Sticky rice with the help of a microwave

Hello everyone,
           
          As promised, I'm posting a recipe for cooking sticky rice in the microwave that's quick and easy.  Traditional Thai people cook with a steamer which takes longer (and you have to have a steamer).

You will need:

2 cups of long grain sweet rice
1 microwave-safe bowl
1-1/4 cup of water (room temperature)
plastic wrap
1/2 gallon of warm water 

Directions:

1. In the microwave-safe bowl, soak the long grain sweet rice in warm water for 2 hours. 
2. Drain the water.
3. Pour 1 cup of room temp. water over the rice and cover with plastic wrap.
4. Put in microwave for 4 minutes.
5. Turn the rice, using a fork to fluff it up.
6. Sprinkle  1/4 cup of water over rice and cover with plastic wrap.
7. Put back in the microwave for 4 more minutes.
8. Serve warm.

       Sticky rice goes good with Laab Gai & Moo Tod.  

http://thaicookingwithjari.blogspot.com/2014/02/mint-chicken-salad-laab-gai.html

http://thaicookingwithjari.blogspot.com/2014/02/fried-pork-moo-tod.html

Fried Pork (Moo Tod) หมูทอด

Hello everyone,
   Today I'm posting this easy and delicious recipe.  In Thailand, street vendors sell this dish in almost every market. It's easy to find & tasty.  Before I could snap a picture my son ate a third of my dish.  I'll have to be faster next time. :)                                      
                                                        

                                                                                                                                                      

Ingredients :

1 pound of pork, sliced about 1/8 inch thick.
2 Tbsp. of oyster sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. of light soy sauce
2 Tbsp. of Mirin Japanese cooking wine or regular white wine
1 Tbsp. of white pepper powder
1 Tbsp. of garlic power or fresh minced garlic
2 Tbsp. of all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. of sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. of sugar
2 cups of vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions :

1. In a bowl, combine the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, cooking wine, pepper powder, garlic powder, flour, sesame seeds, and sugar. Add pork and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours in refrigerator.

2. Heat oil with medium high heat to 350 F, deep fry pork in batches until golden brown, remove and set on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

3. Cut pork into bite size pieces and serve with white rice or atop a salad.

Mint Chicken Salad (Laab Gai) ลาบไก่

   This is a popular salad at parties.  It's spicy and goes good with a cold drink.  We like to eat it with "sticky rice".  I'll do a post on sticky rice later & show a quick and easy way to prepare it with a microwave.  

   This recipe has more preparation time than the previous recipes I've posted.  Some of the items (lemon grass and galanga) might only be available in an Asian market.   I hope you try it.  It's worth it. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of ground chicken (I buy boneless chicken and grind it in a food processor.)
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro (I include the stems, but you may want to just use the leaves.)
1/4 cup of chopped green onions.
1/4 cup of chopped mint
1 tbsp. of vegetable oil
3 tbsp. of lime juice
2 tbsp. of fish sauce
1 tbsp. of sugar
1 tbsp. of roasted ground chili pepper (You can substitute with chopped fresh chili peppers.)
2 tbsp. of roasted ground rice  (I take dry rice, toast it in a pan until golden brown, & grind it with a food processor or a mortar & pestle.) 
1/2 cup of chopped shallots (Half will be used to make the salad paste.  The rest will be mixed in with the salad.)
1 tbsp. of lemon grass (I use the white part of a stem.)
1 tbsp. of galanga  (You might have to look in an Asian market for this, but it can be left out of the recipe.)
4 cloves of garlic  

Directions:  

   First, we have to make the paste.   Roast the stem of lemon grass, galanga, garlic, and 1/4 cup of shallots.  I put these items in tin foil and set on a burner for 1 to 2 minutes.  Then I grind them in a food processor or with a mortar & pestle.  

  Next, put the vegetable oil in a pan, add the chicken, and cook thoroughly.  Set aside.

   In a big bowl, we'll combine the paste, cooked ground chicken, and the rest of the ingredients.  Stir them together.  Serve with a slice of fresh green cabbage and white rice or sticky rice.

  Sorry.  This recipe is a bit long, but there's an easier way.  At an Asian market, look for a packet of laab-namtok powder.  There are several brands (Lobo, RosDee).  Here's a picture of a 30 gram packet of RosDee's laab-namtok powder.  The Lobo packets I've seen are larger.  If so, you'll probably want to add half of it because this powder is spicy.

  If you find this packet, here's the only ingredients you'll need.

1/2 pound of ground chicken
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro 
1/4 cup of chopped green onions.
1/4 cup of chopped mint
1 tbsp. of vegetable oil
1/4 cup of chopped shallots 

  Cook the chicken as discussed above.  In a bowl, add the cooked chicken, laab-namtok powder an the rest of the ingredients.  Stir and serve.  This packet saves a lot of work.  You can add lime juice or fish sauce to fit your taste.  :)

Chicken Stir-fry with Banana Peppers (Gai Pad Prik Yuak) ไก่ผัดพริกหยวก

   This is another dish where the ingredients can be found at your local supermarket.  Banana peppers are very similar to the peppers (called "prik yuak") we use in Thailand.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of banana/Hungarian peppers (sliced into small pieces & seeded)
1/2 pound of chicken  (sliced into small pieces)
Note:  Pork or shrimp can be substituted for chicken.
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 tbsp. of vegetable oil
2 tbsp. of oyster sauce
1 tbsp. of fish sauce
1 tbsp. of light soy sauce
1 tsp. of dark soy sauce
1 tsp. of sugar

Directions:

   Heat a pan with medium high heat.  Add vegetable oil, garlic, and chicken.  Brown the meat then add the peppers and the rest of the ingredients and cook for 2 more minutes.   Serve with white rice. :)

Garlic Shrimp (Goong Kra Tiem) กุ้งทอดกระเทียม

Hello again,
   I wanted to start out with garlic shrimp, a dish that is easy to make.   Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 pound of jumbo shrimp  (peeled & deveined)
1tbsp. of oyster sauce
1tbsp. of light soy sauce
1 tsp. of sugar
3 tbsp. of finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. of ground pepper (optional)
2 tbsp. of vegetable oil
1 cup of steamed/boiled broccoli

Step 1:  Heat a pan with medium high heat.  Add the oil, then the chopped garlic.  Fry until golden brown.  Remove the garlic and set aside.  Leave the oil in the pan.

Step 2: Add the shrimp to the pan.  Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the shrimp turns pink.  Add the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, ground pepper(optional), & fried garlic.  Stir and cook for 1 more minute. 

Step 3:  Serve with steamed/boiled broccoli and white rice.  :)

P.S. You can substitute to chicken, pork, beef, or squid.

Basic ingrediants

Hi,
   To start out, I'd like to show 4 of the main sauces I use when cooking (left to right in the photo below): fish sauce, dark (black) soy sauce, oyster sauce, & light soy sauce. 

   There are many brands you can choose from.  You shouldn't have to go to an Asian market.  They're probably at your local supermarket like Walmart or Meijer's. :)