Serve 4

Ready in 15 mins

300 gr pineapple diced (fresh or canned, the latter not in syrup)

450 gr shrimps shelled and cleaned

3 tbsp vegetable oil

5 ripe tbsp yellow curry paste (recipe here) – home-made or ready from international foodstores

500 ml cocount milk (you can add up to 800 ml if you wish more sauce)

3 tbs fish sauce

20 grams fresh basil leaves

7/8 kaffir lime leaves

half lime

salt

Heat the oil in a casserole. Add the yello curry paste and fry for 4/5 minutes stirring continuously.

Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes (the sauce has to thicken).

Add the pineapple and the shrimps. Cook for 4 minutes.

Add the basil and kaffir leaves and cook for further 2 minutes. Season with salt if necessary.

Retain from fire and add the juice of half lime. Stir well and serve with steamed rice.

Thailand is a magic place. And also the simplest things like these sauteed eggplants can surprise with and explsion of taste despite the simple ingredients it is made of.

These eggplants are perfect  by themselves and when paired with grilled or baked fish (check into the website under the fish section some recipes and make your own pairings!).

Serves 4

Ready in 30 mins

2 garlic cloves in thin slices

4 cm fresh ginger root, grated

1 kg long eggplants

3 tbs fish sauce (or soy sauce)

20 grams fresh basil leaves

5 tbs vegetable oil

2 hot chilli peppers

salt

Cut the eggplants (unpeeled) into big chunks (6/7 cm long 3/4 cm wide)

Slice the garlic cloves into thin slices, Heat the oil into a large pan and add the garlic and the grated ginger root. Fry for 3 minutes. Add the eggplants and a generous pinch of salt. Fry – high heat – for 12/15 minutes or until they become soft.

Add the fish sauce (or soy sauce) and the chilli peppers (sliced). And fry for further 3 or 4 minutes. Add the basil leaves and retain from fire after 1 minute.

5o0 gr boneless chicken

half onion

1 garlic clove

2 hot chilli peppers

60 gr fresh basil

4 tbs vegetable oil

3 tbs fish sauce

2 tbs soy sauce

succo di mezzo lime

1 tbs grated fresh ginger

salt

Finely chop the chicken.

Finely chop the onion, the garlic clove, the chilli peppers and the ginger and fry them with the vegetable oil.

Add the chicken to the fried mixture. Season with salt and cook for 10 minutes until cooked through (careful it doesn’t get too dry).

Add all sauces  (fish + soy sauce), and the lime juice and fry for a couple of minutes. If it gets too dry add 1/4 of cup of broth or water.

Add the basil to the chicken. Fry for further 2 minutes and serve with steamed rice.

Time. This is all you need. The meati s cooked at low temperature for 4 hours at least to reach the moist and soft consistence. In my opinion this is one of the best thai-fusion dishes you can have. Your palate will confirm that the wait was undoubtledly worthy.

Serves 6

Ready in 5 hours

1.5 kilo boneless beef (preferably chuck)

2 onions

2 tbs green curry paste (ready or home-made: Green Curry Paste)

2 garlic cloves

1 tbs grated fresh ginger

800 ml coconut milk

300 ml vegetable stock

1 tbs brown sugar

1 stalk of fresh lemongrass

40 grams fresh cilantro

30 grams fresh basil

5 kaffir leaves

2 limes

4 tbs vegetable oil

salt or fish sauce

To serve:

20 grams fresh cilantro

1 stalk of fresh lemongrass

fresh red hot chilli peppers

1 limes

Heat the oil in a big casserole. When hot, put the meat and fry it on both sides at high heat for 5 minutes per side. Take out from the casserole.

In the same oil add the chopped onion, the green curry paste, the chopped garlic and the grated ginger. Fry it for 6 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, sugar and the vegetable stock.

Bring to a boil. Add the kaffir leaves and the meat and let simmer at low heat, covered with a lid, fro 3.30 hours (turn the meat upside down every now and then). The meat should be soft and tender when pressed with a fork – in case it is not cook for a further half hour to one hour.

