Thai Green Curry Paste

• 15 large fresh green hot chilies
• 3 shallots, sliced
• 9 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp finely sliced fresh galangal
• 1 tbsp sliced fresh lemon grass
• 1/2 tsp finely sliced kaffir lime rind
• 1 tsp chopped coriander root
• 5 white peppercorns
• 1 tbsp roasted coriander seeds
• 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp shrimp paste

Thai Cabbage and Tomato Salad

Salad

• 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded finely
• 3 large tomatoes, cut into 12 wedges, then cut in half
• 3-4 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 c roasted peanuts
• 1/2 c cilantro, chopped

Dressing

• zest of 1 lime
• 1/3 c fresh lime juice
• 1/3 c fish sauce (for fresh uses I like Red Boat, but 3 Crabs is great too)
• 2 T raw sugar
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3-5 fresh bird’s eye or Thai chillies OR dried chillies soaked in boiling water for 5 min.

Cambodian Grilled Lemongrass Skewers

• 4 tablespoons minced fresh lemongrass
• 15 Kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 1 T minced fresh galangal
• 8 medium garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 medium red onion, diced OR 4 scallions
• 1 T turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 t fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2-3 T Three Crabs Vietnamese fish sauce
• 1 T vegetable or canola oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c Panko

Place all ingredients aside from the meat, egg, and breadcrumbs into a food processor and pulse until a thick paste forms.

Combine with the meat, breadcrumbs and egg until thoroughly mixed.

Mould onto bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water overnight. Grill over medium-high heat until charred on the outside and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Thai Chicken Rice & Eggs

• 1 1/2 c short grain (sushi) rice
• 2 T chicken bouillon
• 2 T chicken schmaltz or butter
• 1 3/4 c hot water
• 2 T rice vinegar

Rinse rice 3 times in cold water or until water runs clear of loose starch. Place in rice cooker with schmaltz and bouillon, hot water and rice vinegar and turn on. You want to use hot water to start in order to ensure that the schmaltz and bouillon are totally mixed in. If you use cold water the schmaltz will stay solid and won’t coat the rice evenly while it cooks.

• 6 eggs
• 3 T fish sauce
• 4 t raw sugar
• 1 large clove garlic, smashed and minced
• juice and zest of 1/2 lime
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• 2 T cilantro, finely chopped

Whisk all together and let sit until rice is done. Once rice is ready, cook in a nonstick pan over low heat just until the eggs are barely set. You can do this either as scrambled eggs or as a couple of thin omelettes. Place over the hot chicken rice and serve with Thai sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and chopped green onions.

Vietnamese Shrimp and Pork Shu Mai

Shu Mai Filling

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb raw, peeled, deveined shrimp (smallest size you can find)
• 2 red thai chillies, scraped of seeds and membranes and minced
• 2 T garlic-ginger paste (or 1 T each of grated ginger and minced garlic)
• 2 T very finely minced lemongrass
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1/2 C minced cilantro
• 1/4 C minced scallion

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 C light soya sauce (I use a Japanese seasoned soya sauce that is infused with seaweed, mushroom and various kinds of fish for extra flavour)
• 1/2 t garlic-ginger paste
• 2 scallions, minced
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 1 T mirin

Place thawed shrimp in a small food processor and pulse until about the same consistency as the ground pork, OR mince finely. Add all ingredients together and gently but thoroughly mix together with wet hands. Let sit for at least an hour for the flavours to meld.

Spoon a small amount of the filling into a round dumpling wrapper and gather it up in a slight twist so the wrapper pleats around the filling and just a small amount of the filling is visible. Repeat for all of your filling.

Place in a steamer basket lined with a couple lettuce or cabbage leaves. Steam for 6-7 minutes until the filling is just cooked through. Serve with dipping sauce.

Thai Chicken Wings

6 lbs chicken wings, cut into wings and drumette pieces and tips reserved for making stock.

Marinade:

3 lemongrass stalks, white parts only
3 coriander roots, or 1/2 bunch of coriander/cilantro including stems
1 1/2″ piece of galangal, peeled. Replace with ginger if unavailable, or use both.
4 garlic cloves
4 shallots
zest of 1 lime, juice of 2
sriracha or thai chillies to taste
1 T coconut cream (from top of coconut milk can) to help a paste form. A little vegetable oil will also work.

Place all in a food processor and blend until a fine paste forms. Rub thoroughly onto chicken wings and then add 1 C coconut milk and stir to coat well. Let sit overnight or at least 2 hours.
Grill on medium heat until well browned and slightly charred on each side, about 15 min. per side. Do not over cook or you will dry out the meat. Feel free to baste the wings with the remaining marinade as they grill, making sure you cook them thoroughly to avoid any contamination.

Though these taste great on their own, you could also make a peanut sauce to dip them in.

Serves 6-8

Peanut Sauce II

3/4 C all-natural crunchy peanut butter
1/3 C coconut milk
2 thai chillies or sriracha to taste
4 garlic cloves
2 shallots
1 1/2″ piece of ginger
2 T fish sauce
2 T soya sauce
juice and zest of 2 limes
2 T grated palm sugar or brown sugar
1/3 C cilantro leaves and stems
Crushed peanuts to garnish

Put 1/4 C of the peanut butter in a food processer along with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until well mixed and the aromatics are finely minced. Mix into the remaining peanut butter until evenly incorporated. If too thin, add more peanut butter, if too thick, more coconut milk. Garnish with crushed roasted peanuts.