Yum Pla Krob (ยําปลากรอบ)/Thai Crispy Fish Salad

Yum Pla Krob (ยําปลากรอบ) with all the fixins'

My grandma came to visit us this spring and before she left to go back to Bangkok, she made me her speciality dish, Yum Pla Krob (ยําปลากรอบ)!

Namprik Pao (น้ำพริกเผา) or Chilli Paste in Soybean Oil

Yum (ยํา) is a sort of Thai salad/marianade which consists of lime, palm sugar, fish sauce, thai chili, shallot and mint.  Yum can be made with almost any kind of meat with beef being the most popular.  My mom used to make a cuttlefish version which was always awesome, but the best is undoubtedly my grandma's yum with these crispy teeny tiny fish which is also extra special due to the addition of Namprik Pao (น้ำพริกเผา) or Chilli Paste in Soybean Oil.  We don't even attempt to make it without her, it's just not the same.  I'm not actually sure what kind of fish these are.  My mom says they might be anchovies but judging from the face she made, I really don't think she was confident in our classification either but they are delicious just the same.

Grandma makes this for me whenever she comes to visit us in New York, which has been more and more infrequent due to her age so I'm so happy to get this down now.

- Darin

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The little tiny fishies.

"Pla Lek Pla Noi"  Small dried anchovies has so many kinds.  If you go go to the Asian Supermarket you will find it from so many countries, too.  Try to find the Thai anchovies that has already fried or baked will even better.  But not the snack and already flavored kind. But if you cannot find it, it is fine to use from any country as long as it is small, almost like thread.  Use a fine coriander to rinse under running water and put in a paper towel to dry.  Change to another paper towel and put in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Heat a wok with a little of oil, keep stirring until it turns brown and crispy.

These "Pla Lek Pla Noi" usually I buy in Thailand when we visit any provinces near the sea.  And the beach usually the seafood is nice and they will have all kind of dried seafood for sale and of course, sweets.  Brings back my childhood again.  Certainly they are part of my children's memories too.

Every year,summertime is the time that I will take them back to visit Thailand.  And this year before we leave with my mom, my older daughter found out that we still have some little anchovies from Thailand.  She was so happy.  Grandma was the one who introduced her to them the first time.  I didn't make it for her because I leave it to grandma to make it for her someday.  It so easy and has no cooking, no sweating.  After finishing the dish my mom is always so proud that she is still can do something for her grandchildren to love.  Like many old people she suffers from loneliness and feel she is an old and useless lady.  I hope this trip has proved to her that that isn't the case. 

- Daisy

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Yum Pla Grob (ยําปลากรอบ)
Thai Crispy Fish Salad

For theYum:

1/3 cup Crispy Tiny Sea Fish
1 tbs Namprick Pao

2 tsp Fish Sauce

2 tsp Tamarind Paste

1/2 Lime

1 tbs Palm Sugar

The Fixins':
1/2 Shallot (Sliced)

1/4 cup Mint  (You can leave them whole)

1 Thai Chili (Sliced)
Toasted Peanuts (Optional)
Romaine Lettuce or Cabbage

1) You can either do it the harder/traditional way that my mom specified above with the wok or do what my grandma did which was throw the fish in an 350F oven for 10 minutes or until crispy.
2) While the fish is in the oven, make the yum by combining the Namprik Pao, fish sauce, tamarind paste, lime and palm sugar.  Taste and adjust to your liking.  Sprinkle with peanuts.
3) Get the fixins' ready
4) Add the now crispy fish into the yum sauce you made earlier and mix.  Taste and adjust again accordingly.
5) Assemble!  Break off a bite-size piece of lettuce or cabbage, spoon in some of the yum, top with a bit of shallot, mint and chili (only for the brave).  Stuff the entire thing into your mouth and enjoy the salty, sweet, tart, spicy and crunchiness of Yum Pla Grob (ยําปลากรอบ)!

The finished product.  The reason it is out of focus is because my mom took it.  Way to go Mom

Oreo Whoopie Pies

Oreo Whoopie Pies

A couple of days ago our extended family in Queens asked us to their summer BBQ.  Of course, this being Queens, it was less of a let's sit in our lawn chairs, grill lots of meat and enjoy the summer in our great backyard and more of a let's sit on the chairs from the kitchen, grill some meat and enjoy the summer on the driveway.  It was fun and delicious all the same though.

