Thai Cook-Up at APBCookStudio

I have made many trips to Bangkok and each time, Thai food hogging starts immediately after landing, catching the first bite at the airport, stopping at street stall for a second bite and ordering the third meal at home.

The romance of Thai cuisine dates back many years ago, in another century, when relishing food was purely aping the taste of my cousins. They liked so I liked. During my long summer holidays, my cousins in Bangkok would take me to narrow food lanes, in the interiors of the city, thick with fragrant smoke. We would sit on plastic furniture and eat the most unique dishes, sometimes slimy stuff, sometimes deep fried critters, and sometimes sea-food infused with herbs, rich in taste, so spicy that I had tears staining my cheeks. The taste was enchanting and whenever I asked what I was eating, they would say “Just eat, don’t ask”

Thai food is the riot of flavors of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy, all in balanced proportions. On another holiday in Bangkok, I had attended Thai cookery class to learn the basics of Thai cuisine. Most of my knowledge on Thai authentic meal comes from learning from house help in my cousin’s home. But for travellers, I am told, there are number of premier cooking schools introducing rich Thai cuisine heritage, offering personalized, individual, family and group culinary courses. It will be interesting to get insight into the unique art of Thai Cuisine.

Some of the major hotels like Oriental hotel, Dusit Thai hotel and some more popular hotels provide cooking course for their visitors based on creditable choices of the menus served at their restaurants.

I have many good memories of Bangkok and those memories were refreshed this week, when Rushina Munshaw invited me to her APBCookStudio for Thai Cook-up by Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The feast began with a lemon-grass drink, followed by Thai bhel and then a cooking demonstration for making Green and Red curry paste, chicken in basil and Thai curry. We were then grouped in pairs, to cook up the Thai dishes at our own cook stations.

It was a fun afternoon, cooking, eating and enjoying the morning, meeting other food lovers, was happy to meet Raynah Coutinho, Public relation manager, who shared her experiences of living in Thailand informing us about different point of interests.

I am happy to Share with you the basil chicken as demonstrated by Rushina.

Please note, for vegetarians, mushrooms can be substituted for chicken

Kai Phad Kaphro (Basil Chicken)

Courtesy Rushina Munshaw

Ingredients

250gms boneless chicken breast, cut into small pieces

2tbsp oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2-3 red chilies dissected and chopped

2tbsp fish sauce

pinch of sugar

20 Thai Basil leaves +12 deep fried for garnish.

Method

Heat oil in wok, add garlic and chilies, stir fry till golden brown

Add chicken, stir fry till it changes color

Season with fish sauce and sugar and continue stir frying for 3-4 minutes

Stir in the fresh basil leaves

Garnish with fried basil leaves and sliced chilies and serve with white rice.

Rushina had given me some freshly made red and green Thai curry paste to take home. Sunday was a treat time for my family and they loved the Thai curry that I made for lunch.

This is how I made Thai Curry

Ingredients

500gms Chicken thigh cut into strips

100gms coconut powder dissolved in 2 cups of warm water

½ cup green curry paste

3tbsp vegetable oil

5-6 Thai chilies; cut slantwise

5-6 kaffir lime leaves

2tbsp tamarind juice

½ cup Zucchini, diced

½ cup button mushroom, halved

½ broccoli diced

4-5 basil leaves

1tbsp fish sauce

1tbsp palm sugar

1 chicken stock cube

Method:

Stir-fry chicken thigh strips till fragrant

Add a cup coconut milk and chicken stock cube

In another wok stir-fry green curry paste and sauté till fragrant

Transfer the curry paste mixture in the chicken coconut broth and continue to stir gently till it is mixed.

Add mushrooms, broccoli and Zucchini.

Leave until cooked and then add the remaining coconut milk

Adjust the seasonings as desired using fish sauce, sugar, kaffir leaves, basil leaves, chilies, tamarind juice and sugar.

Serve hot.

Thai Chicken Curry in Jiffy

What makes Thai dishes authentic?

If you have tasted Thai dishes you are likely to discover that it has the strong taste of Basil and lime leaves. The dishes are pungent with a sweetest tinge.

Once you have developed the taste for Thai cuisine, there is no going back. Long after you have returned to your own hometown, the taste haunts you. You have to learn to cook.

During my visits to Bangkok, eating street food is a must. The food sold in carts is spicy and nutritious. You walk down the street, the weather is warm and the whiff of flavors surrounds you till you drool. You don’t care about the hygiene, not the pollution nor noise, stopping and taking a bite is unavoidable.

There is a dip that I particularly like and it compliments number of salads and freshly grilled seafood. It is called Yum sauce and this is the finger licking combination of sugar, garlic, chili, coriander leaves, lime juice and fish sauce. This yum sauce can be relished with grilled meat or seafood or it can be poured over freshly cut salads to add zing to the meal.

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Cooking Thai food is very easy and quick to make. My fridge is always stocked with few essential ingredients that include oyster sauce, fish sauce, chili, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, basil leaves, limejuice and coconut powder

I have a habit of marinating chicken in small portions and storing them. It is difficult to order home service of the frozen/fresh chicken in small quantity. But I cannot eat one kilo in one go, right? I normally divide one kilo of chicken into four portions and I marinate each portion differently, Chinese sauce, Indian curd masala, tandoori masala and other just garlic-ginger-onion-chili paste.

Last week I entered my kitchen with no plans on what I would cook. There was marinated chicken in the fridge. I picked up the chicken portion marinated in garlic-ginger-onion-chili paste.

Still unsure, I started to stir fry the marinated chicken in 2 tablespoons of oil. The chicken became light brown on both sides. I added 2 glasses of water and let it cook.

I opened my fridge to see what I could add.

There was Tom Yum chicken cube, kaffir lime leaves, coconut powder and the decision was made to make chicken Thai style.

Added the kaffir lime leaves and Tom Yum chicken cube into the stock, then looked for veggies to add and grinned ear-to-ear when I discovered I had all the veggies that I would need.

Started to chop vegetables like carrots, capsicum, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, shallots, basil leaves and green beans.

Added the veggies that take some time to become tender, veggies like chopped carrots, mushrooms and green beans to the stock.

Added red chili powder and lime juice to the stock

Dissolved coconut milk powder in half cup of warm water and added to the stock.

Finally added veggies that require just steam, veggies like broccoli, shallots, basil leaves, cabbage and capsicum.

Added few drops of fish sauce.

Covered the pan for two minutes then sat down to relish with it white rice.

The experience in cooking teaches you to add the ingredients as you wish, and tasting several times helps you decide its’ correct taste. Thai cuisine is the moderate combination of sweet, sour and spicy. I don’t use salt in Thai cuisine, fish sauce and Tom Yum cube is quite salty.

But for those who want some reference to quantity, you could add ingredients as:

250grms chicken

1tbsp garlic

1tbsp ginger

1 small onion

2tbsp lemon juice

Few drops of fish sauce

2tbsp oil

1 Tom Yum chicken cube

7-8 kaffir lime leaves

8-9 red chilies

1tsp red chili powder

50grms coconut powder

½ carrots

½ capsicum,

2 florets of broccoli

¼ cabbage

2 mushrooms

2 shallots

10-15 basil leaves

4 strings of green beans

Makes enough for 2 persons

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 There is red and green Thai curry paste available at a grocery store that can be used for preparation of this curry. I have a family in Bangkok, who knows my taste and they do bring for me the freshly prepared Thai curry paste from the market. This masala has to be fried with spring onions and garlic before using in the recipes or else it might taste bitter. This paste can be used instead of Tom Yum chicken cube that I have used in this recipe.