Green Papaya Salad - Som Tum Thai (ส้มตำไทย)

Green Papaya Salad or Som Tum is one of the most popular salad dishes in Thailand. This papaya salad is also eaten throughout Southeast Asia. 
A traditional salad is made from finely grated unripe papaya, including ingredients such as lime juice, tomatoes, fresh red chilies, fish sauce, dried shrimp and roasted peanuts, which calls Som Tum Thai(ส้มตำไทย). But the green papaya with salted crab calls Som Tum Pbooh(ส้มตำปู). 
In addition, som means sour and tum means pound by using a pestle and mortar. I like to eat the papaya salad with other dishes such as sticky rice and larb. If green papaya is unavailable, use very thinly sliced white cabbage or carrot. Are you are hungry? Let's get cooking ka!  

Ingredients

2.5 cups shredded green unripe papaya, I buy in Asian store
1/3 cup shredded carrot  
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half  
1/3 cup snake beans or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces 
2 cloves garlic
2 Thai chilies 
2 tablespoons fish sauce 
3 tablespoons lime juice 
1 teaspoon palm sugar or granulated sugar 
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons dried shrimp 
fresh vegetables such as Napa cabbage, cucumber, cabbage 
steamed sticky rice for serving  
1 tablespoon roasted for garnish 

Instructions

Peel green papaya with a vegetable peeler. I prefer to use a hand shredder to shred the papaya and carrot. But some people use a knife cut into papaya multiple times and slice the thin layer off, cut long, and thin shreds. If you have a mandolin, use the grater attachment. 

I use the hard wood pestle and mortar to make som tum. Put dried shrimp and roasted peanuts and pound until small pieces. Add green beans and pound roughly with garlic. Add papaya, carrot, and pound softly. Mix well by using a spoon to scrape down the sides. Add cherry tomatoes and season with palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and Thai chilies. Gently pound together until thoroughly mixed. I like to break chilies outside and put into the mortar. This way my salad is not too spicy. Adjust the seasoning. The salad should be a balance of sour, sweet, salt, and a little spicy taste. Place on a serving dish and serve som tum Thai with your favorite fresh veggies and sticky rice. Top with the roasted peanuts. Enjoy ka!  

I like to eat som tum with sticky rice ka. Yum!!!

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

It is Friday and the first snowflakes fall already. What am I going make for dinner? This warm, creamy, fantastic spiced butternut squash soup is at the top of my list. The soup is super easy, quick, and delicious and requires several ingredients that I already have on hand. Let's get started ka! 

Ingredients:

2.5 pounds butternut squash, peeled, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped 
1 carrot, chopped 
2 onions, chopped 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground curry powder
1/4 teaspoon clove 
1 bay leaf  
4 cups water, I make a vegetarian version or chicken stock
1/3 cup half and half 
1 tablespoon butter 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
parsley leaves for garnish (optional)
sour cream for serving

Instructions:

Heat butter and olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and sauté for a few minutes or until translucent. Add carrot, celery, and squash, and stir well. Pour water or chicken stock and bring to a boil; cover partially and reduce to simmer. Add  ground nutmeg, clove, curry powder, cumin, bay leaf, and stir until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. 
Cook until vegetables are tender about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and bring the bay leaf out from the pot. I use a hand blender that makes a quick work for pureeing soup in the  pot until smooth. Then drizzle with half-and-half cream and mix well. Heat through, but not boil. Adjust seasoning. 
Ladle into a bowl, and top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with chopped parsley leaves. Enjoy ka!

Would you like a warm bowl of soup ka? 

Tofu Larb - ลาบเต้าหู้

There are a wide variety of ingredients to make Larb, which means minced or ground meat. I did mention from my recipe: Thai Spicy Chicken Salad-Larb Gai that you can replace meat by using tofu or mushrooms. I prefer to use a firm tofu to make larb as a vegetarian healthy dish, and it looks also like minced chicken. The mashed tofu crumbles are perfectly replacing the meat with a hearty flavor that still pack enough protein to leave you feeling satisfied. Let's me tell you how I make yummy Tofu Larb ka. 

Ingredients:  

1 (16-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and mashed with a folk into small crumbles like ricotta cheese

1 small shallot, finely sliced about 2 tablespoons

3 tablespoons toasted rice powder 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

4 tablespoons lime juice  

1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red chili flakes 

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/3 chopped fresh mint 

1/3 chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar  

1/4 salt 

2 tablespoons water from the boiling tofu 

mint and cilantro leaves to garnish 

fresh vegetables such as lettuce leaves, broccoli forests, carrots and cucumbers for serving  

Instructions: 

To make toasted rice, by adding raw sticky or jasmine rice in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast until golden brown. Then grind toasted rice in the coffee grinder or pound in the mortar and pestle.  

