Thai food like one kind of Thai culture, is the product of various influences. Starting with Sukhothai and early Ayutthaya was simple as mainly fresh or died fish mixed with rice and vegetables, a few spices, a salty sauce made of fish (fish souce) or shrimp. Contacting with foreign cultures as China India or Europe, it made the development of cooking Thai food.
Today it covers a wide range of dishes many of them regional specialties. Those of northeast are generally regarded as the spiciest. In the south seafood is plenty and Muslim food appears on the menu.
Google

Friday, February 9, 2007

Lahb Kai : Spicy Chicken Salad


Lahb Kai is a popular Thai salad dish that originated from the eastern part of Thailand, or E-Sarn Province. E-Sarn food is typically spicy and full of robust flavor. This particular dish can be eaten alone or with rice. It is traditionally served with sticky rice, typical of E-Sarn food.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground chicken
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup of sliced green onions
1/2 cup of sliced red onions
1/2 cup of shredded mint leaves
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup grounded roasted-rice (see below)
1-teaspoon green pepper (sliced)
Ground dry red chili

Directions:
Heat the chicken stock in a medium sized pot, and then add in the ground chicken. Cook for a few minutes until the chicken is done. Drain and allow the chicken to cool down, then add in the lemon juice, green and red onions, and mint leaves. Add in the fish sauce, and stir. At this point, you may add in more lemon juice if it suits your taste. I recommend adding in about 2 tablespoons of dried red chili, but you may use more or less than the recommended amount. The last step is to add in the roasted rice. This dish is typically garnished with a 1/4 head of lettuce and cilantro and green beans (these items are all optional)

Stir the chicken in the hot pan until it is almost done. Then mix the chicken with fish sauce and then add lemon juice; add green onion, red onion, pepper, and mint leaves; add fish sauce or lemon
juice to taste. Add the roasted rice powder. Taste it one more time and add either fish sauce or chili to suit your taste. Eat with rice or sticky rice. Look for some crunchy vegetables like lettuce or napa cabbage to eat it with.


Roasted Rice
Set your burner to the highest setting, and add in one cup of rice. Keep stirring until the rice becomes brown and color. It will almost achieve a burnt look. Then grind it using either a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.

No comments: