at 21:17

A Thai Christmas Warmer: Fish with Mango and Coconut Milk

Fish with Mango and Coconut Milk- A Thai Dish

It might be some time before I write part 2 of my kolkata trip. Specially with Christmas just around the corner, with lights all around, insane shoppers, carol singers at Tesco, red coats and jumping kids, I am tempted to give in to the festivity. So Kolkata trip will be back later, for now let me enjoy Christmas. I will buy and decorate my tree tomorrow and do bit of shopping (insane of course) for loved ones (for those who are here in London, and those still staying in Kolkata will be forgotten!!!!!!! ). However, as of today, I am doing bit of cooking, keeping with the Christmas spirit.

I am making two fish dish-one Thai and one Italian dish. Both the fish dishes are very easy and very very quick. If you are thinking what to eat during the Christmas breaks, it might be interesting to cook oriental one day and Italian the other among of course the usual Christmassy cooking.  Both the fish dishes goes well with white rice, Pasta, noodle or on their own making them versatile. Moreover, if you are treating people, this might bring interesting twist as fusion food along with traditional Christmas roast and Brussels sprout. Who says we cannot deviate –  I would! Well, I did!

Ingredients:

4 fish steak. I used salmon. You can use Sea bass, sea bream or any sweat water fish

3-tablespoon Thai red curry paste
Handful of coriander, chopped
150ml of coconut milk
3-tablespoon of sweet chili sauce
1 red Thai chili, chopped
¼-teaspoon red chili flake (optional)
6-8 Thai Basil
2-teaspoon of rice wine vinegar
3-teaspoon of fish sauce
1 Mango (sweat and sour mango), deseeded, peeled and sliced  
1-tablespoon oil
Salt as per taste

 Method:

1.   Place the fish on a board and marinate with thai red curry paste

2.   Heat oil and add the remaining paste

3.   Stir and add sweet chili sauce, fish sauce  and fry for a while

4.   Add the fish and fry them for a while

5.   Add rice wine vinegar

6.   Add the mango

7.   Add coconut milk and cook

8.   As the  gravy reduces and mango softened, add the basil and coriander, red chili flake

9.   Season as per taste.

10.               Serve hot sprinkled with chopped red chili and with rice, paste or on its own as side dish

 

at 00:24

Thai Green Curry Chicken

                      Thai Green Curry with chicken

I had one of the longest day and wanted to eat something warm yet quick. Hence, Thai green curry chicken. It is easy to make, smells wonderful: a perfect blend of texture and aroma!


Ingredients for green paste

Ingredients for green paste

2- Green chili
1- Inch ginger or galangal
2-teaspoon garlic
1-Onion/shallot
1-lemon leaf
1-tablespoon limejuice
1-teaspoon coriander seed
1-teaspoon cumin
1-tablespoon chopped coriander
3-tablespoon lemon grass (2 long lemon grass stick cut in 3-inch length)
1-teaspoon shrimp paste (optional)
½ -teaspoon of black paper
Pinch of turmeric


Thai Green Curry Paste

 Ingredients for Curry
 800gm Chicken cut in to small pieces
2-tablespoon fish sauce
2-tablespoon soy sauce
1-carrot cut to big sizes
½-teaspoon sugar
10-Mushroom each cut into 4 pieces
2-thai red chili deseeded and sliced
500ml coconut milk
Handful of Thai Basil (optional)
2-tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

Cooking in  Progress

 Method :

1.  Making the green paste: Put all ingredients in blender and make paste. Make sure that lemon grass is mixed really well; otherwise, the fiber from the lemon grass can spoil the paste. If not sure, whether the lemon grass will churn well or not, then leave the lemon grass out and use them whole. use as much green paste as needed for the curry and rest freeze for use later

2.      Heat oil and fry the chicken.
3.      Add fish sauce and soy sauce
4.      Add 4/5 tablespoon of green paste.
5.      Add the lemon grass in case if you have not churned it already
6.      Cook the chicken for 10mins
7.      Add carrot and mushroom
8.      Add coconut milk and little more paste ( add paste according to your taste) and cook until chicken is well cooked
9.      Add little salt per taste ( careful as you will be using fish and soy sauce and both of them have salt , sugar and lemon leaf
10.  Add red chili and basil and stir a little
11.  Serve with steam rice.


Ready to be served

at 13:02

Pad Thai Noodles with Chicken and Prawn

Serves: 2 as main at dinner

Preparation time: 20 mins including making Pad Thai Sauce
Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients

1- Chicken breast fillet
100g cooked and peeled king prawns
1 Egg
1- Large onion or shallot
2- Red chilies (optional)
1- Tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1- Tablespoon finely chopped garlic
100g bean sprouts
300g Rice noodles (cooked as per the instruction on the packet). If you cannot find it, any noodles will do. I some time cook the dish with maggi and tastes yummy.
½-teaspoon ground black pepper
3-tablespoon oil
Chopped coriander for garnishing
3 tablespoon roasted salted peanuts (preferably crushed)
Salt to taste (remember pad Thai sauce will have salt in it due to use of soy sauce)

For Pad Thai Sauce:

2 tablespoon tamarind paste (the quanity should be based on how sour you like your pad Thai)
4-tablespoon fish sauce ( optional, use rice wine instead)
4 table spoon soy sauce
½-tablespoon hot chili sauce
Pinch of ground black pepper
5-teaspoon palm or brown sugar (if you do not have them at home, then use any sugar that you have. You might need more sugar to balance the sourness depending on your taste)

Method of making Pad Thai Sauce:

1.   Mix all ingredients and stir to dissolve. It might take some time for the sugar to melt.
2.     When all the ingredients have melt, the sauce is ready to use.

Note:  you will find many other method of making the sauce. This measurement is mine based on how l like my Pad Thai. I always make sure that when I am eating my pad thai noodles, it should taste sweet at first, spicy second and sour at last. For the right balance add more chili or sugar or tamarind until you get it right for your taste. However, remember that a good Pad thai tastes in Sweet-spice-and sour order in your mouth.

Method for making Pad Thai Noodle:
1.   Heat a wok or frying on low to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Fry the chicken breast on both sides until sides are golden brown and the chicken is done. It will be not be fried, as the oil is really less, rather will be pan roasted. You can sprinkle little water in case chicken sticks at the bottom
2.  When the chicken cools down, slice the chicken and set aside
3.   Heat the same wok or frying pan (clean the chicken residue from the wok or pan with a paper towel in that case). Add rest of the oil and heat. Fry the ginger and garlic until you can smell the aroma but do not make them brown. Add onion and stir-fry. Add chili
4.   Add the cooked prawn and cooked chicken and stir-fry.
5.   Add the cooked noodles, bean sprouts and stir fry
6.   Add Pad thai sauce and stir to coat. Make sure it is little wet. If you feel the sauce is not enough and the noodle is dry, add little fish sauce and soy sauce
7.    Fry the egg in separate pan (scrambled egg) and add with the noodles.
8.    Fry for another 3/4 mins. Sprinkle coriander and half the peanuts
9.    Add salt depending on taste. Also, be careful, as you have used fish sauce, which has salt. Sprinkle black pepper
10.   To serve, place the noodle in two pasta plates and sprinkle the remaining peanuts and garnish with coriander.

Enjoy!