Nong's Thai Kitchen. Nongkran Daks

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      How to Roll-Cut Vegetables

      Long, cylindrical vegetables like carrots, zucchini, daikon radish, Asian eggplants, or Chinese okra are best suited for roll-cutting. I particularly recommend this technique if the vegetables are to be pickled or stir-fried. Asian cooks often roll-cut vegetables in order to expose more surface area to the heat. Roll-cut shapes are also attractive, making for a nice presentation.

      1 Wash and peel the vegetable.

      2 Lay the vegetable on a cutting board. Position your knife at a 45-degree angle, maintaining a firm grip on the vegetable. With a diagonal cut, remove the thick end and discard. Then roll the vegetable a quarter turn toward you and make another diagonal cut. Repeat until you reach the end. Discard the last piece.

      3 This process produces multi-faceted pieces that gain maximum flavor when stir-fried or pickled.

      Basic Recipes

      These recipes and techniques are fundamental to many of the dishes included in this book. Some of the seasonings are available commercially, but they are far superior when made fresh.

      Thai Chili Paste Nam Prik Pao

      This versatile Thai sauce really does wonders for a variety of foods. It goes well with Spicy Lemongrass Soup (Tom Yum); in noodle dishes like Ba Mee Nam Prik Pao; and with fried rice (see page 111). When my refrigerator and pantry are almost bare, or I just don’t know what to eat, I mix this magic sauce with hot jasmine rice, accompanied by a hard-boiled egg, and I feel like I’m in heaven! You can purchase ready-made Thai chili paste, but making it yourself results in a much better product. The sauce should taste sweet, sour, and salty. This chili paste will keep for months in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.

      Preparation time: 10 MINUTES

      Cooking time: 8 MINUTES

      Makes ABOUT 1 CUP (225 G)

      1 cup (250 ml) vegetable oil for deep-frying

      15 shallots, peeled and sliced

      10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

      ¹/4 cup (120 g) dried shrimp

      7 dried finger or Thai chilies, seeded

      Five ¹/8-in (3 mm) thick slices galangal

      5 tablespoons palm sugar

      3 tablespoons thick Tamarind Juice (page 20)

      1 tablespoon fish sauce

      1 teaspoon salt

      1 Heat the oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Deep-fry the shallots, garlic cloves, dried shrimp, chilies, and galangal one by one.

      2 Place the deep-fried ingredients in a blender. Some of the oil used for frying may be added to facilitate the blending. Once it is puréed, place the mixture in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the palm sugar, tamarind juice, fish sauce, and salt, and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring regularly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. The mixture will have a jamlike consistency; in fact, some people call this sauce “chili jam.”

      Red Curry Paste Nam Prik Kang Dang

      It used to be hard to find many of the basic ingredients for making either the red or green curry paste except at Asian markets. Because of the increasing interest in Thai and other Asian cuisines, however, they are now available at many well-stocked supermarkets and from online Asian grocers. Making these pastes from scratch is worth the extra effort. Unlike the canned versions, homemade pastes are vibrant and aromatic. Besides, these pastes add a flavor element to other Thai dishes, including stir-fries and fried rice.

      Preparation time: 5 MINUTES, PLUS 20 MINUTES FOR SOAKING

      Makes 1 CUP (225 G)

      5 dried red chilies

      ¹/4 cup (60 g) thinly sliced lemongrass

      10 whole black peppercorns

      Three ¹/2-in (3-mm) thick slices galangal, shredded

      3 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped

      3 cloves garlic

      2 fresh coriander roots

      1 teaspoon toasted coriander seeds

      1 teaspoon kaffir lime zest

      1 teaspoon shrimp paste

      1 teaspoon salt

      ¹/2 teaspoon ground cumin

      ¹/2 cup (125 ml) water

      1 Soak the dried chilies in cold water for 20 minutes, then squeeze dry.

      2 Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth.

      3 Paste may be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container for 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

      Note: Vegetarians can substitute 1 tablespoon bean paste (tao jiao) for the 1 teaspoon shrimp paste.

      Red curry paste is particularly versatile, and makes a delicious addition to dry curries, fish cakes, fried rice, and Steamed Seafood Curry (page 96). It adds flavor to the peanut sauce for Chicken Satay (page 34)—though be careful to reduce the number of chilies for making the sauce. This recipe is for a basic red curry paste. Unused portions may be stored for up to two weeks in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.

Green Curry Paste Nam Prik Kang Kheaw

      Green curry paste can be as spicy as red, but the coriander leaves lend it a subtly herbal flavor.

      Preparation time: 5 MINUTES

      Makes 1 CUP (225 G)

      5 fresh dark green Thai finger chilies or jalapeños

      3 shallots, peeled and quartered

      3 cloves garlic, peeled

      Three ¹/8-in (3-mm) thick slices galangal, shredded

      ¹/4 cup (50 g) thinly sliced lemongrass

      2 fresh coriander roots, coarsely chopped

      1 stem fresh coriander with leaves, coarsely chopped

      2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted

      1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted

      1 teaspoon coarsely chopped kaffir lime zest

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