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Eggplant Chili Dipping Sauce

The roasted eggplant chili sauce is my favourite sticky rice dipping sauce over the roasted tomato chili sauce and the classic Thai / Lao hot sauce. The eggplant chili sauce tastes best when the vegetables are roasted over an open fire. But since I don’t have a barbeque, my video shows the roasted method by using an oven. You can substitute purple eggplants for the Asain green round eggplants. Just chop the purple eggplants into quarters before roasting and chop again into bite size pieces before adding into the mortar and pestle. I like to stir fry purple eggplants. Vegetarian Recipe: Eggplant Chili Dipping Sauce 5 to 6 Asian green round eggplants 2 cloves garlic with skin ¼ of whole onion or 2 shallots 2 fresh chilies 2 tablespoons fish sauce or 1 tablespoon ba dek Chopped green onions and cilantro sprigs If the chilies are small do not roast them in the oven because they’ll burn. Place eggplants, onions and garlic in a roasting pan and broil under high heat for 10 minut...

Thai Lao Fried Shrimp Rolls

Appetizer Recipe: Fried Shrimp Rolls Egg roll wraps Shrimp that are devein and shell removed except for tail Salt Vegetable oil 1 egg Purchase large egg roll wraps and cut squares from one corner the other create triangle sheets. Season shrimp with salt and optional pepper. Separate egg white from egg yolk. Stir the egg yolk. Take one triangle sheet and place one shrimp so that the tail hangs over sheet. Roll the wrap and tuck in sides. Seal wrap with egg yolk. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Submerge shrimp wraps into oil. Stir occasionally. Shrimp will take less than 2 minutes to cook. Remove shrimp from heat and strain excess oil. Serve fried shrimp rolls with the Spring Roll Dipping Sauce or the curry peanut dipping sauce.

Lao Pho - Beef Noodle Soup

Thai pho is called 'Guoi Tiao' so when in Laos, ask for 'Pho' and when in Thailand, ask for 'Guoi Tiao'. This beef noodle soup is the most popular soup in Laos and Thailand. I like to make this soup on new years and weekends because it requires low preparation time, the broth simmers all day, and guests help themselves. People from the northern region of Laos prefer khao soy which is with minced pork and salted soy beans noodle soup. Khao soy uses wide pho noodles. For 12 years, everytime I craved pho, would order it at restaurants and was never quite satisfied of the taste. I find the pho soups at restaurants have too much fat and not enough meat, vegetables, herbs and sauce options. Since my parents taught me, I make my own at home and for the price of one pho soup bowl, I could feed a family of 6. You can stir fry pho noodles to make Pad Thai Pho Noodles. Do not substitute vermicelli noodles for pho noodles. The star anis can also be added to dome kim w...

Fresh Soy Milk

I post this vegetarian drink recipe because every Christmas I over eat. So for one day, I eat nothing but drink fresh soy milk to shed the extra pounds I had gained over the holidays. My parents drink fresh soy milk to lower their cholesterol. Drink Recipe: Fresh Soy Milk 2/3 cup dry soy beans 6 cups water 1 tablespoon sugar (optional) 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional) Rinse dry soy beans in water to remove any debris. Add water to cover soy beans and soak for minimun of 8 hours. Drain water and add to blender with 6 cups of water. Blend for about 30 seconds. Drain soy milk through a cheese clothe or a colander that has very small holes. Discard grounded soy beans. Boil the soy milk in medium heat for 15 minutes and make sure soy milk does not boil over. Remove from heat and stir in optional salt and sugar. Serve hot or cold. Use fresh soy milk in the steam bun recipe.

Khao Bune Ba - Festive Fish Curry Noodle Soup

The host of a Lao gathering who calls for a celebration like a birthdays, weddings, new years and Christmas will serve khao bune soup. Khao Bune soup is traditionally made with either fish or pork and I've given you the fish recipe. If you are serving this soup to Thai or Lao guests they will help themselves so serve the garnish, herbs and sauce in a baffet style. Any left over shredded banana blossoms, shredded red cabbage, Thai basil, and Vermicelli noodle bundles may be rolled into making spring rolls made with rice paper. For non Thai and Lao guests, I recommend having the individual bowls ready with noodles, garnish and herb. When everyone is at the dinner table, pour the broth into the bowls, add squeezed lime juice and fish sauce. Let the guests mix the soup. Soup Recipe: Khao Bune Fish Broth 2 lbs grouper or any fresh water white fish like cat fish 2 litres cold water 1 inch galangal 3 kaffir lime leaf 2 inches lemongrass 1 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons chopped...

Mak Bea - Banana Blossom Salad

I have described how banana leaves are used to make khao dome. Well, banana blossoms or 'mak bea' are used to make unto a salad, added as a filling for rice paper spring rolls, and used to as a garnish for khao bune ba - fish curry noodle soup. Salad Recipe: Mak Bea – Banana Blossom 1 cup shredded banana blossom ½ teaspoon chopped garlic ½ teaspoon chopped chilies 1 tablespoon squeezed lime 1 tablespoon fish sauce ½ cup chopped green onions and cilantro In a bowl, add 3 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of squeezed lime. Shred finely, in an angle, of only the purple layers of the banana blossom. Place the shredded banana blossoms into lime water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain water out. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and toss to make the Mak Bea Salad. .

Long Bean Noodle Salad

In northern Thailand and Laos, green papaya salads are mixed with salted fish. Another reason for posting this video is to show you how to mix vermicelli noodle with green papaya salads and long bean salads. Since the fibers of long beans are tougher than green papayas, you must crush the long beans with garlic and chilies until they are in small pieces before adding other ingredients. Salad Recipe: Long Bean Noodle with Ba Dek 4 chilies 1 clove garlic 1 cup long beans chopped into 1 inch lengths 1/4 cup tomato slices 2 tablespoons squeezed lime 2 tablespoons Salted Gourami Fish (ba dek) 1 teaspoon sugar (optional) 1 teaspoon MSG (optional) 1 to 2 rice noodle bundles (Sin Khao Bune) Using the Thai / Lao Mortar & Pestle Set, crush chilies and garlic until they are separated. Add chopped long beans and crush with a pestle for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients in the mortar and mix all the ingredients. Cut rice noodles in half, add into mortar, and mix with spoo...