In a medium pot, boil water over medium heat. Add the tofu crumbles into the boiling water about several minutes. Drain well.

To make the dressing, in a mixing bowl, add soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, chopped red onion, and stir well. Place the tofu crumbled, add chopped cilantro, mint, rice powder, and water from the boiling tofu.  Stir well until everything is evenly coated. Spoon tofu larb into the serving bowl or the lettuce leaves and garnish with mint and cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with your favorite fresh veggies. You can have it as a starter or as a very healthy meal as well. Enjoy ka!   

It's so good and healthy lunch! 

Thai Chicken Galangal Soup-Tom Kha Gai (ต้มข่าไก่)

Baby, it is cold outside. This creamy chicken soup with coconut, which filled with fresh herbs like galangal(kha), lemongrass(ta kai), and kaffir lime leave(bai makrut) flavors will make you warm and create fragrant smell before you even take the first spoonful. However, there are several main ingredients such as galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves that require you to shop in Asian Supermarkets near by your home. I promise, it will be well worth delightful homemade soup for you and your family. Let's get cooking ka.

Ingredients: Makes 4 Servings 

1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces, I prefer chicken thighs to prevent overcooked during the poaching process. They will create extra flavor and make it more richer and creamier. 
6-7 sliced fresh or frozen galangal 
1 can(13.5fl.oz) full-fat unsweetend coconut milk
2 stalks lemongrass, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces 
3 cups sliced fresh oyster mushrooms or 8 ounces canned straw mushrooms, drained 
5 kaffir lime leaves, hand torn  
1 shallot, sliced 
1 teaspoon Kosher salt 
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce(nam pla) 
4-5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
5 cups water 
3 fresh Thai chilies, whole or halved lengthwise 
chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
lime wedges for serving (optional) 

Instructions: 

To make the chicken stock, pour in cold water into a stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sliced galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, salt and chicken. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is done. As it cooks, skim any impurities that rise to the surface. Turn off the heat.

In another soup pot, stir in coconut milk and pour in 3 cups chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for several minutes. Then add cooked chicken including some sliced galangal, lemongrass, shallot, and kaffir lime leaves and until cooked through. Add fish sauce, chilies, and stir well. Remove from the heat. Add lime juice and check the seasoning. Stir in chopped cilantro leaves. Serve hot with jasmine rice. Enjoy ka! 

Yum!!!

Thai Spicy Chicken Salad- Larb Gai (ลาบไก่)

Larb is one of the most popular Thai Northeastern dishes, which means minced or ground meat. You can use any meat you like such as beef, pork, turkey, chicken, or even duck. It also can be made as a vegetarian dish by using tofu or mushrooms as well. In Thailand, you can find small food carts selling a delicious Northeastern Cuisine everywhere. 
My family and I love som tum or green papaya salad as well as larb  and they both go really well with steamed sticky rice. We always order from our neighbor who sells food near by our house in Bangkok. This dish is a simple but has a wonderful variety of flavors and textures. It is also a very healthy and low-fat dish so let's get started it ka! 

Ingredients: serves 2-3 

1 lb boneless skinless ground turkey or any meat you like
4 tablespoons toasted rice powder (I use brown jasmine rice) 
3 scallions, chopped 
5 tablespoons chopped mint leaves 
1 shallot, chopped 
4 tablespoons lime juice  
1 teaspoon soy sauce 
3 teaspoons fish sauce 
2 teaspoons chili flakes 
pinch of ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced 
1 cup chicken stock or water 
fresh endive, lettuce, cabbage or your favorites for serving 
steamed sticky rice 

Directions: 

To make toasted rice, by adding raw sticky or jasmine rice in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast until golden brown. Then grind toasted rice in the coffee grinder or pound in the mortar and pestle.  

Heat skillet over medium heat and pour chicken stock or water. Add ground turkey and minced garlic, stir until cooked through. Season it with soy sauce and pepper. Remove from the heat. 
In a mixing bowl, add cooked turkey, chopped shallots, scallion, fish sauce, lime juice , ground chili, toasted rice powder, mint and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve immediately over lettuce or endive leaves. You can garnish larb with mint or cilantro leaves. This dish can be served as an appetizer or as a healthy meal. I prefer to eat my larb gai with sticky rice and fresh veggies ka.     

Let's have lunch together ka!