Gai Pad Grapow from Thailand

When I lived in Thailand this was one of my favourite meals.  You had to tell them not to make it too spicy as sometimes it can be like eating lighter fuel and it goes straight through your system.  However, this version is a milder version of a classic Thai street food dish.  Eating this always reminds me of beachfront restaurants, plastic chairs and a Thai lady cooking this over her wok.  I can almost smell the sea air!

2 tablespoons oil
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
1 chili finely chopped
250g chicken mince
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 handful basil or coriander leaves
1 lime wedge
Put the oil in a large frying pan or wok and saute the garlic, onions and chili.  Add in the chicken mince and cook it through stirring continuously so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Add the soy sauce, sugar and basil/coriander.  If you have some green beans you can throw them in as well as they compliment this dish.  Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.  Serve with rice or noodles.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com

Chicken Satay from Thailand

Nothing screams summer more than tasty Thai chicken satay skewers done on the barbecue.  If you don't have a barbecue you can do them under the grill.  Remember as the chicken is cut into thin strips they will cook quite quickly, so you can't leave them while you do something else.  Turn them every 5 minutes, and depending on the heat of the barbecue or grill, they'll be done in about 15 minutes.  You can serve these with jasmine rice and the satay peanut dipping sauce.  I like to prepare the marinade and let the chicken strips soak in it for 24 hours.  However if you are in a hurry, an hour in the marinade is fine.  Obviously more flavour is absorbed if you leave the chicken strips in longer.

5 chicken breast fillets cut into thin strips
wooden skewers
1 small handful chopped lemon grass
1 onion roughly chopped
2 chilies finely chopped
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger finely sliced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
6 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oil
Lay the chicken strips in a container.  Take the rest of the ingredients and put them into your blender.  Blend until you have a thin paste.  Pour the thin paste over the chicken strips.  Use your hand to make sure all the strips are coated in the marinade.  Cover and put in your fridge for 1-24 hours.  Thread the marinated chicken strips onto the skewers.  If you let the wooden skewers soak in water first, they will absorb the water and be less likely to burn.  Place the chicken satay skewers on the barbecue or under the grill.  Keep an eye on them so that they don't overcook and you end up with dried out chicken.  They should take roughly 15 minutes.  Make sure you turn them regularly.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com

Satay Peanut Sauce from Thailand

Satay peanut sauce is a South East Asian classic and goes well with noodles, vegetables as well as meat.  It's also a great dipping sauce and its versatility makes it very popular.  Serve it warm or at room temperature.  You can make this in advance as it will keep well in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

1 cup peanuts
1/3 cup water
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/3 cup coconut milk
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend together until you have a sauce.That's all.  How easy was that?
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com

Tom Yum Gai from Thailand

Tom Yum is one of Thailand's most famous dishes.  Tom Yum Goong is with prawns, and Tom Yum Gai is with chicken.  Tom Yum is a soup that combines many flavours.  Sweet, sour, salty, spicy - it's all there.  Different regions of Thailand have different variations on making this soup.  They are all delicious.  If you do not have a handy well-stocked Asian or Thai section in your supermarket then you may battle to get some of the ingredients in a traditional Tom Yum.  My version of Tom Yum gives similar flavours without all the specialist ingredients.

6 cups chicken stock

3 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons chopped kaffir lime leaves or 1 tablespoon lime zest

6 tablespoons lemon juice

6 large mushrooms slices

6 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger finely chopped

2 chilies seeded and diced.

1 tablespoon chili powder (add in another if you want it very spicy)

1/3 each of red, yellow and green capsicum to give colour

1 onion sliced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tomatoes cut into quarters

large handful of fresh coriander chopped

1 can coconut milk

salt and pepper to taste

(If you have fish sauce then use 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 tablespoons fish sauce)

Add everything into a large pot except the tomato, coriander, capsicum and coconut milk.  Bring to the boil and then reduce to medium heat until the chicken is cooked.  Add the tomato, capsicum and half the coriander and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the coconut milk and let it simmer for another 2 minutes.  What you do now is taste test.  To get the balance of flavours just right you might have to add a little more lemon juice, sugar, fish sauce or chili, but that you'll only know by tasting, and only add a little at a time if it's needed.  Serve in bowls and decorate with some of the fresh coriander.

Cindy Vine is a South African author and teacher currently living in Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective and The Colorful Art of Pain - all available on Amazon in kindle and print format.

Pork Curry from Northern Thailand

Sometimes cooking Thai food can be a challenge when you can't always get the ingredients you need when you want to make something from scratch.  That's when we reach for the ready-made sauces on the supermarket shelf.  But there is no need for that, sometimes we can substitute or add in other ingredients which will create similar flavours to the original you loved on a visit to Thailand or a Thai Restaurant.
In the traditional recipe I needed tamarind paste, fish sauce, bean paste, turmeric and lemongrass.  I can't find any of those where I stay so this recipe is my take on this classic Northern Thailand dish using ingredients I can find easily.  For those who don't eat pork you can use chicken instead.

4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 onion sliced thinly
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons cooking oil
500g pork cut into thin slices
1/3 red chili seeded and sliced
1/3 green chili seeded and sliced
2 eggplant cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 handful chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped kaffir lime leaves
2 teaspoons chutney
1/4 each of a green, red and yellow capsicum
1 can coconut milk.
salt and pepper to taste
Put the cooking oil in the pot or wok.  Add in the onion, garlic, ginger and chili and cook until soft.  Add the pork and brown it a little.  Add all the ingredients except the coconut milk.  Once it starts to boil let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  Add the coconut milk and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Season to taste.  Serve with rice.
Cindy Vine is a South African teacher currently living in Kyiv Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, Not Telling and The Colorful Art of Pain.  All her books are available on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback format.