pok pok

Project PokPok Cookbook: Khao Phat Muu: Thai Style Fried Rice with Pork

~ tracyshar ~ 1 Comment

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Well, I’m sorry, I thought I’d be quicker with these recipes but they take a while to type out and I’ve been really busy. So, what can ya do, you’ll get ’em as I can swing ’em.

This is a simple, delicious dish. I’m not really a huge fried rice fan but this is another story entirely. I like the fact that it pairs well with day old rice, which ensures that the rice doesn’t hang out and live in your fridge until the day you realize it’s been in there far too long and are forced to chuck it.

Also, any protein can be easily subbed out for the pork, so it can suit all moods and diets. And, it’s quick. Not something that can be said about every recipe in the Pok Pok Cookbook. So it’s handy for a weeknight meal. The recipe claims that this is enough for 1 person and to double the recipe for 2…but 2 cups of rice is a lot for 1 person. I’ll let you make your own decision.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon thin Thai soy sauce
  • a pinch of ground white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 oz. peeled small shallots, preferably Asian, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced with the grain (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 large peeled garlic clove, halved lengthwise and lightly crushed into small pieces in a granite mortar
  • 4 oz. boneless pork shoulder (or other protein) sliced against the grain into bite sized pieces
  • 2 cups jasmine rice, preferably day old
  • 2 tablespoons thinly slice green onions, lightly packed, plus a pinch for finishing
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro (thin stems and leaves), lightly packed

To Serve Alongside:

8 or so 1/4″ slices firm cucumber, peeled if thick-skinned

1 lime wedge (preferably from a key lime)

Phrik Naam Plaa (Fish sauce-soaked chilies), recipe below

Preparation:

Combine the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.

Heat a wok over very high heat, add the oil and swirl it in the wok to coat the sides. When it begins to smoke, crack the egg (it should spit and sizzle violently and  the whites should bubble and puff) and cook without touching until all but the center of the whites are set, about 15 – 20 seconds. Flip the egg (it’s fine if it cracks) and shove to the side of the wok, up the wall if you can. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring them (but not the egg) often, until they’ve lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Add the pork, stir everything together well, and stir fry until the pork is no longer pink on the outside.

Add the rice and stir fry, breaking up the egg a bit, for 30 seconds. Add the fish sauce mixture (add a splash of water, if necessary, to make sure nothing’s left behind) and continue to stir fry until the pork is just cooked through and the flavors have permeated the rice, about a minute or so more.

Turn off the heat, stir in the 2 tablespoons of green onions, and transfer the rice to a plate. Top with the remaining green onions and cilantro and serve with cucumber slices on the edge of the plate, the lime wedge for squeezing and the fish sauce-soaked chilies in a small bowl to spoon on top. **hint: the fish sauce-soaked chilies are the real magic here **.

Phrik Naam Plaa (fish sauce-soaked chilies):

  • About 14 fresh Thai chiles, preferably green, thinly sliced
  • About 1/2 cup Thai fish sauce
  • About 2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic (optional)

Combine the ingredients in a bowl or container and stir. Keeps covered in the fridge for 2 days or so.

 

Project PokPok Cookbook: Stir-Fried Yunnan Ham with Chilies

~ tracyshar ~ 1 Comment

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This is one of those dishes I mentioned in the cookbook which hails not from Thailand, but from some totally other country — in this case, China. And, like pretty much everything else in this cookbook, it’s outstanding.

I was, sadly, unable to source actual Yunnan ham, but settled for Serrano ham, which was still delicious, and was listed as an alternative if needed, along with country ham. I did go to a local butcher for the very best stuff I could find, and I recommend you do the same, since the taste of the ham will totally determine the quality of this meal. But, you know, whatever works for you.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Suup Kraduuk Muu (Pork Stock) — recipe below
  • Scant tablespoon Thai thin soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • Pinch ground white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 oz. piece of Yunnan ham (or smoky serrano or country) cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 1/2 oz. large, flavorful, mild green chilies, such as Anaheim or Hungarian wax, seeded, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″-wide bite sized pieces (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 piece of peeled ginger, cut into long (2″), thin (1/4″) sticks
  • peeled garlic clove, halved lengthwise and lightly crushed into small pieces in a granite mortar (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 cup raw corn kernals
  • about 1 cup oyster or mixed mushrooms, cut or torn into large bite sized pieces
  • 1/2 cup peeled yellow onion, thinly sliced with the grain
  • 1/4 cup peeled carrot, cut into 1/4″ thick bite sized slices
  • 1/4 cup green onions, cut into 2″ lengths

Preparation:

Combine the stock, soy sauce, sugar and pepper in a small bowl and stir well. Then combine the ham, chilies, garlic and ginger in one container, and the corn, mushrooms, carrot, and onions in another.

Heat a wok over very high heat, add the oil, and swirl it in the wok to coat the sides. When it begins to smoke lightly, take the wok off the heat, add the ham, chilies, ginger and garlic, and stir fry, constantly stirring, scooping and flipping the ingredients, until the ginger and garlic are very fragrant but not browned, about 30 – 45 second.

