Lemon Rice
1 cups water Pinch of salt
1 cup basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 green chili pepper, seeded and minced
¼ cup cashew nuts, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
¼ teaspoon mustard seed
8 fresh curry leaves
Juice of ½ lemon
In a medium-sized pan, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt, rice, and turmeric; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. (At the end of the 10 minutes, the rice will have absorbed all of the liquid.) Remove from heat and let cool.
In a wok, heat the oil and stir-fry the chili pepper. Add the nuts, mustard seed, and curry leaves; continue to cook for an additional 30 seconds. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the cooled rice to the wok and toss until heated.
Chili Safety
The oils in chilies are very caustic. Wear gloves while you work with them and make sure not to touch your eyes.
Serves 2–4
Fresh curry leaves add a delightful flavor and aroma to this dish. The leaves are edible, but you will be chewing for a long time if you try.
Dill Rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 green cardamom pods
4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 cup long-grained rice (such as Jasmine)
1 green chili pepper, seeded and minced
Salt
1½ cups water
In a medium-sized pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the cardamom pods and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chili and sautée. briefly. Stir in the salt and the dill and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and sauté for 3 more minutes.
Stir in the water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove the cardamom pods and fluff the rice before serving.
Serves 2–4
I like to add fresh dill to everything, especially when it's growing like a weed in my garden. I throw it in soups, tuna or chicken salad, or use it as a green in a tossed salad.
Fragrant White Rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 fresh curry leaves
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into thin rings (inner tender potion only)
Zest of ½ kaffir lime
2 mace blades
6 cloves
2½ cups Jasmine rice
1¾ cups water
1¼ cups coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a medium-large saucepan, heat the oil on medium. Add the curry leaves and sautée. until you can begin to smell the aroma. Add the lime zest and the remaining spices and sautée. for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the rice to the pot and stir to combine with the spice mixture. Add the water, coconut milk, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the liquids have been absorbed. Adjust seasoning.
Serves 6–8
Fresh aromatic herbs and spices flavor this sublime side dish. The rice is cooked in a combination of coconut milk and water, which gives it a richer consistency than if it were only cooked with water.
Shrimp Rice
5 tablespoons dried shrimp, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
2 red chili peppers, seeded, veined, and finely minced
1 medium to large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt to taste
1 ¾cups long-grained rice
1 stalk lemongrass, halved and crushed (inner white potion only)
1 quart water
Make a shrimp paste by combining the dried shrimp, chili peppers, onion, and garlic in a blender or food processor and processing until smooth.
In a medium-sized saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp paste and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the fish sauce, lime juice, and salt to the paste and stir until well blended; set aside.
Pour the rice into a large pot and place the lemongrass on top. Add the water and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the lemongrass stalk and stir in the shrimp paste. Continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes or until the rice is done.
Serves 4–6
This is not shrimp fried rice, but rather shrimp-flavored rice. In fact, there are no fresh shrimp in it at all. The rice gets its shrimp overtones from the combination of dried shrimp and fish sauce.
Flavorful Steamed Rice
¾ cup long-grained rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon minced gingerroot
2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the rice, let the water return to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Drain in a sieve, rinse, and set aside. (Leave the rice in the sieve.)
Add 1 inch of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Set the sieve over the boiling water, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and a lid, and let steam for about 20 minutes. (Check occasionally, adding more water if necessary.)
Mash together the garlic and the salt to form a paste.
In a large bowl, combine the garlic paste, broth, gingerroot, green onions, lime juice, and fish sauce.
Add the steamed rice and toss until well combined. Let cool to room temperature.
Stir the cilantro into the rice.
Serves 2–4
This rice is prepared in a manner similar to that of glutinous or sticky rice, the result being a slightly softer, but not mushy, longgrained rice. The extra softening allows the flavoring agents to be better absorbed.