My mom and I elected to take care of dessert and we couldn't agree on what we wanted to make, so in true Daisy and Darin tradition, we each made our own. 

Now this is the one thing about me that makes my mom convinced I was supposed to be born either Italian or Mexican (my two other favorite cuisines after Thai) instead of Thai--I really dislike any dessert made with coconut milk.  I love fresh coconuts and coconut water and I love coconut milk based curries (now if I didn't like that, I REALLY wouldn't be able to call myself Thai), but something about desserts with coconut milk just rub me the wrong way.  Kind of like when people try to convince me that milk and alcohol could work (sorry the Dude).  Now you might be thinking, "Big deal!  Just eat other desserts that aren't made with coconut milk."  But you don't understand.  Literally 99% of Thai desserts include coconut milk, which basically leaves me with maybe 2 Thai desserts I can enjoy.  My mother, of course, loves all of these desserts, in particular the Pumpkin Custard, which is what she decided to make for the barbeque.  I would have nothing to do with it so I decided to make Oreo Whoopie Pies.

My Oreo Whoopie Pies are basically the homemade version of Oreo Cakesters, which I find completely brilliant aside from the fact that I feel they taste so artificial.   This batter puffs up so beautifully right after you add the buttermilk, I haven't been so excited to see anything bake!  It is also the buttermilk that keeps the pies so moist and fluffy that it's like biting into a puff of cloud.  Yes, these are so good, it makes me poetic.

One thing to note is that I am not a big icing person.  I pretty much stick to the 4:1 ratio of cake to icing.  Anymore and I my teeth hurt and I swear I get dizzy.  You can always figure out which piece of cake was mine because I will always leave an icing skeleton behind (you know, with all the cake gone and most the icing left in an "E" shape).  So feel free to double the recipe for the filling if you are a lover of icing.

Anyway, both my Oreo Whoopie Pies and Mom's Pumpkin Custard were huge hits at the barbeque, which of course made us both smile like complete idiots all the way home.  I managed to save some of my Oreo Whoopie Pies for my boss and intern for Monday.  Yum!

Here is my recipe for the Oreo Whoopie Pies adapted from the blog food is luv.  The mother has been busy packing as she's leaving for Bangkok tomorrow morning so she hasn't had time to sit down and write her post but the Pumpkin Custard recipe is coming!

- Darin

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OREO WHOOPIE PIES

HOMEMADE OREO CAKESTERS

For Oreo Whoopie Pie Batter:
3 1/2 cups Flour
1 cup Cocoa Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Salt
2 cups Buttermilk
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 cups Butter at Room Temperature
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs

For the Vanilla Filling:
1/2 cup Butter
2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbs Milk (Whole is best but Skim will also suffice)

1) Preheat oven to 350F.

2) Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

3) In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside

4) Beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy then add the eggs until combined. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Be careful not over mix.

5) Use a 2" ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter onto a cookie sheet lined with either wax paper or silpat. Leave at least 1" between each mound.

6) Get a small bowl of room temperature water to wet your finger and smooth out each cake mound into a nice round top.

7) Bake in a 350F oven for 12mins. Let cool at least 15 minutes before frosting.

8) Cream the butter and sugar together until very well combined and fluffy.

9) Add the vanilla extract and milk and beat until the filling has loosen a bit.

10) Assemble. I used a 1" ice cream scoop to scoop in the filling which is the perfect amount for me. If you prefer more filling, I would double the filling recipe and use a 1.5" ice cream scoop.

Note: Be careful about stacking the pies together as they will stick. This is why wax paper is your best friend and is absolutely necessary if you need to stack these awesome little things for transportation.

Makes 30 Oreo Whoopie Pies.

Khao Mun Gai (ข้าวมันไก่)/Thai-Style Hainan Chicken

One of my most favorite Thai dishes!

Kao Mun Gai

Actually I think this dish is originally from Hainan, China but we Thais perfected it so it is Thai in my book.  The original version is called Hainan Chicken or Hainanese Chicken (for obvious reasons) and there are different variations throughout Asia.  I've tried the Taiwanese version and, honestly, it's a little bland for my taste but that might be because I've grown up eating the Thai version and we Thais like our food with a huge kick.  The difference, fyi, was in the sauce as far as I can tell.  That and the chicken was also a bit less oily which might sound healthier but just doesn't taste as good.  People have told me that the Singaporean version is supposed to be out of this world and is considered their national dish.  I've yet to try it but I'm hoping this summer when I go back to Thailand for the first time in 2 years, the fam and I will have a couple days to spare for a trip to Singapore and I can try for myself.  I will of course report back!

