Thai crab salad with corn fritters

Thai crab salad with corn fritters

 

Thai salads are truly one of life's pleasures, packed full of flavour. This is one of my own recipes and is quick and simple to prepare.  The fritters make a great side dish to a  meal that will bring a true taste of Thailand to your table.

 

 

 

What's needed

For the salad dressing

2-3 red bird eye chilli's

2 limes

half teaspoon shrimp paste

1-2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon Thai basil paste

2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate paste

1 stick lemon grass

1-2 lime leafs

For the salad

1 red onion
One tin of crab meet chunks (I use blue swimming crab meat chunks)

1 stick celery

1 red bell pepper

1 under ripe mango

Third of a cucumber

3-4 mild red chilli's

Handful of fresh mint leafs

Handful of fresh Thai basil

Handful of fresh coriander stalk and leaf

2-3 round tomatoes

2-3 spring onions

  

 

For corn fritters

Oil for deep frying

Plain flour

One large tin of sweet corn

1-2 spring onions

3 cloves garlic

Handful of fresh coriander

1-2 red bird eye chilli's
salt and pepper

 

 Preparation

With this dish the dressing, salad and corn fritter mixture need prepared with cooking assembly at the last minute.

 

Salad dressing

1. Bruise a stick of lemon grass and discard the outer layers retaining only the inner fragrant part.
2. Finley chop the lemongrass and the chillies (retain the seed for some heat, if you like it 'thai' spicy add as many as you dare. If you don't like it too spicy remove the seeds).
3. Add the chopped chillies and lemongrass to a mortar and pestle.
4. Roll two limes and add the juice to the mortar and pestle.
5. Next add 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 lime leave (cut/broken into small pieces), half teaspoon shrimp paste and 1 teaspoon Thai basil paste
6. Grind the dressing mixture using the pestle to dissolve the sugar and to break down the lemongrass and chill.
7. The dressing can be used straight away or chilled for up to 24hrs. In this case keep aside to dress salad 5mins before serving.

The salad

1. In a large bowl collect the following ingredients
2. cut 1/3 of a cucumber length ways and deseed to produce a crescent shape. Using paper towel pat dry the cumber pieces to remove any excess moisture, then add to bowl.
3. Chop 2 spring onions finely and add to bowl. Peel a red onion and pull the layers apart. Discard inner core, then chop the other layers into small baton style chunks and add to bowl.
4. Into small bite sized pieces chop the red pepper, celery stick and the mango. Cut the tomatoes into eighths (half, half and half again) and add to the bowl.
5. Chop a handful of mint, coriander and Thai basil and add to the bowl leaving the leaves on top of the salad mixture.
6. Drain the tin of crab and add to top of salad.
7. Set salad aside to be dressed prior to serving. 
8. Roughly chop or crush a handful of peanuts to sprinkle onto of salad later.

 

The fritters

1. Take the large can of sweet corn, drain and add to a large mixing bowl.
2. As finely as possible chop two red chillies, three cloves of garlic, two or three spring onions and a handful of coriander. Add to the bowl.
3. Add 1 teaspoon black pepper and same amount of  salt.
4. Now add 5-6 heaped tablespoons of white plain flour and 45ml water. Stir the mixture with aim of  producing a thick batter that falls off spoon but holds together as it does so. It is likely you will need to add either more flour or more water to achieve this, so please view quantities here as a starting point. If it is too watery add more flour, conversely more water if too dry.
5. Set aside until ready to cook.

 

 

 

Get cooking and serve



1.  Heat a large deep pan of oil to medium hot, use bred cubes to test when it is ready- a 2cm cube should brown in under a minute. If you have a deep fryer you want a medium hot setting.
2. Dress the salad with the dressing in the salad bowl. Mix with your hands giving the salad a good squeeze.
3. Using a large tablespoon measure scoops of the batter and carefully add one at a time to the oil. The batter is wet and hot oil may splash when adding. Do not overfill the fryer, I usually cook in two batches.
4. Deep fry until the batter turns a golden brown on all sides and the fritters rise to the top of the oil.
5. Remove from oil, drain well and pat down on a plate with kitchen paper.
6. Serve the fritters and salad, adding the chopped peanuts on top for texture.

 



Chicken chow mein

Chicken chow mein

 

My version of the Chinese takeaway favourite. Using left over chicken from a whole roasted bird to make a exciting use of left overs. Would work well with beef or prawns as well. Packed full of flavour, you will never order it from the takeaway again.

 

 

 

 

Whats needed

Left over cooked chicken

Red pepper

Two white onions

Three spring onions

One med/large carrot

Two celery sticks

Thin/medium egg noodles

1 heaped teaspoon corn flour (dissolved in 50-70ml warm water)

Three cloves garlic

One stick lemongrass

Thumb sized bit of ginger

Brown sugar (1 table spoon)

Five spice (2 teaspoon)

Tamarind paste (1 teaspoon)

Dark Soy sauce (1 tablespoon)

Fish sauce (1 tablespoon)

Rice wine (1 tablespoon)

A lime

Black pepper

1-2 tablespoon veg oil

Dried corriander

 

Preparation

1. finely chop the garlic, ginger and lemon grass and collect in a small ramekin.
2. Chop the carrot into fine batons, the red pepper  into small chunks, celery into small chunks  and the spring onion into 3cm long batons. With the white onion peel and discard the inner core. Pull apart the layers and cut into chunks. Do not chop any of the veg too finely as you want them to retain some bite in the final dish.
3. Collect the chopped veg in a separate bowl.
4. Dissolve one heaped teaspoon of corn flower in warm water and set aside. Get the wok on max heat until the wok is smoking hot.
5. On the cooker get a large pan of salted water to the boil, heat the wok until smoking hot.
6. Collect the ingredients as shown below.