Fragrant Brown Rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1½ stalks celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
2 red chili peppers, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped gingerroot
1 cups brown rice (white rice can be substituted)
4½–5½ cups vegetable stock
1 kaffir lime leaf or 2 (2-inch-long, -½inch-wide) pieces of lime zest
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a medium to large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil on medium. Add the garlic and green onions, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, chilies, and ginger, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Add the rice and stir until well combined. Add half of the vegetable stock, the kaffir lime leaf, lime juice, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 to 50 minutes, adding additional stock as needed.
Serves 4–6
Just because this dish is extra healthy, that doesn't mean it doesn't taste terrific. Brown rice is more nutritious than white because the nutrientrich outer layer is not rubbed off in the polishing process.
12
Desserts
Sweet Sticky Rice
Tropical Coconut Rice
Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream Sauce
Pineapple Rice
Crispy Crepes with Fresh Fruit
Tropical Fruit with Ginger Creème Anglaise
Fresh Oranges in Rose Water
Banana Coconut Soup
Lemongrass Custard
Coconut Custard
Steamed Coconut Cakes
Coconut-Pineapple Soufflé for 2
Mango Fool
Citrus Fool
; Pineapple-Mango Sherbet
Mango Sauce over Ice Cream
Pumpkin Custard
Watermelon Ice
Taro Balls Poached in Coconut Milk
Bananas Poached in Coconut Milk
Tofu with Sweet Ginger
Pumpkin Simmered in Coconut Milk
Sweet Sticky Rice
1½ cups white glutinous rice
1 cups canned coconut milk
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Place the rice in a bowl and add enough water to completely cover the rice. Soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain.
Line a steamer basket with wet cheesecloth. Spread the rice evenly over the cheesecloth. Place the container over rapidly boiling water. Cover and steam until tender, about 25 minutes; set aside.
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the coconut milk, sugar, and salt and heat on medium-high. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over the rice, stir to combine, and let rest for 30 minutes.
To serve, place in small bowls or on plates. Garnish with mangoes, papayas, or other tropical fruit.
Serves 6
There is not much to this dessert, but it's delicious. I love the somewhat gelatinous quality this rice takes on. The rice is intended to be eaten alongside fresh fruits, but I think it's pretty tasty all by itself.
Tropical Coconut Rice
2 cups short-grained rice
2 cups water
1 cup coconut cream
¼ cup toasted coconut (see “Toasted Coconut” on page 16)
Put the rice, water, and coconut cream in a medium-sized saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Let the rice rest off the heat for 5 minutes.
Fluff the rice and stir in the toasted coconut and fruit.
Serves 6–8
Coconut and rice are the most typical ingredients found in Thai desserts. This one calls for coconut, not only coconut in a semiliquid form but also toasted.
Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream Sauce
1 cup coconut cream
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 ripe mangoes, thinly sliced (or other tropical fruits)
3 cups cooked Sweet Sticky Rice (see recipe on page 184)
For the sauce, place the coconut cream, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
To serve, arrange mango slices on each plate. Place a mound of rice next to the fruit. Top the rice with some of the sauce.
Peeling, Pitting, and Slicing a Mango
Cut the skin off the mango lengthwise on both sides and peel back the skin. Cut the flesh off the mango pit in long vertical strips. Slice or dice as desired.
Serves 6
Here the coconut is not cooked into the sticky rice, but makes its way into the sauce. Tropical fruit is served alongside.
Pineapple Rice
1 ripe pineapple
¼ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
½ cup short-grained rice
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons chopped crystallized ginger, divided
3 tablespoons roasted cashew nuts, chopped
Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, leaving the leaves intact on 1 side. Scoop out the pineapple flesh of both halves, leaving a ½-inch edge on the half with the leaves. Dice the pineapple fruit from 1 half and purée the fruit from the other half in a food processor along with the sugar and salt; set aside.
Strain the fruit purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup. Add enough water to make 1¾ cups. Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Rinse and drain the rice. Stir the rice into the pineapple purée. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of the ginger. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.
Mix the reserved pineapple cubes into the rice.