Anyways, back to the kickass Thai version of Hainan Chicken called Khao Mun Gai (ข้าวมันไก่), which literally translates to, "Chicken Oil Rice."  Okay, so not the most appetizing translation but trust me, this stuff is awesome, especially when you do the fried chicken version of this dish but that is for another post.  I have yet to make this myself but my mom has made it more than enough times for my brother and sister and I.

This dish isn't the easiest to try as a beginner but it is by no means overwhelming.  I think the thing that makes this recipe tricky is that you have to work with a whole chicken, which can be daunting to cooks who have never done so before, ie. me.  Yes, my mom spoiled me.  I have a childhood friend who can apparently make this dish like no other so I am determined to learn it as well so the next time I see him, I can actually look him in the eye and not shamefully avert my gaze.

- Darin

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Everyone in my family loves Khao Mun Kai, especially my son.  Every time he goes back to visit Thailand he asks everyone he knows where the best place for Khao Mun Kai is.  Of course, nowhere else will he get as big of a plate as Mommy's Khao Mun Kai.  And I know exactly just what my children like.  My son likes dark meat with a lot of rice, so he needs the bigger plate.  My older daughter likes white meat (of course, it would be still juicy) with a little bit more rice than she usually gets.  And my little one loves dark meat just like her brother and I will ask her to come get her own rice because now that she is getting into her moody teenager phase and sometimes her rice intake depends on her mood.  She might go for seconds or she will just take a lot at one time.  She is hard to predict.

When I make Khao Mun Kai usually I keep the broth that I boil the chicken in (the second boil) and serve it with the dish as most Thais do.  Ladle some into small pot (as you will not be able to finish it all at once, trust me) and add chopped wintermelon and boiled until soft. Salt and pepper to taste. Cilantro for garnish. This soup is a clear soup.  Everyone just take a small bowl to go with their Khao Mun Kai.

- Daisy

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KHAO MUN GAI (ข้าวมันไก่)

Thai-Style Hainan Chicken

HAI NAN ZHI

Serve 4 -6

Garnish:
1 English Cucumber, Quartered and Chilled
Sprigs of Cilantro

For the Chicken:
1 3-4 lbs. Chicken, preferably Bell &Evans (if frozen, must be totally defrosted)
1-2 slices of Galangal or Ginger
1 Scallion, 1” slices

1) Boil a pot of water. The pot will have to big enough so that water will just cover the chicken. Too much water will leach too much flavor out of the chicken.

2) Wash chicken thoroughly inside and out.

3) Cut out the tip of the wing and the bottom and anywhere that is too much fat. Just make sure not to overdo it because after the chicken is boiled, it will shrink and without a bit of fat, the meat will get too dry.

4) We will boil the chicken twice. The first boil is just basically scalding chicken to “detox” and clean it. Leave the whole chicken in the boiling water for 5 mins. Rinse it with clean water.

5) Using the same pot (just give it a quick rinse), bring the water to boil again. Put chicken in the pot and lower the heat so it is at a hard simmer instead of a rolling boil. Put the galangal and scallion in the pot and let it simmer for 20-25mins or until it’s done. Take the pot off the heat and let the chicken and broth cool.

6) If you see oil flowing on the surface, try to spoon it up in a bowl but do not throw it away as it can be used later. Try to spoon the oil up when it still hot. When it’s cooled it tends to stick to the spoon and makes the process much harder.

**TIP: If you love Chicken Liver Pate, keep the giblets!**

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For the Rice:
2 cups Thai Jasmine Rice
1 ½ cups Thai Long Grain Glutinous Rice
½ stick Butter (preferably organic)
1 Scallion (only the green part), 1” slices
½” knob Ginger, sliced
2 small cloves Garlic, smashed (unless you really like garlic then up it to 3 cloves)
1 14.5oz can Chicken Broth (preferably SWANSON 33% less sodium)

1) Wash the rice at least 3 times.

2) Heat butter in a pan, stir fry scallion, ginger and garlic until fragrant about 2 minutes

3) Put rice, the mixture and chicken broth in the electric rice cooker. If the water level is not to the number 3, just put water up to the level.

