Today completed my first week of learning how to cook Thai (I get a one day break tomorrow, Sunday…whew, I need it!) Three more weeks to go! It’s incredible how many different Thai dishes there are and I’m sure that there are A LOT more than what they are teaching us.
I have to say, when I went to class today I thought I was going to learn in a class with others, as I have up to now, but today was my first private teaching (part of the accelerated pace that I’m doing-6 weeks worth in 4 weeks) with Chef Nat. He was awesome…two for two on the instructors now! I made 10 dishes in under 5 hours today…10! I tasted a few bites of each, you wouldn’t think that is a lot, but I am sooooo full.
Today’s recipes, which were also more healthy like per Chef :), were Chinese inspired Thai. Some of the new ingredients I worked with today included fresh straw mushrooms (I’ve used the ones in the can but not fresh ones before…they are MUCH better tasting), Thai (saw) coriander, picked Chinese plums, salted soy beans, black soy beans, Chinese kale, white turmeric, white radish (Daikon), crystal caramel sugar, and long life noodles. A lot of new ingredients today…of course I have heard of most of them, but hadn’t worked with them.
Today I learned to make:
- Smoked dry fish in hot and spicy soup (Tom Glong Pla Krob)
- Shrimp cakes with plum sauce (Tord Mon Goong)
- Chicken baked in soy sauce with Chinese kale (Gai Ob Tao Jiew)
- Stir fried young green chilies with chicken (Gai Phad Prik Orn)
- White turmeric spicy salad with crab meat (Yam Ka Min Khao)
- Hot & sour tamarind curry paste (Nam Phrik Gaeng Som)
- Hot & sour tamarind curry with fish & vegetables (Gaeng Som Pla Pak Ruam)
- Deep fried boiled egg with tamarind sauce (Khua Look Khei)
- Fried fish with chili sauce (Pla Rad Pik)
- Stir fried noodles Phuket style (Kuay Teow Phuket)
- Shrimp and squid with spicy lemongrass salad (Yam Ta Khai)
Okay, since I learned to make 10 dishes today…I can’t stop saying 10…that was A LOT of dishes…I will pick my top 2. Although, I have to mention my top third one too because the flavor of the broth was sooo good… it’s a count down.
Third place goes to chicken baked in soy sauce with Chinese kale…although when they say baked I believe they mean boiled, since every time I see baked in the recipe book it is actually boiled…lost in translation I guess :).
Second place goes to shrimp cakes with plum sauce…this was my first choice until I tasted the dish that I’m choosing for my first choice. This dish was delectable. The shrimp is processed in a food processor with thinly sliced pork fat until it is a paste, practically, then you add an egg yolk and combine well and chill. Bread it with some panko like breadcrumbs and fry…that is it! Pair it with the homemade plum sauce (which was perfectly balanced between the sweet from the sugar and sour from the vinegar and those REAL salty/vinegary pickled Chinese plums. Wow, what a bite when you bite into that pillow cake dipped in the sauce.
And my #1 pick from today’s dishes is fried fish with chili sauce. OH-MY-GOSH this was so tasty. It reminded me of an excellent sweet and sour shrimp dish I used to get at one of the Chinese places near my old house in Overland Park, Kansas…it was so light and tasty and when the owners sold to others I was devastated…because the new owners had their own recipes (which weren’t as good!). Anyway, this tasted just like that, but was made with fried fish…again, it’s ALL in the sauce. Chef said you can use chicken or shrimp for the protein and add bell pepper, onion and chunks of pineapple…to make the traditional sweet and sour dish. I sure hope it tastes the same when I make it at home!
[Jump to Recipe]For the fried fish with chili sauce, you will need:
- 1 fresh water fish (I think we used sea bass this time, but you can also substitute with shrimp or chicken chunks)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour (for dredging fish)
- 1/4 cup sweet basil, leaves only
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon corn flour mixed with about 1 tablespoon of water
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red spur chili
- 2-3 small hot chili’s (depending on how spicy you want it)
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Clean fish from bones and cut into 1″ chunks, at an angle, and lightly dredge with flour.
- Heat oil in wok over medium heat (or any pot). When hot, fry fish and cook until golden brown.
- In the meantime, pound red spur chili, small hot chili’s and garlic into a paste in a mortar, set aside.
- Bring vinegar, water, salt and sugar to a boil and lower heat to simmer until sugar has dissolved well.
- Heat oil in wok and add garlic paste mixture and cook for a minute then add vinegar mixture and chicken stock and stir well. Cook for a minute.
- Add as much corn flour slurry to lightly thicken the sauce, if needed.
- Add basil leaves and stir well for 10 seconds and pour over fried fish.
And pictures of the other 7 dishes:
This next one was a new one for me…well, all of it is mostly new, but this one really was. A whole fried hard boiled egg? Really? Well, let me tell you it was very good. The outside layer of the egg white gets bubbly and crispy and has a great taste. I was impressed :). The bite was excellent with the fried shallots and the wonderful tamarind sauce. I also had never known there is a sugar called crystal caramel sugar…it’s like crack…you want to keep popping pieces of it in your mouth!
Whew, and that is it for today…what a Saturday! Will I be able to eat anymore tonight? Probably not…until Monday…thankfully I have a one day break :).
Fried Fish with Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 fresh water fish I think we used sea bass this time, but you can also substitute with shrimp or chicken chunks
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour for dredging fish
- 1/4 cup sweet basil leaves only
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon corn flour mixed with about 1 tablespoon of water
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red spur chili
- 2-3 small hot chili’s depending on how spicy you want it
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Clean fish from bones and cut into 1″ chunks, at an angle, and lightly dredge with flour.
- Heat oil in wok over medium heat (or any pot). When hot, fry fish and cook until golden brown.
- In the meantime, pound red spur chili, small hot chili’s and garlic into a paste in a mortar, set aside.
- Bring vinegar, water, salt and sugar to a boil and lower heat to simmer until sugar has dissolved well.
- Heat oil in wok and add garlic paste mixture and cook for a minute then add vinegar mixture and chicken stock and stir well. Cook for a minute.
- Add as much corn flour slurry to lightly thicken the sauce, if needed.
- Add basil leaves and stir well for 10 seconds and pour over fried fish.
