Glass Noodle Salad (yum woon-sen)

This is another one of the Thai appetizer I love to order when having Thai cuisine. Prepared this too to go with the Hot basil minced meat w/rice. Recipe also adapted from Forest Leong - Cooking Classics Thailand. A savoury, tangy noodle salad that serves as a great light apppetiser.


Ingredients (serve 3-4):
Green bean vermicelli - 50g (soaked to soften & drained)
Chicken stock - 125ml (1/2 cup)
Minced pork - 100g (used 80g will do)
Prawns & Squid - 100g (cooked)
Shallot - 1 (peeled & finely sliced)
Unsalted roasted peanuts - a handful (I omitted as I don't like peanut)
Spring onion - 1 stalk (cut into length or chopped)

Dressing (combine together):
Fish sauce - 1 tbsp
Lime juice - 30 ml
Bird eye chilles - 2 to 3 (sliced) or red chilli - 1/2
Sugar - 1/4 tsp

Method:
1. Chop vermicelli into 10-12 cm (4-5 inches) length
2. Bring stock to boil over medium heat and add minced pork. Stir gently until pork is cooked. Add vermicelli, stirring quickly until it turns translucent.
3. Remove from heat, pour into a mixing bowl & pour dressing over & toss lightly.
4. Add prawns, squids, shallots, peanuts & spring onions & toss lightly again. Serve warm.

Optional not in the recipe:
I seasoned the pork with some sesame oil & pepper to remove the porky smell.
Original recipe is double the above portion which I think is too much to serve 4. That day, I did the above portion whiich was definitely more than enough to serve 3 as an appetiser.
Finally, this is my last outstanding post for Aug 09. More Sep 09 updates on dining out, workshops & my bakes coming up...

Hot Basil Minced Meat w/Rice

In Thai - kao pad kra-prow moo which means Hot Basil Minced Meat w/Rice usually top w/an egg. A simple & typical Thai dish that I love and will always have it when I go Bangkok.

On the last Sunday of Aug 09 (30/8/09), we decided to dine at home instead as I wanted to try out some of the recipes from Forest Leong cookbook - Cooking Classics Thailand which I bought months ago. Another simple to cook dish which I liked...

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classics Thailand by Forest Leong:


Ingredients (serve 4):
Hot Basil Leaves - A few full sprigs (pick out the leaves from sprig, wash, drain & set aside)
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Chopped Garlic - 5 cloves
Chopped Bird's eye chillies - 2 to 3
Minced Pork/beef/chicken - 300g
Hon Shimeji Mushrooms - 30g
Red Chilli - 1, finely sliced
Eggs - 4

Seasoning:
Fish Sauce - 1 tsp
Oyster Sauce - 2 tsps
Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Some alteration made by me - optional.
I added 1 tsp of cornflour into the minced meat. While stir frying, it gets dry easily so I also added at least 2 to 3tbsp of water into it and some dark soya sauce for colouring but if using beef then is not necessary.

Method:
1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat to fry garlic & bird eye chillies until fragrant.
2. Add balance ingredients & seasoning. Continue to stir-fry until pork is cooked. Remove from heat & set aside.
3. Heat a lightly greased pan. Cook eggs sunny-side up.
4. Spoon ready cooked minced pork onto seving plates over rice & top w/egg.