 

 

Next, Get cooking

1. Once the wok is smoking hot add the vegetable oil and fry the garlic, lemongrass and ginger. Remove wok from heat if needed to prevent burning but leave hob on maximum heat.
2.  After 1 minute and the fragrant scent is released add the vegetable mixture and continue to stir fry for a further minute.
3. Next add 2 teaspoon of five spice, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine and 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce. Next add one tablespoon of brown sugar, one teaspoon of tamarind paste, juice of the lime and continue to stir fry for 1 minute.
4. Cook noodles as per instructions on packet.
5. Now add the left over chicken and the dissolved corn flour and cook through- this should take around 2 minutes. It is ready when your chicken has been heat through and the sauce starts to thicken.
6. Combine the cooked noodles to the wok and stir through.
7. Add a sprinkle of dried coriander and crack some black pepper.
8. If the dish requires more flavour add some more soy sauce and five spice, more sweetness add sugar or more zing add some more lime.
9. Serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

 







Thai Choo-Chee Salmon

Thai Choo Chee Salmon

One of my favourite Thai dishes and it took a lot of experimenting to get the taste just right. It is a very simple process involving two steps- a blender and a wok. Iv used salmon but it works very well with prawns and beef as well. Serve with either noodles or rice.  A true taste of Thailand.

 

 

 

What's needed



2 salmon fillets

lemon grass (1 stalk)

Garlic  (half of whole bulb)

Galangal (thumb sized or two teaspoons if paste)

Red chillies (depends how hot you like it!)

Fish sauce (2-3 tablespoons)

Shrimp paste (half a teaspoon)

Lime leaves (3-4)

Limes (1-2)

Red onions (2)

Red pepper (1)

Spring onions(3-4)

Brown sugar (3-4 tablespoons)

Five spice powder (1 tablespoon)

Coconut milk (one tin)

Tamarind paste (2-3 teaspoons if concentrate)

Fresh Thai basil

Fresh Coriander

Honey roast peanuts (hand full)

Black pepper

 

Preparation

 

 

 

1. Firstly chop roughly (its going to get blended but chopping reduces chance of fibre stalks surviving the blending) the red onions and the pepper. Collect in a bowl as shown. Add 2-3 lime leaves.
2. Bruise the lemongrass (using rolling pin) and remove the outer stalks retaining the inner fragrant part. Cut into small pieces and add to the bowl. Peel the garlic and add to the bowl. If using fresh galangal chop a thumb sized amount and add to the bowl, if using paste 2-3 teaspoons.
3. Cut the stalks from your chillies and add to the bowl. If you don't like it too hot deseed them but if like me you like it spicy leave them in. I usually add 2-3 large mild chillies and 3-4 of the small hot bird eye chillies- that would give a medium spicy heat.
4. Add the bowl ingredients to the blender.
5. Then add to the blended 1 tablespoon five spice powder, a tin of coconut milk, the juice of 1 lime.
6. Next add half teaspoon of shrimp paste, 2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce (depending on taste), 3 table spoons of brown sugar. Lastly add a handful of honey roast peanuts.
7. Blend the mixture in a high power blender for several minutes until the colour has changed from a pale pink to a light red colour.
8. Chop  a hand full of coriander and a palm full of thai basil- set these aside.
9. Skin your salmon fillets (very easy) and cut into large diced chunks. Set aside in a bowl, season lightly with salt and pepper. Then chop your spring onions into 2-3cm length pieces and add to the salmon bowl.
10. To get cooking set up as below.

 

 

Get cooking

Most the work has already been done!

 

1. Heat the blended mixture in a wok on a medium heat for 15-20 mins.
2. Over time the colour will change (see pics below) and the flavour will deapen as the blended mixture cooks
3. Add the salmon and spring onions and cook through. This should take just over five minutes, if you are unsure remove a piece of salmon and cut into to test.
4. Add the coriander and the Thai basil.
5. Taste- add more sugar if you would like it sweeter, more fish sauce if more salty, more five spice for more flavour, dried chili for more heat or more lime juice for more zing.
6. Serve with either rice or noodles.

 

This dish works equally well with king prawns or sirloin steak. If using king prawns cook in exactly same way as above. If using steak cook the sauce as above but grill the steak to your liking separately, slice the steak into strips and pour sauce over it.

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet and sour Scampi

Sweet and sour Scampi

 

A home cook version of the Chinese take away favourite. Very loosely based on a recipe broadcast on The hairy bikers TV show from a Hong Kong cook. Using oven cook scampi instead of prawns works extremely well adding at the last minute before serving. Serve with rice or noodles. You will never order it from the takeaway ever again!
 

