We’ve lived in Thailand for almost two years now, and there are still things that are new to us, even in places we’ve visited many times before. This weekend we made a final shopping trip to Chiang Mai, where we met up with some fellow volunteers who introduced us to a fantastic little restaurant that we must have walked past dozens of times on previous trips. If only we had known!
On a similar note, a new food craving has taken over my last weeks in Thailand. It’s a food I saw other people eat frequently over the past two years, but only recently did I encounter a vegetarian version, and suddenly... the world seems different! I like it so much that I’m going to post the recipe, here, today.
In Thai, it’s called "Kao Man Gai." [And now, I must insert a sentence or two explaining how, after writing just the previous two paragraphs, I was seized with an overwhelming desire to eat some kao man gai sauce now, immediately, with some cucumber slices. So I’ve gone and arranged that and am now munching as I type.] "Kao" means rice, "man" means oil or fat, and "gai" means chicken. So, translated into English, this dish would be called something like "Chicken with rice cooked in chicken fat." Of course, I make it with tofu, so that’s what I’ll describe.
Start by mincing up large quantities of garlic and ginger. Boil the tofu, sliced, along with some minced garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, for about ten minutes. Remove the tofu, save the flavored water, and set both aside.
Saute some more of the minced garlic and ginger in your preferred fat. I was told by Pi Noy to use margarine, but the margarine around here frightens me with its ability to stay very solid in 90+ degree heat, so I go with liquid vegetable oil. (In America, I’ll probably use my preferred canola oil.) Add uncooked rice, still dry, and saute for several minutes. When the rice starts to change color, add the saved water from the boiled tofu, and more water as needed to cook. Cover and cook until soft.
For the sauce, put more heaps of minced garlic and ginger in a food processor. Add a couple of small fresh chili peppers (the ones that are about an inch or two long, and quite narrow). Add fermented soybean sauce, which comes in a bottle with cooked beans and looks orange or brown in color – I imagine it would be easy to find at an Asian grocery store. Add soy sauce and a bit of sugar, and hot water for thinning as needed. Puree it all together and test for flavor.
On a similar note, a new food craving has taken over my last weeks in Thailand. It’s a food I saw other people eat frequently over the past two years, but only recently did I encounter a vegetarian version, and suddenly... the world seems different! I like it so much that I’m going to post the recipe, here, today.
In Thai, it’s called "Kao Man Gai." [And now, I must insert a sentence or two explaining how, after writing just the previous two paragraphs, I was seized with an overwhelming desire to eat some kao man gai sauce now, immediately, with some cucumber slices. So I’ve gone and arranged that and am now munching as I type.] "Kao" means rice, "man" means oil or fat, and "gai" means chicken. So, translated into English, this dish would be called something like "Chicken with rice cooked in chicken fat." Of course, I make it with tofu, so that’s what I’ll describe.
Start by mincing up large quantities of garlic and ginger. Boil the tofu, sliced, along with some minced garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, for about ten minutes. Remove the tofu, save the flavored water, and set both aside.
Saute some more of the minced garlic and ginger in your preferred fat. I was told by Pi Noy to use margarine, but the margarine around here frightens me with its ability to stay very solid in 90+ degree heat, so I go with liquid vegetable oil. (In America, I’ll probably use my preferred canola oil.) Add uncooked rice, still dry, and saute for several minutes. When the rice starts to change color, add the saved water from the boiled tofu, and more water as needed to cook. Cover and cook until soft.
For the sauce, put more heaps of minced garlic and ginger in a food processor. Add a couple of small fresh chili peppers (the ones that are about an inch or two long, and quite narrow). Add fermented soybean sauce, which comes in a bottle with cooked beans and looks orange or brown in color – I imagine it would be easy to find at an Asian grocery store. Add soy sauce and a bit of sugar, and hot water for thinning as needed. Puree it all together and test for flavor.
Slice a bowl full of cucumbers, and chop another bowl full of cilantro and green onion. Arrange all dishes on the table and let diners arrange their desired proportions on individual plates. Yum!
2 comments:
Thanks for your comment and questions on my blog last night. I have saved it.
I do know there is much we could discuss and I'll do my best to deal with some of it, knowing that in two short months, you will be gone. Somehow I'm thinking this will not be of much interest to you, once you return to your home.
Some of the things you've asked about are things I can deal with in a public forum ~ and some not. As you can imagine, I have to carefully balance certain things and present them in a way that will be comfortable for all.
I'll do my best. :)
peace,
~Chani
Yumm! This is one of my favorites too. But, I'll stick to chicken! :)
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