Slice finely the other lemongrass and the lime (cut each slice into 6 small triangles), set aside.

To serve: Take out the meat and set aside. Filter the sauce in a colander.

Bring back to a boil and add the grated zest and juice of 2 limes, the basil leaves, 1 lemongrass stalk finely sliced and season with salt if need be.

Slice the meat into 2 cm thick slices. Put into the serving plate, top with the sauce and top each plate with the lemongrass, the lime slices, a few frsh cilantro leaves and a red hot chilli pepper.

350 grams minced pork meat

1 green chilli pepper chopped

1 tbs ground red chilli pepper

1 tbs ground black pepper

40 grams glutinous rice (or basmati rice)

6 big spring onions

3 kaffir lime leaves chopped (if you like not mandatory)

2 shallots

2 stalks lemongrass (you can skip this in case you can’t find any)

100 grams fresh cilantro

30 grams fresh mint leaves

6 limes

2 tbs fish sauce (or soy sauce for a vegan version)

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 tsp sugar

salt

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan. Add the fresh chilli, the ground chilli and the black pepper. Fry for one minute and add the minced pork meat. Stir-fry for 8/9 minutes until cooked. Season with salt and set aside.

Toast the rice into a hot pan, until hazelnut colour. Use a pestle or a grindr and grind it into a powder. Set aside.

Meanwhile, squeeze the limes and put the juice in a bowl, add the fish sauce (or the soy sauce), 3 tbs of water, the sugar, mix well and set aside.

Dice the spring onions and the shallots into medium-small pieces. Chop roughly the cilantro and the mint leaves. Set aside.

In a bowl, put the meat (warm) with its liquids, add the onions and the shallots, cilantro, mint, kaffir, and mix well. Season with the lime-fish sauce mixture and mix well.

Serve with steamed rice.

Ready in 30 minutes

4 shallots

3 fresh turmeric roots (if you can0’t find it add 1 tbsp of turmeric powder)

2 tbsp turmeric (powder)

1 tbsp coriander seeds

3 red hot chilli peppers (unseeded if you prefer milder taste)

6 cm ginger root (grated separately)

4 gralic cloves

3 lemongrass stalks (peeled and cleaned – you’ll need to use only the soft core)

1 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp shrimp paste (easily found in international gorceries)

1 tsp salt

water (as needed)

Tradition says you should use a pestle and a mortar. True – it would come much better and more like a paste. But I am a lover of technology, so you can use a blender and blend all ingredients together, adding little water in order to obtain a smooth paste.

You can use straight ahead or deep-freeze it for future use in monod portion.

You will need 1 ripe tablespoon per person.

The Larb Tao Hoo – tofu salad – is one of my favorite Thai dishes. Often found with meat (pork), very rarely you can find it with tofu. This is the version I propose to you. If you substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce you will have a 100% vegetarian dish.

Serves 6

Ready in 30 minutes

350 grams tofu finely diced

1 green chilli pepper chopped

1 tbs ground chilli pepper

1 tbs ground black pepper

40 grams glutinous rice (or basmati rice)

6 big spring onions

2 shallots

2 stalks lemongrass (you can skip this in case you can’t find any)

100 grams fresh cilantro

30 grams fresh mint leaves

6 limes

2 tbs fish sauce (or soy sauce for a vegan version)

2 tbs vegetable oil

salt

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan. Add the fresh chilli, the ground chilli and the black pepper. Fry for one minute and add the diced tofu. Stir-fry for 8/9 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.

Toast the rice into a hot pan, until hazelnut colour. Use a pestle or a grindr and grind it into a powder. Set aside.

Meanwhile, squeeze the limes and put the juice in a bowl, add the fish sauce (or the soy sauce), 3 tbs of water, mix well and set aside.

