It's one of those days; you have nowhere to go, so you are sitting at home, but that sudden random crave for something so abstract kicks in, and as luck would have it, nothing from the many scrolls in Foodpanda or Hungry naki's offers can appease it. Well, that's where this comes in, hopefully giving you an interesting diversity as well as giving that random craving just what it needs; satisfaction.

KHAO PAT SAPPAROT (PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE)

Ingredients

1 Pineapple, medium sized

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped carrot

¼ cup raisins

10 (500gm) shrimps, peeled and deveined

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tbsp sugar

1 tsp white pepper

1 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp spring onion, chopped

1 tbsp garlic clove, crushed

2 cups steamed rice

Chopped coriander for garnishing

Method

Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise across the top and carve out the meat. Cut ½ cup of pineapple meat into bite sized pieces. Heat 1 table spoon butter in a wok. Add garlic and curry powder and fry for 30 seconds. Add shrimps and cook until done. Add carrots and onions and cook until tender. Add rice, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Cook and stir for one minute. Add pineapple, raisins and spring onion and stir. Turn off the heat. Place fried rice in the pineapple, sprinkle with coriander and pepper.

YAM HUA-PLEE (BANANA FLOWER SALAD)

Ingredients

1 cup banana flower (peel the outside leaves until you see the white part)

200gm boneless chicken breast

½ cup shallot, sliced

½ cup roasted shredded coconut meat

¼ cup roasted ground peanut

1 cup tamarind paste

2tbsp lime juice, 2tbsp palm sugar

1tbsp fish sauce

1tbsp Thai chili paste (namprik pao)

5 Thai chilies, chopped small

½ cup vegetable oil

Method

Boil the chicken for 15 minutes or until it cooks, use a fork to shred the chicken. Keep it aside. Slice the banana flower in to thin slices and soak in tamarind paste. Dry roast the coconut meat in a wok until it turns golden brown. Keep it aside.

Put ½ cup of vegetable oil in the wok, fry the sliced shallots until brown, put it on a paper towel.

Mix lime juice, sugar, chilies, chili paste (naam-prik-pao) and fish sauce in a mixing bowl.

Drain the banana flower from the tamarind paste and add into the mixing bowl, add the shredded chicken, roasted shallots and roasted ground peanut, and mix everything together.

Arrange the salad on a serving plate and pour the coconut sauce over the salad.

CHINESE DEEP-FRIED CHIVES DUMPLING

Ingredients for dough

250g all purpose flour

125g water, ½ tsp salt

Method

Knead and rest for minimum half an hour. Separate dough into 8 to 10g each and then roll to make dumpling skin.

Ingredients for stuffing 

150g chives, cut into 1 inch pieces

50g water chestnuts, cut in small cubes

200g minced chicken

50g prawn, cut in half

¼ cup black fungus

¼ cup carrot, cut into small cubes

1tbsp shallots, cut in cubes

¼ tsp corn flour

Seasoning

1 tbsp sugar, 1tsp black pepper

1 tbsp sesame oil

½ tbsp rice vinegar, 2tsp garlic oil

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock

Method

Combine all the ingredients and seasoning together. Spoon one tablespoon filling on each skin and fold into halves, forming each into moon shape, and brush the edges with beaten egg and seal. Heat oil and deep fry dumpling under medium low heat. Serve with black vinegar and finely sliced ginger.

FRIED CHICKEN OR DUCK BREAST WITH TAMARIND SAUCE

Ingredients

600g chicken/duck breast, boneless, with skin

½ cup evaporated milk

3 large garlic cloves 

3 large coriander root 

½ tsp white pepper powder

2 tbsp soya sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 cups vegetable oil for frying

½ cup roasted shallots

Method

Crush the garlic and coriander root to a very fine paste.

Now, marinate the chicken or duck breast with crushed garlic and coriander paste, pepper powder, soya sauce, oyster sauce and evaporated milk. Leave overnight.

Add the 2 cups of oil in a frying pan and bring to high heat. Add the chicken or duck breasts (skin side first), turn to low heat, and turn over when the skin turns brown. Fry until cooked through. 

Now cut the breast pieces to thin slices and pour the tamarind sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with roasted shallots and dried chilli, and serve. 

Toong Tong (Thai Golden Bag)

Ingredients

50g ground chicken, 1cup ground shrimp

½ tbsp garlic, crushed

1 tbsp coriander root, crushed

½ tsp salt

½ tsp white pepper powder

1 tbsp soya sauce, 1 tsp sugar

¼ cup corn kernel

2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

20 spring-roll sheets, 20 fresh chives

Cucumber to garnish

Method

Mix chicken, shrimp, garlic, coriander root, coriander leaves, corn, salt, soya sauce, sugar and pepper very well. Blanch the chives in water for 1 minute, then set it aside. Put 1 teaspoon chicken and shrimp filling in the middle of the spring-roll sheets, wrap the spring roll sheets into bags. Use a chive to tie it. Repeat until filling and sheets are finished. In a frying pan, heat 500ml oil to high temperature, add about 6/7 bags at a time in the hot oil, turn the heat to medium low, and fry until the bags turn golden brown (about 2 minutes). Repeat until all bags have been fried. Serve with Thai sweet chilli sauce or plum sauce. 

STIR-FRIED BOK CHOY WITH OYSTER SAUCE (PHAT KHANA NAAM MAN HAWY)

Ingredients

500 gm medium sized Bok choy plant

½ cup button mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup garlic, chopped

½ tsp white pepper

¼ tsp salt (adjust according to taste)

1 tsp sugar, 4 tbsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp cooking oil

Method

Wash the Bok choy thoroughly; peel off old leaves and the tough skin covering the stems. Bring the water to the boil, add 1 tbsp of salt, add the Bok-Choy and blanch for 1 minute. Transfer to soak in cold water until cool, and drain. Blanch the mushrooms in the same way. Put aside.

Heat the oil until hot; add garlic and fry over medium heat until fragrant. Add the Bok choy and mushrooms, stir well. Season with oyster sauce, sugar, pepper and salt. Stir thoroughly, then turn off the heat.

Spoon onto a serving dish and serve hot.

COCONUT SAUCE

Ingredients

½ cup coconut milk

1 tbsp all purpose flour

Method

Mix the coconut milk and the flour in a pot. Bring to boil on medium heat. Keep stirring all the time, till the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce over salad or dish of choice.

Photo courtesy: Shaheda Yesmin