I Love to Cook!
I have spent a lot of time in Southeast Asia, and lived in Thailand in 1995-96. I don't think it's possible to live there and not love the food. Mostly, I adapt existing recipes. I present one recipe below that has infinite variations. Check out some of the great cookbooks in the bibliography for other ideas.
From November 1994 to February 1998 I reported to Tokyo and commuted to Asia, except for the time in Thailand. When I began spending most of my time back in the states, I missed Asia so much that I needed something to connect me. Food was it, and I spent a lot of time studying and practicing. People I cook for are generally pleased, and I like it, and that's good enough for me.
Here's a recipe. The ingredients are available at some large supermarkets and in Asian groceries, or try one of these web resources.
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Basic Stir-Fry
Prepare all ingredients and have them, and your serving dishes, close by. The cooking goes very quickly, and there's a lot of activity, like stuff to add, so don't start cooking until you're ready. (This means you have to read the whole recipe and decide what you want to make before you go to the stove.)
Basic, magic 5 ingredients
One stalk lemongrass (peel it down to the softer part, and mince it) 1-2 shallots, chopped Ginger or galangal (about 2 inches), minced 2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Thai chilies (prik kee nu, literally "mouse dropping chili"), including seeds, chopped Heat a wok. You can do without a wok, but why would you want to? Add about 2 tablespoons of peanut oil. Peanut oil holds up well to the heat of the wok. When the oil is hot, add the basic, magic 5 ingredients and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. You'll see and smell the flavours.
If you're not using meat, just skip the next step.
If you are using meat, add about 8 ounces--chicken or pork cut into small pieces, or beef sliced thinly--and stir-fry until it's mostly done. Spread the meat around the side of the wok--it cooks very quickly.
Add vegetables now, for example:
snow peas
long beans (cut in 1-inch pieces)
peas (a box of frozen peas is quick and easy)
corn (off the cob)
peppers (mandatory--at least 2 colours--only use green if you have 3 or more)
napa cabbage
bok choy
whatever you have around
Next, add the salty stuff (a few shakes of the bottle for each):
regular soy sauce
fish sauce (vegetarian substitute: light say sauce)
oyster sauce (vegetarian substitute: mushroom flavored soy sauce)
dark, sweet soy sauce
Soy sauce alone will do it, but the complex of flavours is enhanced with each additional type.
A good vegetarian choice is to add tofu, seitan, or fake meat made from soy or wheat gluten at this point (about 8 oz.). I buy extra-firm Tofu. After draining and rinsing it, I press it for 30-60 minutes then bake it in a 200 degree (F) oven for at least 2 hours. Prepared that way, it stands up well to cooking and adds substance to the dish. An option after baking is to marinate it in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, palm sugar (or light brown sugar), chilies, garlic and ginger or galangal--very flavourful! Cut the tofu into cubes or slice it. Up to you. What you do next depends on what kind of stir-fry you're making.
For fried rice, add 2-3 cups of rice cooked the day before (or leftover from Chinese takeout), stir until heated, and serve.
For stir-fry with gravy to be served over rice or noodles, add about 10oz of chicken or vegetable stock and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water. Stir well and boil until the sauce thickens. Serve.
For noodles, fresh rice noodles are best if you can get them. Dried work well, but are second best.
Thai Jasmine Rice is the only way to go if you're using rice (I buy it in 25lb bags for under $10).
2007-03-27 19:21:51 -0000