Dice the spring onions and the shallots into medium-small pieces. Chop roughly the cilantro and the mint leaves. Set aside.

In a bowl, put the tofu (warm) with its liquids, add the onions and the shallots, cilantro, mint and mix well. Season with the lime-fish sauce mixture and mix well.

Serve with steamed rice.

400 grams beef in one slice

100 grams soy (or rice) vermicelli

2 spring onions

30 grams of fresch cilantro

20 grams of fresh basil

5 cm lemongrass stick

1 kaffir lime leave (if available)

Sauce

1 green chilli pepper

1 garlic clove

2 tsp sugar

3 lime squeezed

fish sauce (as needed)

Put the vermicelli in a bowl and pour over hot water to cover them. Let stand for few ninutes until cooked (check cooking directions on the pack). Once done, drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Chop finely the garlic and the chilli pepper, and add the other ingredients for the sauce (add fish sauce according to taste). Mix well and set aside.

Slice the spring onions, peel and slice thinly the lemongrass as well. Chop finely the kaffir lime leave (if available). Set all vegetables aside.

Now grill the meat to desired cooking, Stand a few minutes and slice them into smaller slices. Set aside.

Now pour the sauce on the vermicelli, mix well, add all vegetables includine the cilantro and basil leaves. Mix well and if necessary season with fish sauce (or soy sauce or salt).

Put onto the plates and finish with slices of meat on top of the vermicelli. Serve warm.

500 grams turky or chicken minced

1 garlic clove

2 cm fresh ginger

3 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tbs corn starch

5 tbs peanut oil

3 tbs green curry paste*

1 or 2 tbs fish sauce

4 or 5 thai eggplants (or 1 full eggplant)

100 grams green beans

3 spring onions

50 grams cashew nuts

400 grams coconut milk

20 leaves of fresh basil

juice of 1 lime

sale

if available: 3 kaffir lime leaves

*you can find it in international food stores or make it yourself with this recipe: Green Curry Paste

In a bowl, mix the meat with 1 tbs of fresh cilantro, minced ginger, minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Mix well and roll the mixture into small balls 2 to 3 cm diameter each.

Heat 3 tbs of peanut oil and fry the meatballs for 8/9 minutes stirring frequently. Set aside.

In casserole heat the remaining peanut oil and add the green curry paste. Fry for 4 minutes on high heat, then add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.

Add the spring onions in small chunks and the green beans cut in smaller pieces. Simmer for 6/7 minutes. Then add the aubergines diced and after 4 minutes, season with the fish sauce (or salt according to taste), and add the lime juice.

Finish by adding the fried meatballs, the cashew nuts and the fresh basil leaves and simmer for further 5 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with the remaining cilantro.

Makes circa 600 grams of curry paste (you will need avg 25/30 grams per serving)

20 fresh cilantro roots (if you can’t find it, use also the stems of the cilantro below)

60 grams fresh cilantro

7 cm clean ginger root

half tbs cumin seeds

1 onion

half tbs coriander

6 galangal roots (if you can’t find it, double the ginger quantity)

10 garlic cloves

4 kaffir leaves (sorry, you really need this! You will most probably find them dried, in case put them in lukewarm water for 15 minutes before use)

8 lemongrass stalks

half tbs pepper

1 tbs salt

5 green onions

2 tsp shrimp paste

5 thai green chillies

With a blender:

Grind the spices (cilantro seeds, pepper and cumin).

In a mixer put all ingredients together and blend until smooth. Put on a drainer and let the exceeding water go. Freeze for future use or use fresh (1 and half tablespoons serves 4 for a normal green curry).

With a mortar:

First you crush the spices. Then you need to add the other ingredients in the following order (keeping on crushing between one add and the other): salt, garlic; and again ginger and galangal. Continue then with cilantro roots, lemongrass, kaffir lime, onions, chilli peppers and last the fresch cilantro. Add shrimp paste. And preserve.

For 4 people recipe you will need 2 tablespoons.