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For the Sauce:
3” knob Ginger (finely grated)
3 tbsp Sugar
⅛ tsp Salt
3 tbsp YEO’S (Fermented) Salted Soy Beans
2-3 Thai Chillies (sliced)
2 tsp Sweet Soy Sauce
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Water or Chicken Stock
3 tbsp Apple Cider or White Vinegar (preferably organic)

1) Combine all the ingredients together and stir until sugar dissolves. Adjust to your taste.

How to Carve the Chicken (didn't get pictures of my mom doing her things this time but will definitely add the next time!):

It is one of a know-how to serve. If you make it happen, it look nice, to eat this dish, you feel like heaven. If you can carve a Roast Chicken you can do this. It is just the same. You will need a bigger knife and a small knife.

1) Pour out all the juice from the chicken in a small bowl. Do not discard.

2) Find the joint of the two wings which attached to the body part and cut them out or you may fold and pull them out nicely.

3) Use your left hand to hold on to the chicken leg and fold gently to the back to find the joint which attached to the body, your right hand with a big knife cut down free separately. Do it both side and also with the drumsticks. Then scrap the meat from both legs and chopped into pieces.

4) For the breast of the chicken, cut the meat down one side of chicken breastbone with the tip of the knife , angle the knife, scrape and pull down along the breast. Chopped the meat into pieces. One side of the breast can be enough for 2 people.

5) Separate plate for the person who like dark meat and white meat.

Serve the chicken over rice with the cucumber slices on the side. Drizzle some (or a lot) sauce and enjoy!

Welcome!

Hi All!

So this is my mom (Daisy) and my (Darin) new project.  It will not only help us bond and become closer, but it will also force me to have to teach her computer stuff (which means lots of headaches, cranky calls and headbanging on my kitchen table since she is not too great with computers),  us to cook together--ie. I have to listen to her (which means lots of headaches, cranky shouting and headbanging on her kitchen table since I am very territorial in the kitchen, even if it is technically her kitchen), write together (which mean lots of headaches, cranky typing and headbanging on our respective computers) and eat together (which means me blaming her for making me fat immediately followed by me asking her to rub my tummy because I ate too much again).

Yep.  It will be tough.  But for some reason we feel the need to do it.  Which again reaffirms my belief that every human is innately masochistic.  Really.  Think about it.  See?  Told you so.

Despite that belief, I sincerely hope that you will enjoy our bog.  My mom has amassed a vast wealth of knowledge in Thai and Chinese cooking and I love cookies so we will both bring our talents to the table.  Obviously her more than me.  This is as much of me trying to absorb and document as much of that knowledge as possible as it is to share our recipes and love for food with all of you.  So we will both be learning!  It's okay, she's a really patient teacher.   Promise.

So off we go!

-Darin


I have to cook and cook better.  Why?

My son is a Giant. No, no.  Not in size.  But he is a good boy, who never bothers Mommy.  Just eats and gobbles anything and goes to sleep.  So I like to prepare ahead of time authentic meals for him.

My older daughter?  She is like a chef.  She has good taste.  Even a very simple ethnic dish can satisfy her but I have to make it well.

My little daughter?  Do not look down on her.  She is in training!  Her nose is very sharp!  Just walks into the house and is able to tell that I cooked chicken curry!

As for my mom, when I was young my father would always take us to try any new restaurants, and after that my mom would recreate the new dishes for us at home.  Now that my mom has grown old and cannot cook anymore, I hope I could try to write down all the recipes and tips that she still remembers because she is the second generation of Teo Chew (Chao-Chow) in Thailand.

As for me, I have lived here for a long time.  My memory has also gotten...complicated.  Some ingredients might not fit my children's taste or I cannot find specific ingredients in my area or I have to exchange/alternate for my own health.  These recipes have been  adapted to be my own recipe so everyone, please feel free to adjust to your tastes.  But what I have to say is try to use the ingredients made from the country that you are cooking.    For example, if cooking Curry, the red curry paste should be "made in Thailand".   If you are using curry paste that was made in Malaysia, the paste would be very hot and spicier than the one from from Thailand and so is not really authentic.

I hope this blog will help me collect all of my family's favorite recipes before my mom's or my own energy is gone and I hope this blog will introduce us to people who would love to share this food with us.  Some recipes will keep my chilhood memories alive and some recipe will keep me alive so can see my children's chilhood become alive again before my eyes.

- Daisy