Garlic and Pepper Chicken

Garlic and Pepper Chicken (gai pad gratiem prik thai) is a very common dish. You can use any meat — pork, beef, shrimp, squid, etc. You can even make a vegetarian one with tofu. It’s a very easy and quick dish to make. It’s commonly eaten as a one-dish meal over rice, but it can be added to a family-style meal. If sharing - serve it on a regular plate - not over rice.

Directions
Rinse and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (see picture).

Smash the garlic lightly with the side of a knife. Remove the skin if not using thin-skinned Thai garlic.

Heat the oil in a pan until very hot. Add the garlic and keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.

When (very) lightly browned, add the chicken (or meat, or whatever you’re using!). Cook until done (not raw). If it gets dry and sticky, add some water to the pan about 1-2 tablespoons at a time.

Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and pepper. You may need to add a bit more water here so that it mixes well.

Mix well and serve on rice (for a one-dish meal), or in a plate (to share with friends). Garnish with cilantro.


Note:
If making a vegetarian version - pre-fry the tofu first until browned, remove, then start with step 2. Substitute the fish sauce for white soy sauce.

Garlic and Pepper Crusted Pork

Garlic and Pepper Crusted Pork is a recipe which my friend P-Mala made up. She’s been a professional cook for 20 years, and is one of the best in Thailand! She was patient enough to teach me how to make this recipe, step by step. In fact, she’s so generous, she has agreed to let me come by on a weekly basis to learn some of her special recipes. Keep a look out for more recipes by P-Mala!

Directions
Smash the cilantro roots and salt in a stone mortar & pestle until a paste.
Add de-skinned garlic, and smash. Then add peppercorns and smash until paste.
Cut your meat into 4 equal slices, and put in a bowl. Add your paste, soy sauce and the sugar. Mix to cover the meat. You can also stab the meat a bit with a fork so the marinade seeps in better.

Coat with flour. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 10 hours.

After you’ve waited, fry on medium heat in about 1/2″ of oil. Cook until the meat is cooked through and dark brown, flipping once (about 2 minutes on each side). The meat will be pink and not white, since it’s marinated. Do not overcook or burn the garlic crust.

It’s best to wait until cooled before cutting, so you don’t lose any juice.


Note:
Serve with Prik Naam Bplaa: 1 tablespoon fish sauce with a chili sliced into rings. This dish can be a one-plate-dish with rice (sticky rice is a great match), or you can serve with a many-dish meal. You can either marinate the day before, or make it in the morning to eat at dinner.

Plaa Raad Prik

Plaa Raad Prik (pla rad prik) is a whole fish, fried until crispy and then covered with a sweet spicy sauce made from garlic, palm sugar and chilies. This is usually part of a larger meal. You can pair this with a curry or soup and a few vegetable dishes for balance. This recipe is a home style recipe, it’ll taste different (better) than the ones you get at restaurants. Most restaurants use pre-made sweet sauce and alter it a bit.

Directions
Smash the garlic cloves slightly in a stone mortar & pestle, or with the back of a knife. If not using thin-skinned Thai garlic, remove the skins. Add the chilies and smash. Do not smash to a paste.

Combine the tamarind with the hot water and squish it with your fingers to create a paste. Strain and set aside.

Clean the guts out of the fish and remove the scales. Wash and pat dry. Rub the fish with the salt, then make 3-4 deep slices into both sides of the fish.

Deep fry on medium heat until crispy and golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Set the fish aside on a rack or plate. Remove the oil from the wok, but reserve it to use in the sauce.
Add 1/2 cup of the used oil back to the pan. Fry the garlic and chilies until fragrant on medium or medium-low heat. Keep stirring at all times to prevent the garlic from burning. The garlic should not be brown and crispy, only slightly browned and still soft. If you overcook it, ditch it and start a new one.

When the garlic is fragrant, add the tamarind water and palm sugar. Bring the heat up and boil for about 1-2 minutes, stirring well.

Pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with a few sprigs of coriander.


Note:
You can use any white meat (non-fishy) fish for this recipe.

If you have issues with eating a whole fish, you can use fish fillets. Just make sure they're thick enough as to be soft & meaty inside after frying.

Thai garlic is very thin skinned, so in dishes such as this the skin is usually thrown in. If using the large white garlic found in the US, take the skin off first.

You can make a vegetarian version by frying tofu and covering with the sauce. Replace the fish sauce with about 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp

Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp (tom yum goong, ต้มยำกุ้ง) is probably the most famous Thai dish, both inside and outside of Thailand. It’s eaten very often here, usually in a type of hot pot with fire underneath. There are hundreds of variations of tom yum, and this recipe includes the two most common versions of Tom Yum Goong.

Directions
Prepare all the ingredients. Remove the outer layer of the lemongrass stalks and cut off the end. Cut into 1-2″ pieces and smash with the side of a heavy knife to release flavor. Tear the center vein off the lime leaves. Slice your galangal into thin slices. Cut the tomato into 6 pieces lengthwise. Peel the skin off the shallots and smash lightly. Clean your coriander roots well. Smash the fresh chilies with the back of a heavy knife, or in a mortar and pestle. If using fresh Thai straw mushrooms, slice the bottoms off and cut in 1/2 lengthwise. If making the version with milk: roast the dried chilies until fragrant and browned in a dry wok on medium heat (see note).

Clean the shrimp by peeling off the backs and snapping off the top part of the heads, but leave the fat on at the base of the head (the reddish brown goop). This is very important, as that fat imparts a signature flavor into Tom Yum Goong. Don’t discard it. Then, peel out the legs + intestine underneath, but leave the tails on. Set aside.

Boil the broth on high until it comes to a rapid boil. (see note about broth below). Add the lime leaves, lemongrass, coriander root, galangal and tomato. Boil for 4-5 minutes until the broth tastes herbal. if you’re using fresh ingredients, 4-5 minutes should be enough. In a separate pan, boil the mushrooms in plain water.

After you’ve boiled 4-5 minutes, add a pinch of salt and the shrimp. Strain the cooked mushrooms and add them to the soup as well. Cook until shrimp turn pink, about a minute.
Add the fish sauce and remove from heat. You will now season the soup.
Add lime juice, chili paste, smashed fresh chilies. Taste the soup. Is it sour? Is it salty? If no, add a bit more, 1/4 teaspoon at a time.

If making the version with milk: Add the milk and dried chilies. If doing this step you’ll need to add a bit more lime juice and fish sauce as the milk tames it down a bit. Add about a teaspoon more of each.

Add cilantro and serve. This soup is best served really hot!


Note:
This recipe is for the two most common Tom Yum Goong recipes. Both have chili paste (nam prik pao). The only difference is the addition of milk. Milk gives it a somewhat rounded flavor. It's not enough milk to make the soup creamy, just enough to make it less harsh. If you do add the milk, add the dried roasted chilies and a bit more fish sauce and lime juice as well.
A vegetarian Tom Yum recipe can be found here: Tom Yum Het, a clear version of tom yum made with mushrooms.

You can use freshwater prawns for this soup if you'd prefer.
This recipe makes a small soup, enough for 2 to eat with a meal. If cooking for a larger group you may want to double or triple this recipe.

Thais do not fish out the parts of this soup you don't eat before serving - they know to avoid munching on the lemongrass stalks, galangal, cilantro root and lime leaves. If serving this to guests who are unfamiliar with Thai food, you may want to let them know what to eat and what not to eat, or fish out the herbs before serving.

Pork or Chicken broth can be made by simply boiling pieces of pork or chicken in water. Leaving the meat on the bone is best. If you do cheat and use a flavor cube or pre-made broth, make sure it's simply meat broth and not flavored with vegetables as well.