
• stir until the coconut cream begins to have oily sheens.
• Add the chicken and tear kaffir lime leaves and cook for a short time, add the curry into a pot, add coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce, and bring to boil. Add eggplant or peas. When the meat is well-done, add sweet basil and remove from the heat. Garnish with chilies.

Kaeng Khiao Wan Chili Paste

Ingredients:

Hot chili peppers	30 grams
Green spur chilies	20 grams
Shallots, chopped	¼ cup
Garlic, chopped;	3 tablespoons
Galangal, chopped	1 teaspoon
Lemon grass, finely sliced	1 tablespoon
Kaffir lime peel	½ tablespoon
Coriander root, chopped	1 tablespoon
Pepper, ground	¼ teaspoon
Coriander seeds, roasted and ground	1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds, roasted and ground	1 teaspoon
Salt	1 teaspoon
Shrimp paste (Kapi)	1 teaspoon

Directions:

• Grind chilies and salt, add galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime peel and coriander root, and grind all until well-blended.
• Add shallots, garlic and the rest of the ingredients and blend all together.

Correct Characteristics of Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai:

Soup should be rich, green and fragrant but not have too many oily sheens. Its taste must spicy, slightly salty and little sweet.

Cooking Tips:

• Spices must be toasted until fragrant and moderately cooked or the color of the soup will be dark.
• To ensure the beautifully green color of the soup, add water sqeezed from chopped chili leaves or coriander leaves to chili paste while frying in coconut milk.
• Chicken meat should be toasted or boiled in coconut milk first.
• To ensure the richness of the soup rich, fry chili paste in cooking oil until cooked before adding coconut cream little by little and frying until oily sheens emerge. The taste of the soup will be bland unless chili paste is well-cooked. There will be separate layers of water and oil in the soup if coconut cream is added to the soup all at once.

Eating Culture:

This dish can be either eaten with rice with the main meal, placed on top of spaghetti and macaroni or eaten with bread according to fusion eating styles.

How to Serve:

Spoon Kaeng Khiao Wan into a serving bowl and serve with the main meal for eating with rice.

Recipe Variations:

If desired, beef, fish, fish balls and prawns can be used in place of chicken meat. For vegetarians, tofu and various kinds of vegetables such as mushrooms, pumpkin etc. can be used in place of meat.

Name Derivative :

Kaeng Khiao Wan is named according to its color – the green color of chilies – and its tastes – the spiciness of chilies and the sweetness of coconut milk.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Kaeng Khiao Wan:

Coriander Roots (Cilantro Roots) or Rak Pak Chee (in Thai):

Coriander root is an important ingredient in soup and curry mixtures. It is also used in stewing soup stocks and most meat preparation.
It aids digestion, prevents constipation, cures scurry, pellagra and beriberi, increases appetite and relieves cold symptoms.

Shallots (Hom Lek or Hom Daeng (in Thai)) :

It gives sweet flavor and scent to the soup or stock. It aids digestion, relives cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Lemon grass or Ta Krai (in Thai):

The lemon grass in Tom Yam Kung not only serves as a flavouring agent and helps balance the flavour, but also acts as carminative in addition to containing calcium. It improves the shrimp flavor, gives a well balanced taste to the liquid when being chewed on, and offers a medicinal value in aiding digestion. Lemon grass is a good source of fiber, iron and B-vitamins.
Lemon grass aids digestion, relieves stomach pain, increases urine production, relieves gall stone problems and high blood pressure.

Chili Peppers or Prik Kee Nu (in Thai):

These small fresh Thai chili peppers whose essential oil and flavors give the characteristic hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost any dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
This kind of herb relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion, the heat increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clot and prevents intestinal cancer.

Kaffir Lime Leaves or Bai Ma Krood (in Thai):

Kaffir lime leaf is a major ingredient of Tom Yam, Tam Kha, and all kinds of Thai curry which gives good aroma of Thai cooking.
It aids digestion and relieves stomachache.

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all-Thai dishes contain garlic, in soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes.
Medicinal properties :Cures and prevent atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, and fights some intestinal parasites.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : All kinds of curry pastes hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relives cold symptoms, increases appetite, regulates menstruation.

Horapa (Sweet Basil)

Use : All kinds of Thai curry and some pan fried dishes, i.e. fried long egg plant, shellfish dishes; used fresh in salads and as a accompanying vegetable for regional dished.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion increases perspiration, relieves coughing, fights parasites of the digestive tract, relieves constipation, and cures scurvy.

Ka (Mature Galangal)

Use : Beef and chicken tomyams need mature galangal root to improve the flavor of the beef and chicken. The dishes will have a better aroma and taste.
Medicinal properties : Relieves skin rash, diarrheas, indigestion and body pain due to crash and fall.

Rak Pak Shee (Coriander Root)

Use : Coriander root is an important ingredient in soup and curry mixtures. It is also used in stewing soup stocks and most meat preparation.
Medicinal properties : Add the crushed of ground coriander roots into boiling water for best aroma.

