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Spicy Salad (yum tua poo)
ยำถั่วพู

The first dish on our menu for this Friday lunchtime was this spicy salad. The basic ingredients include shrimp, squid, minced pork, hard boiled egg, sliced red shallot, roasted ground peanuts, and dried chilies. The sauce includes coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and a sprinkling of sugar. Not bad at 25 baht a dish.

Radish Soup
แกงจืดหัวไชเท้า

The second dish uses Chinese radishes. You need to peel these and then cut them into one inch blocks. You cook the stock with pork on bone. Once the pork has cooked through, add the radish and mushrooms. Some recipes also add dried squid for the stock and fresh shrimp. However, we had clear soup. A basic dish that goes well with something spicier. This was only 20 baht.

Stir-fried bell pepper with pork
ผัดพริกหยวกใส่หมู

This is an easy stir-fried that you can cook yourself in a wok. In Thai it is called "pad prik yuak gup moo". The main ingredient is the green bell pepper. But there is also spring onion, onion and pork. You also add oyster sauce and some sugar. This was 25 baht.

Stir-fried vegetables with pork
ผัดผักรวมมิตรใส่หมู

Another stir fried dish was this basic one called "pad pak ruam mit" in Thai. When I go to restaurants I often buy this dish as it goes well with most curries. The ingredients will vary depending on what the cook has in stock. I often cook this myself as it is quick and easy. As always, fry some garlic until golden brown. I add the carrots and cauliflower first as they take slightly longer to cook. Keep stirring all the time. Then add the remaining ingredients. Add some water if it starts to dry out. Season with oyster sauce and sugar. Some recipes say add fish sauce instead but I prefer oyster sauce. This version also had pork which obviously you add first! This was 25 baht.

Khanom Tom
ขนมต้ม

This is a nice Thai dessert called Khanom Tom. There is a Thai boxing hero with the same name - Nai Khanom Tom. I wrote about him not long ago. I am not sure if he is named after the dessert or the dessert is named after him! Anyway, the filling of this rice ball is made up from grated coconut and sugar that is cooked in a wok until it becomes a thick mixture. When cooled it is rolled into a ball. The outer wrapping is made up from glutinous rice flour and coconut cream. If you want to make the green version, you also add the juice of the pandanus leaf. This gives you the dough after you have left it stand for a while. Then roll the dough into small balls and then flatten them. Add the filling and then wrap the dough around it. These are then boiled in water until they float to the top. They are served with a topping of steamed grated coconut. These are 10 baht for 5 rice balls.

Come back to paknam.com next week for more Thai dishes.