Somtum

INGREDIENTS :

Carrots or raw papaya or

cabbage or cucumber, shredded 2 cups

Fresh bird’s eye chili peppers, bruised 8

Unsalted, toasted peanuts,

oarsely ground 4 tbsp.

Dry shrimps, ground 5 – 6 tsp.

(4 servings)
SALAD DRESSING :

Fish sauce 1/4 cup

Brown sugar 1/2 cup

Lime juice 1/2 cup

Garlic chopped 2 cloves

1. To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
2. Grate the carrots or any of the vegetables mentioned above, rinse in cold water and drain well.
3. Toss the salad with the salad dressing adding the creshed bird’s eye chili peppers should your salad spicy. Add a teaspoon of the peanuts and ground shrimps and toss thoroughly.
4. Plate the salad and garnish with ground peanuts and ground shrimps.
Tips
Som tam became famous during the Vietnam war when American G.l’.s came to Thailand for R and R and were introduced to this salad from the North East. Raw papaya is difficult to get in some countries so we suggest you use carrots or cabbage instead. It is recommended that once this salad is tossed it should be eaten immediately since Thai salad dressings do not have oils which help salads stay fresh longer.
Do you know that the flesh and oil from papaya is used to make meat tenderizers? NO wonder it helps your digestion.



Tomyumkung

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken stock 2 cups

Fresh mushrooms, quartered 5 oz.

Fish sauce 4 – 5 tbsp.

Fresh prawns, peeled 8 oz.

Kaffir lime leaves 2 leaves

Bird’s eye chili peppers 4 whole

Fresh coriander leaves 4 sprigs

Fresh lemon grass, sliced thin 3 tbsp.

Fresh lime juice 5 – 7 tbsp.
(2 servings)

1. In a pot, bring to the boil the chicken stock, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass.
2. Allow the stock with the herbs to boil for one minute to allow the herbs to impart their scent to the stock. Add fresh mushrooms and boil until done (one minute).
3. While the liquid is still boiling add the prawns and season with fish sauce and lime juice. Garnish with bird’s eye chili peppers and coriander leaves, serve immediately. Do not over cook the prawns, once the prawns turn white, turn off the heat.
Tips
Both lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves are available in Asian grocery stores the world over. They are usually dried then exported so rehydrate them before using. Tom yum kung is a well known dish. It has a delicate flavor, so when you season the soup, add the lime juice last and a little at a time, tasting the soup as you season. Should you add too much to the soup it cannot be corrected, hence make lime juice the last flavoring ingredient.