Jeera (Caraway or Cumin)

Both Caraway and Cumin give slightly sweet tastes and similar aromas, but the seeds of Caraway are bigger in size while Cumin has better and stronger adors and is spicier.
Use : Add to curry paste and meat dishes such as Satay, roasted chicken, roasted beef, soup, sausages and ham as well as pickles, preserved fruit, cake, cookies and biscuits. Jeera is also used in salad cream and soup in certain countries. American mixed spices called “ Chili Seasoning ” also contain Jeera.
Medicinal properties : Stimulant, antispasmodic, carminative Relieves diabetes, constipation, indigestion, nausea, fatigue and insomnia.

Pepper (Cayenne or Red Pepper)

Use : Used as ingredient in Kaeng Liang, red curry and Kaeng Pa paste. Used as garnish. In many dishes, soup and boiled rice.
Medicinal properties : Helps constipations, flatulence and nausea.

Khao Mun Somtam with Nua Khem Foi

Somtam

Ingredients:

Green papaya, finely chopped	4 cups
Dried chili (seeds removed and soaked in water)	1 each
Garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon Peppers	7 each
Tamarind juice	1 tablespoon
Fish sauce	3 tablespoons
Dried shrimps, ground	1/4 cup
Palm sugar	3 tablespoons
Lime, diced	1/4 cup
Fresh vegetables – lettuce, cha-plu and thonglang leaves

Directions:

• Pound green papaya slightly in a mortar for a few times
• Add garlic, dried chili, and peppers, and grind well.
• Bring the mixture of tamarind juice, fish sauce and sugar to boil, allow to cool, and add 1 tablespoon of lime juice.
• Mix the mixture and sauce together, spoon onto the papaya, mix well, and add dried shrimps and diced lime. Serve with lettuce, cha-plu and thonglang leaves

Khao Mun (Rice cooked in coconut milk)

Ingredients:

Uncooked rice	1 1/2 cups (300 grams)
Coconut milk	3 cups
Sugar	2 tablespoons
Salt	2 teaspoons

Directions:

• Wash rice in water once, and rinse off. Allow to drain in a strainer.
• Mix coconut milk, sugar and salt together. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour the mixture through a thin white cloth onto the rice. Boil or steam for about 30 minutes until the rice is well-cooked.

Nua Khem Phad Wan (Sweetened Salted Beef)

Ingredients:

Salted beef	200 grams
Vegetable oil	¼ cup
Shallots, fried	¼ cup
Sugar	¼ cup

Directions:

• Wash the beef and steam for 15 minutes. Pound with a wooden stick until the meat is tender. Tear into small stripes.
• Toast the beef in little oil on a low heat until crisp. Add little more oil if the texture is too dry. Add sugar and half of the fried shallots in the crisp beef. Top with the remaining fried shallots

Correct Characteristics of Somtam Thai:

• Green papaya must be crisp, finely chopped, and pounded in a mortar until tender.
• Somtam must taste mild and sour, not too sweet or too spicy, and must be fragrant but not watery.

Cooking Tips:

• To make green papaya crispy, soak whole papayas in cold water until their texture is crisp and fresh before peeling. The papaya will be more crispy if chopped rather than sliced. Chopped papaya should not be soaked in water or its texture will be too soft.
• Big dried chilies are better than small ones as ingredient of Somtam for mild taste.
• Mix tamarind paste, fish sauce and sugar together and cook it well first before adding to Somtam to prevent unpleasant odor.

Eating Culture:

1. Somtam can be eaten with Khao Mun (rice cooked in coconut milk) as the main meal.
2. For fushion eating, this Thai-style spicy salad can be eaten with steak in place of salad.

How to Serve:

• Spoon rice onto three plates, put the sweetened beef on the sides of the plates.
• Spoon Somtam onto three more plates 7 inches in diameter. Place the lettuce, cha-plu and thonglang leaves (one lettuce leaf, three cha-plu leaves and a few thonglang leaves) on the sides of the dishes.
• Somtam sauce can be prepared in large quantify in advance to save cooking time. It can be kept in bottles for about a week if refrigerated.
• Serve with the main meal.

Recipe Variations:

Som Tam as Salad

Name Derivative :

Somtam is named according to its cooking method – being pounded in a mortar (Tam) – and its taste of sourness from tamarine paste or lime juice (Som).

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Khao Mun Som Tam:

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all-Thai dishes contain garlic, in soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes.
Medicinal properties :Cures and prevent atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, and fights some intestinal parasites.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use :All kinds of curry pastes hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties :Aids digestion, relives cold symptoms, increases appetite, regulates menstruation.

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh Small Chili Peppers)

Use :The small chili peppers are the thing, which gives the characteristically hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost any dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot peppers. Tomyam and Tomka cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties :Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion, the heat increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, prevents intestinal cancer.

Lime or Manao (in Thai)

Lime juice is an ingredient in Yam (Thai salad), Tom Yam and Kaeng Som (Thai sour curry) and as beverage. It relieves coughs, sore throat, swollen gum, tooth bleeding, constipation, dizziness, the lack of Vitamin C, and phlegm.