Put the wok back on the heat, add the corn, mushroom, onions and carrot, and stir fry for another minute.

Add the stock mixture and stir fry until the vegetables are just cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, another minute or so. Add the green onions, stir fry for 10 seconds or so, transfer to a plate, and serve.

Suup Kraduuk Muu (Pork Stock):

recipe coming soon (like tonight maybe!). Just use store bought for now.

 

 

Project PokPok Cookbook: Kai Kaphrai Khai Dao (Stir-Fried Chicken with Hot Basil)

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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So, most of the dishes in Round One of Project PokPok Cookbook are on the simpler side…including this wonderful and majorly delicious one pot meal.

The hot basil is really the star of this dish, so you will have to make sure you get the right stuff…not Thai basil, and often you will see something called hot basil but it’s not REALLY hot basil!! Tricky stuff, y’all.

The only homemade ingredient you need for this one is Phrik Naam Plaa, or Fish Sauce Soaked Chiles, which is pretty quick and easy in case you just want to make a one off meal, and not have a whole project like me. Although, I highly recommend eating like this every day. I’ll include that recipe at the bottom of this one.

This is…a really special dish. I would DEFINITELY not leave out the fish-sauce-soaked chilies. But it’s really special, regardless. Enjoy.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon Thai Fish Sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Thai black soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 11 grams peeled garlic cloves, halved lengthwise and crushed into small pieces in a granite mortar (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 5 oz. ground chicken (preferably thighs) or pork
  • 1 oz. long beans, cut lengthwise into 1/8″ strips (approximately 1/4 cup)
  • 1 1/2 oz. yellow onion, thinly sliced against the grain (approximately 1/4 cup)
  • 4 Thai chilies, preferably red, thinly sliced
  • 3 -4 dried Thai chiles, fried (directions below), coarsely crumbled
  • 6 grams hot basil leaves (about a cup)

To Serve Alongside:

1 – 1/2 cups Khao Hom Mali (Jasmine Rice, recipe below)

Phrik Naam Plaa (Fish Sauce Soaked Chiles, recipe below)

Cook the Egg

  • Heat a wok over very high heat, add the oil and swirl it along the sides to coat. When it begins to smoke, crack in the egg and cook for about 5 seconds. It should spit and sizzle violently and the whites should bubble and puff. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook, frequently tipping the pan and basting the egg with the oil, just until the white has set and turns golden at the edges and the yolk is cooked the way you like it (hint: a runny yolk makes this dish magic), about 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Transfer the egg to paper towels to drain, leaving the oil in the wok.

Stir Fry and Serve the Dish

  • Combine fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl and mix well.
  • Heat the wok again over very high heat. When the oil starts to smoke, add the garlic to the wok, take the wok off the heat, and let the garlic sizzle, stirring often, until the garlic turns light golden brown, about 30 seconds. Put the wok back on the heat, and add the chicken, long beans, onions and fresh chilies. Stir fry and break up the chicken as you do, constantly stirring, flipping, and scooping the ingredients, until the chicken is almost cooked through, about 1 minute.
  • Add dried chilies and the fish sauce mixture, adding a drop of water to make sure nothing’s left behind in the bowl if needed, and continue to stir fry until the liquid has been absorbed by the meat, about 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Turn off the heat.
  • Just before you’re ready to serve, turn the heat back to high, and once the meat is heated through, add the hot basil, and stir until it is wilted and very fragrant, about 15 seconds or so.
  • Serve with Jasmine Rice, Fried Egg, and fish-sauce-soaked chilies.

Jasmine Rice:

  • 2 cups Jasmine rice
  • 2 cups water

Put the rice in a fine mesh strainer inside a large bowl. Fill the bowl up with enough tap water to cover the rice by an inch or two. Use your hand to gently stir the rice, then lift the strainer from the bowl. The water will be cloudy from the starch. Repeat the process until the water covering the rice is more or less clear. You  will probably have to repeat this three or four times. Drain the rice, gently shaking occasionally, until it’s fully dry to the touch, about 15 minutes.

Put the rice in a rice cooker in an even layer. Add the water, cover, and press the button,

Once it’s done, let the rice sit in the cooker for about 20 minutes,

Finally, fluff the rice: use a spoon to gently rake the top few layers of rice to separate the grains, then gradually rake the next few layers, and so on, working your way to the bottom.

Phrik Naam Plaa:

  • About 14 fresh Thai chiles, preferably green, thinly sliced
  • About 1/2 cup Thai fish sauce
  • About 2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic (optional)

Combine the ingredients in a bowl or container and stir. Keeps covered in the fridge for 2 days or so.

Fried Dried Thai Chilies:

  • Put the chilies in a wok or a pan, add enough vegetable oil to coat them well, and set the pan over medium low heat. Cook, stirring and tossing almost constantly, until the chilies are a deep, dark brown color (but not black), about 7 – 10 minutes. Keep in mind that the residual heat of the oil will continue cooking the chilies. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chilies to a paper towel to drain.