 

 

 

Whats needed

 

• One packet of oven cook scampi (breaded prawns ok as well)
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 Red chillies
• Thumb sized piece of ginger
• Stick of lemongrass
• Two large white onions
• A red pepper
• Three round tomatoes
• Third of a fresh pineapple (small sized tin alternative)
• One carrot
• Three spring onions
• Wok Oil
• Dark Soy sauce
• Tomato ketchup
• Five spice powder
• Corn flour
• Fresh Corriander

 

 

Preparation

 

 

 

1.  Bruise the lemongrass with a rolling pin, remove the outer husk and retain the inner fragrant part. Chop as finely as possible. Next chop the garlic, chilies and ginger. Combine the chopped mixture and set aside in a small dish or ramekin
2. Peel the onions and discard the inner core. Pull the layers apart and then cut each into large chunks. It is important to do this as otherwise the onion will lose its bite on cooking. You want the onions to retain some crunch in the final dish. Set aside in a bowl.
3. Next chop the red pepper into similar sized chunks. Peel the carrot and chop into fine batons. If using a fresh pineapple, use about a third and cut into large diced chunks. Using the white section of the spring onions cut into 3cm long sections. Quarter the tomatoes and add combine the ingredients with the onions in the bowl.
4. Prepare cooking ingredients- ramekin (1), bowl (2+3), tomato ketchup, soy sauce, corn flour – 2tsp mixed in around 50ml warm water
5. Heat the oven and start cooking the scampi. You will need to start wok cooking with around 10 mins left.

 

Get cooking

 

 

1.  Once the wok is smoking hot add 2 table spoons oil then add the ramekin mixture and stir fry for 30 seconds. Make sure this does not burn. Remove from heat if necessary. Keep the hob on its maximum heat.
2. Then add the vegetable bowl and continue to stir fry. After 1-2 mins season with pepper then dust everything in wok with five spice. Then add soy sauce- enough to drizzle over everything. As no salt is being used add plenty soy sauce.
3. Continue to stir fry and add 2 table spoons of tomato sauce.
4. Next add the corn flour dissolved in the water. Continue to stir fry and reduce the heat to medium low. Over the next couple of minutes the corn flour will thicken the sauce. At this point taste add more five spice, ketchup or soy sauce if required. If it is too sweet add more soy sauce, if too salty add more ketchup or if needs a deeper flavour add more five spice.
5. Once the sauce has thickened and the scampi is ready combine, stirring gently to avoid breaking the bread crumb.
6. Serve with rice or noodles. Enjoy.

 





Langoustine Risotto

Langoustine risotto

This is one of my trademark dishes. There is a bit of prep required and attention on cooking but this is as good as risotto gets and worth the effort. Using a stock made from the langoustines to bring the flavour to another level. If you want you can also add crab or prawns to the dish for an extra treat. For a healthy alternative use low fat crème fresh.

Here is the link to the video recipe on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FQ2cieainA

 

 

 

Whats needed

Risotto rice

Garlic 3-4 cloves 

Celery 2 sticks

Medium sized brown onion

A carrot

4 Medium white onions

Dry white wine

Langoustines (around 6 per person)

Fresh Parsley

Crème fresh

Parmesan to grate

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

 

Preparation

 

 

1. take one carrot, one onion, a stick of celery, garlic gloves and parsley and add to a large sauce pan.
2. Remove the langoustine meat from the shells. This is easiest if you firstly hold the tail end and remove head by twisting. Then apply pressure to the tail shell to crack and break it. Then slowly remove the tail shell. Be gentle as the meat is rather fragile, after a few you get the hang of it!
3. Add the shells to the pan, put the tail meet in a bowl and put aside in the fridge.
4. Add olive oil to the pan and fry the mixture for 5 mins. Then add one glass of white wine. Cook the wine off then add sufficient boiling water to cover the entire mixture. Add salt and pepper.
5. Simmer for as long as possible, at least two hours.
6. Chop two celery sticks (finely), two onions and three large cloves of garlic and set aside in a bowl. See below for example.

 

 

 

Next, Get cooking

1. In a little olive oil fry the mixture (from  6 above) in a large frying pan for a few min until softened.
2. add risotto rice and stir through the mixture. Fry for a minute allowing the rice to soak up the juices.
3. Add 1 large glass of wine and cook off the wine until fully evaporated.
4. In three stages add the stock (pour through a sieve to ensure only stock enters). Each time add enough to cover the mixture fully and stir constantly until the rice has absorbed the liquid fully. This takes some time!
5. Once the Rice has almost completely absorbed the last of the stock, squeeze juice of half a lemon to the pan and stir through.
6. Next add the langoustine meat and gently stir in. This should cook very quickly.
7. Once cooked take off the heat. Add chopped parsley and fld in a large tablespoon of crème fresh.
8. Serve and eat. Shave some parmesan on top if you wish.
9. What rice you don't serve set aside and store in fridge- it makes amazing rice balls the next day.

 

Video to follow