Pepper (Cayenne or Red Pepper)

Use :Used as ingredient in Kaeng Liang, red curry and Kaeng Pa paste. Used as garnish. In many dishes, soup and boiled rice.
Medicinal properties :Helps constipation, flatulence and nausea.

Nam Makam Piak (Tamarind Paste)

Use :The sour paste is used in place of limejuice, especially in Tom Klong and some salad dressing. Tamarind paste is both sweet and sour. It adds flavor and color to the final food products.
Medicinal properties :Prevents and relieves constipation, relieves cold symptoms i.e. coughing, runny nose.

Tom Kha Kai

Ingredients:

Chicken	300 grams
Young galangal, thin sliced	1/4 cup
Coconut cream	1 cup
Coconut milk	3 cups
Lemon grass stem	1 each
Kaffir lime leaves	3-4 each
Fish sauce	3 tablespoons
Lemon juice	3 tablespoons
Hot chilies	10 each
Coriander plant	1 each

Directions:

• Slice chicken into small pieces, boil in 1 cup of coconut milk for aproximately 15 minutes and remove from the heat.
• Heat the remaining coconut milk, add galangal, thinly sliced lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chicken and fish sauce, and simmer on a low heat.When the chicken becomes tender, add coconut cream.
• Correct seasoning with lemon juice and crushed hot chilies for sourness and spiciness, spoon onto a serving bowl, and sprinkle with coriander leaves.

Correct Characteristics of Tom Kha Kai:

• Coconut milk must not be too as rich as cream, but be white yellow in color from the color of coconut milk and old galangal cooked together.
• The soup must be fragrant from galangal and have the outstanding taste of sourness, followed by saltiness and sweetness.
• Galangal must be well-cooked and not taste bland. Lemon grass must be well-cooked as well.

Cooking Tips:

• Chicken meat must be horizontally sliced and cooked in coconut milk first to ensure pleasant smell and tenderness.
• Coconut milk and old galangal must be cooked together first to ensure fragrant soup. After being added with coconut cream, the soup should not be cooked on high heat too long or the coconut cream will become oily sheens and sticky balls.

Eating Culture:

1. Thai food is eaten family style, where all kinds of dishes including soups, curries etc. are placed in the middle of a dining table and served with serving spoons. Each person is given a plate of rice and all can choose what to eat with rice according to their taste. According to the Thai traditional style, Tom Kha Kai is eaten either with the main meal with rice rather than the first course.
2. To make it Western eating style, Tom Kha Kai can be served alone as soup.
3. At all times, Chuchee should be served piping hot.

How to Serve:

Divide Tom Kha Kai soup and its content into equal portions and put in serving bowls. Top with coriander leaves. Serve either with the main meal for eating with rice or alone as soup.

Recipe Variations:

If desired, other kinds of meat can be used in place of chicken while Tom Kha Mushroom substituting soy sauce or salt for fish sauce is suitable for vegetarians.

Name Derivative :

Tom Kha Kai is named according to its cooking method – boiling (Tom) – and its main ingredient - galangal (Kha).

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Tom Kha Kai:

Ka On (Young Galangal root)

Use : Tomka Gai can be literally translated to boiled Chicken with Galangal. The galangal gives a pleasant flavor, covers up the natural chicken smell and nullifies the fatty taste of the coconut milk. It is an essential ingredient of this delicious and popular dish.
Medicinal properties :Relieves skin rash, diarrheas, indigestion and body pain due to crash and fall.

Kaffir Lime Leaves or Bai Ma Krood (in Thai):

Kaffir lime leaf is a major ingredient of Tom Yam, Tam Kha, and all kinds of Thai curry which gives good aroma of Thai cooking. It aids digestion and relieves stomachache.

Lemongrass or Ta Krai (in Thai):

The lemongrass in Tom Yam Kung not only serves as a flavouring agent and helps balance the flavour, but also acts as carminative in addition to containing calcium. It improves the shrimp flavor, gives a well balanced taste to the liquid when being chewed on, and offers a medicinal value in aiding digestion. Lemon grass is a good source of fiber, iron and B-vitamins.
Lemon grass aids digestion, relieves stomach pain, increases urine production, relieves gall stone problems and high blood pressure.

Chili Peppers or Prik Kee Nu (in Thai):

These small fresh Thai chili peppers whose essential oil and flavors give the characteristic hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost any dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
This kind of herb relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion, the heat increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clot and prevents intestinal cancer.

Coriander Leaves (Cilantro Leaves) or Bai Pak Chee (in Thai):

Tom Yam, Tom Kha, soups and salads require coriander leave as a flavorful and colorful garnish. It aids digestion, prevents constipation, cures scurry, pellagra and beriberi, increases appetite and relieves cold symptoms.

Lime or Manao (in Thai):

Lime juice is an ingredient in Yam (Thai salad), Tom Yam and Kaeng Som (Thai sour curry) and as beverage. It relieves coughs, sore throat, swollen gum, tooth bleeding, constipation, dizziness, the lack of Vitamin C, and phlegm.