To serve, spoon the rice into the hollowed out pineapple that has the leaves. Garnish with the remaining ginger and the roasted cashews.
Crystallized Ginger
Crystallized ginger is small ginger pieces, usually about ½-inch dice, that has been simmered in syrup and then dried. The result is a slightly chewy, spicy-sweet candylike condiment. It can be found in specialty grocery stores.
Serves 4–6
As you have probably noticed, rice is used in every Thai meal — breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Crispy Crepes with Fresh Fruit
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed according to package instructions
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, divided
2 cups raspberries, blueberries, or other fresh fruit, the best 12 berries reserved for garnish
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon unflavored rum or coconut-flavored rum
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place the puff pastry sheet on a work surface and cut into 12 equalsized pieces. Place the pastry pieces on a baking sheet.
Bake the pastry approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a sifter to shake a bit of the confectioner?s sugar over the puff pastry. Return to the oven and continue baking for approximately 5 minutes or until golden. Place the puff pastry on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
Place the berries in a food processor and briefly process to form a rough purée.
Whip the cream with the remaining confectioner?s sugar until thick, but not stiff. Stir in the coconut and the rum.
To serve, place 1 piece of puff pastry in the middle of each serving plate, spoon some cream over the pastry, and then top with some purée. Place another pastry on top, garnish with some of the remaining berries, any leftover juice from the purée, and a sprinkle of confectioner's sugar.
Tropical Fruit with Ginger Creème Anglaise
(1-inch) pieces peeled gingerroot, slightly mashed
1 cup half-and-half
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar A variety of tropical fruits, sliced
In a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the ginger and the half-and-half to a slight simmer. Do not boil.
In the meantime, whisk together the eggs yolks and the sugar.
Slowly pour the hot half-and-half into the egg mixture, stirring constantly so that the eggs do not cook.
Pour the custard back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Pour the crèmes anglaise through a mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Pour over slices of your favorite tropical fruits.
Freezing Ginger
Ginger freezes fantastically. However, you may want to peel it, cut it into 1-inch pieces, and then wrap it tightly before doing so.
Yields 1½ cups
Here I've taken a standard crème anglaiseand infused it with fresh ginger, giving the sauce a slightly piquant flavor. This sauce is equally tasty over gingerbread or sponge cake.
Fresh Oranges in Rose Water
8 oranges
3 cups water
1½ cups sugar
4–6 teaspoons rose water
Peel and segment the oranges. Place them in a bowl, cover, and set aside in the refrigerator.
In a saucepan, bring the water and the sugar to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Boil gently for 15 to 20 or until the mixture becomes syrupy. Remove from heat and stir in the rose water. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.
To serve, place orange segments in individual dessert cups. Pour rose water syrup over the top.
Rose Water
Rose water is a subtle flavoring agent made from distilling the oil of rose petals. The oil is then inf
used into water. It can be found in specialty food shops.
Serves 6–8
This is one of the most refreshing desserts I know. The perfumy syrup can be made ahead and used to top almost any combination of citrus fruits, but don't be locked into just oranges.
Banana Coconut Soup
4 cups canned coconut milk
4 cups banana slices, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons minced gingerroot
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt to taste (see “Toasted Coconut” on page 16)
1. In a large saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a boil. Add the banana, ginger, cinnamon stick, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the banana is very soft.
Remove the cinnamon stick and allow to cool slightly.
Using a handheld blender (or a blender or food processor), purée the soup until smooth.
Serve the soup in preheated bowls, garnished with banana slices and coconut.
Thai Dessert Origins
Many of the desserts in this chapter are not of pure Thai origin. Some are derived from traditional Portuguese recipes since they were the first Westerners to reach the area. Soon after, eggs became an important ingredient in Thai desserts along with flour, sugar, fruit, and coconut ingredients which were already used extensively.
Serves 6–8
This is such an incredibly soothing soup. It reminds me of eating warm pudding, only it's a lot better!
Lemongrass Custard
THE EVERYTHING® THAI COOKBOOK Page 16