- 200 gr minced pork
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (or more) red and green bird’s eye chilies
- 1 cup holy basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon natural taste oil
- Season with:
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 3/4 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- pinch of salt
- pinch of sugar
- 3 tablespoons stock or water
- In a pestle and mortar, roughly crush the garlic. Add the bird’s eye chilies; pound together until all the chilies are bruised. Set aside.
- Mix all the seasoning ingredients and set them aside.
- Place a well-seasoned wok over medium-high heat.
- When the wok is hot, pour in the oil followed by the garlic and chilies mixture. Stir fry quickly until fragrant; do not allow the garlic to brown.
- Add the minced pork and quickly stir fry, breaking down all the lumps. Continue stir frying the meat until all the liquids have completely evaporated, and the meat dries up and start to brown.
- Sprinkle dark soy sauce over the meat and stir fry until the meat turns a nice dark color.
- Add the seasoning sauce. Mix together and wait for the sauce to thicken. Turn off the heat and add the holy basil leaves. Incorporate the basil leaves into the dish using only the residual heat: cooking the basil leaves will cause them to turn black, and will also impair the flavor of the dish.
The dish captures the eye with its vivid color – It is beautiful! It is bright! It is happy! – and it fits well within the comfort zone of most westerners. It is not surprising that this dish has made its way to the top of the charts, consistently ranked among the top ten tastiest Thai dishes served abroad.
Most Thai curry dishes call for freshly prepared curry paste that is best used fresh just before cooking.
Here is a delicious and simple exception – Stir-fried crab meat in curry powder, milk and eggs – A popular Thai seafood recipe which is unique in its use of commercially available curry powder.
The dish was first created by Teochew Chinese chefs in the numerous Chinese restaurants in Bangkok who used to cater to the working class of Thai-Chinese immigrates, that came to the Kingdom from the Guangdong province in the southern coast of China.
This soup dish features crispy rice vermicelli noodles, a chicken broth that has a three-flavor profile infused with the aroma of bitter orange, and a plethora of other ingredients such as crispy fried tofu, chicken, pork, crab and pickled garlic.
In Thai, the phrase mee naam baan raat thuut refers to a rice vermicelli noodle soup in the style of the Ambassador’s house. The dish was not new when it appeared in the 1956 book Snacks, Tea Nibbles, Hors D’oeuvres and Drinking Food (ตำราอาหารว่าง – เครื่องน้ำชา และ เครื่องเคี้ยว หรือ กับแกล้ม) by Jeeb Bunnag (จีบ บุนนาค), as noodle dishes were often the preferred ingredient for light meals or snacks. In Grandparents Recipes: 100 Years Old Recipes (จานอร่อยจากปู่ย่า สูตรโบราณ 100 ปี), a volume printed in 2014 that highlights recipes from the kitchens of fifteen prominent families, a similar version of the dish is referred to as mee naam baan bpaak naai leert (หมี่น้ำบ้านปาร์คนายเลิศ) and is associated with Nai Lert.
A popular noodle dish originating from the Northern region of the Kingdom, khanohm jeen naam ngiaao (ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยว) is characterized by its light – yet profound – multi-layered broth. This hearty broth includes an assortment of proteins braised with the dried pollens of cotton tree flowers, and Northern Thai sour cherry tomatoes (มะเขือส้ม); the tomatoes infuse the broth with a subtle tartness that refreshes a full-bodied profile comprising a multitude of fermented ingredients.
The naam ngiaao broth is served over fermented rice noodles and features minced pork, and braised baby back pork ribs with their tender meat clinging to the bone. As well, there are succulent, slow-cooked whole chicken feet, and cubes of slightly bouncy, mauve-hued chicken blood cakes. Served alongside the soup are various toppings, which can include shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, chopped coriander leaves, and spring onions, while dark red chili oil and glossy, charred-fried dried bird’s eye chilies offer a fiery intensity dialed up to your preferred spiciness. In addition, I like to add wok-smoked sour cherry tomatoes and broom-like, crispy-fried dried cotton tree pollen for a surprising textural contrast.
Though the dish is often described as “Shan style”, the word ‘ngiao’ was a derogatory expression for the Shan people. As the disparaging – and outdated – label suggests, the recipe might reflect societal biases and prejudices; thus, at least from the culinary perspective, the ‘ngiao’ in the name of the dish may simply be a nod to the flavors or ingredients favored by The Shan, rather than a claim of authenticity – which could also explain why the dish is based on a Siamese curry paste.
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