Thai Ingredients (1): Garlic, Shallot, and 3 kinds of Basil
Garlic (Gra Tiem)- Use: Almost all Thai dishes, such as soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes, contain garlic.
- Medicinal Properites: Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasite, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clear chest congestion.
- Method of Preparation: Garlic is ground in curry paste, crushed in salad dressings, or chopped and fried before adding to other ingredients in pan fried dishes.
Shallot (Hua Hom)- 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.
- Method of Preparation : Ground in curry pastes or sauces, cut up finely in salads and pan-fried dishes.
Ocimum Sanctum Red, or White Basil, or Holy Basil (Ga Prao)- Use: Grapro 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.
- Method of Preparation:
- Add fresh gaprao to fried ingredients just before removing from the pan. The heated gaprao will add the flavor to the dishes.
- Deep fry gaprao until crispy and add to the dishes as garnish.
Sweet Basil (Horapa)- 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.
- Method of Preparation : Add to the cooked dishes just before removing from the heat. Horapa provides full fragrance while heated but not overcooked.
Ocimum Canum, Hoaru Basil (Mang Rak)- Use : Gang Liang (spicy vegetable soup) and regional clear vegetable soup contain Mangrak leaves. This kind of basil can be used fresh to accompany Thai hot sauces : Namya, Namprik.
- Medicinal Properties : Mangrak leaves aid digestion, increase perspiration, relieve coughing, and cure scurvy. Mangrak seeds relieve constipation and promote body weight reduction.
- Method of Preparation : Mangrak is best while fresh. It is should be added last as ingredient to the soup just before removing from the heat.
Sole with Lemon Sauce
This dish is very simple, but very tasty for me because I love lemon. These days, Dan and I try to eat fish everyday. We want to increase our protien intake and fish is a perfect resource.
Ingredients for 2 serving2 fillets Sole
Sauce
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 lemon (juice only)
1 cup chicken stock
lemon zest
salt
thyme
Preparation- Put all the sauce ingredients into a pan.
- Simmer the sauce until the vegetables get soft.
- Put the fish in the sauce and cover the pan with a lid.
- Leave the fish on medium heat for 20 minutes. Be careful not to burn the sauce.
- It's ready to serve now.
I love to put some chili flakes on top of my fish. It gives a little spicy taste to the fish. Sour and Spicy go very well together.
Chinese Steamed Pork Dumpling
This is one of Dan's favorite dish.
Ingredients for 4-5 servings40 round dumpling skins**
2 Chinese dried shitake mushrooms
1 medium egg
60 grams onion, finely chopped
120 grams ground pork
90 grams shrimp
Seasoning Sauce1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoon thin soy sauce
2 teaspoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoon cornstarch
Preparation
- Put the mushrooms in hot water. Leave them until get softer, then squeeze until them dry. Cut off and discard stems. Chop into very small pieces.
- Shell, devein, wash, and drain prawns. Dice tnto bits.
- Mix the pork, mushrooms, prawns, and onion in a blender until it is fine. This will be the stuffing
- Add seasoning and the egg to the stuffing.
- Mix them well together.
- Place 2 teaspoon stuffing in the center of a dumpling skin.
- Fold the skin in half.
- Steam the dumplins for 30 minutes or until they are cooked.
- Use as many as you want. The rest of the dumplings can be kept in the freezer.
- Reheat after thawing by steaming 10 minutes.
Tips
- Dumpling skins are similar to Wonton skins, except that they are round and slightly thicker.
- Sometimes, I put the dumpling in homemade chicken and daikon soup.
A Chinese Lady Wearing A Wrap
It should have
been a little more charred, though, it was pretty good.
Ingredients for 1 serving3 of 6-inches Chinese pork sausages
2 daikons
5 Chinese celeries
1 cup vinegar
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation - Boil the vinegar, sugar and salt mixture over medium heat. When the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat.
- Wash the daikons, peel and slice thinly lengthwise. Cut into 1.5 cm. width strips.
- Soak the daikons in the vinegar mixture for 2 hours.
- Wash the celery, cut off all the leaves and keep them for later use. Blanch the celery stems in boiling water. When the stems are tender, place the celery stems in cool water to stop the cooking process. Tear the stems into thin strands to be used as strings.
- Wash the Chinese sasuages. Steam over hard boiling water. When the sarsages are cooked, take them out and cut them into 1 inch pieces. Divide each piece lengthwise into two halves.
- Drain the daikons then use each piece to wrap a piece of the sausage. Placde one celery leaf on top, then tie tightly with a celery string
- Arrange on a serving tray. Serve with a beverage as an appetizer.
Tips
For those who like spicy food, don't soak the daikon in the vinegar. Squeeze the daikon with salt until softened. Then, wash with water and wrap around the sasages. Soking the daikon in vinegar solution, however, add sourness to the food which will get rid of a greasy taste
