Ga-Lee Kheow Wan Guy

Good evening, lovelies!   Today I made this:

Bamboo Sugar Cane Shea Butter Soap;  mmm! mmm!

I am in love with this Trapp Designer fragrance and will add it to my Asian Inspired Line.   

 Bamboo Sugar Cane is notes captured from the heart of the sugar cane with a burst of citrus, enhanced with a touch of green bamboo.   Bamboo is this beautiful exotic green kind of tree that grows in Southeast Asia and I am in love with it's beauty.   It just calls to me!

So!  To celebrate my success at using my new Brambleberry.com Baltic Birch mold that has been gathering dust for this 3 months.... and I, being afraid to use it, decided to just bite the bullet today and DO IT no matter if I failed the batch or not!

Let's celebrate with a little Recipe, shall we?

I bring you "Ga-Lee Kheow Waan Guy"

The GaLee = Curry

The Kheow is = Green

The Waan = Sweet

and the poor "Guy" is that poor unlucky chicken who gave his life that you may

EAT!

So let's say it again:    

GaLeeKheowWanGuy!

with a sing song voice, of course!  That's the tricky part!

Let's get started:   You need:

Some "Guy"  breasts; 2 Big ones.  

No, not trying to be a smart bottom.  That just came out.

 Brown rice

 NEVER EVER buy the Thai Kitchen brand; you'll be

paying twice what you need to.   Go to the Mexican Food aisle and

get theirs, much more economical.

 Chicken Bouillon

 Thai Fish Sauce

 Available at all Kroger's stores

"shrooms"

Bamboo Shoots!  There's that bamboo again!

Got that?   Oh, and you need 

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Chopped Cilantro or Thai Purple Basil.

Start by boiling the Guy Breasts in 1/2 of the coconut milk mixed with some water.

Cover the pot so you don't lose water and burn the chicken, I mean, GUY.

Add some chicken stock  (about 1 Tablespoon)

and squirt some Fish Sauce.

WHAT?  YOU DON'T LIKE FISH SAUCE?   GET OVER IT,   (Where you were already duly chastised) 

Every Thai dish has fish sauce; it is their salt equivalent.  

I am sure it is loaded with minerals as well; the origin being the sea.

When chicken is fully cooked (about 1/2 hour of simmering)

remove from pot and shred finely with a fork.   

(Confession: I just LOVE to sip a little coconut milk; kind of like a kid stealing a cookie from the cookie jar.  Coconut cream is really good for you; today I was doing some light reading about the balance between seratonin and dopamine and the brain (I would post the link but now I can't find it) but they were talking about the benefits of coconut oil.  Coconut oil is also good for hormonal balance.   Young ladies like me find this fact of particular interest....lol.   Oh, I love it!  The Thais cook with it and it is in alot of their desserts as well.  Talk about decadent!)

Place back into pot and add 2 Tablespoons of the 

Curry Paste (more or less to taste)

My husband is informing me, as I type, that tonight I 

did not add enough.  We like it hot around here....

After adding the Curry Paste, add the brown sugar and the

rest of the Coconut Milk.

Add the bamboo shoots and the straw mushrooms

(any mushroom will do in a pinch)

Or, if you have an Asian food store nearby, they have tons

of delectable (and high dollar) mushrooms available.  It 

adds some authentic pizazz to the dish to use the imported ones.

But they all taste basically the same

Gently simmer the soup for about 10 minutes

and while that is happening, chop your herbs and squeeze your lime and add.

Serve over fragrant Jasmine Rice or, we use Brown Rice.

In Thailand, I never saw brown rice.  Brown is so much better than white; alot of protein and all of the vitamins are removed in the milling process.

One day, I asked my friends why no brown rice was to be had.

She answered by saying that it is a shame to consume the brown, for that is

what the lower class. rice workers and laborers ate.  Still, I never saw it, not even one time,

even when I traveled out into the country to minister to the poor rice farmers.

This is such an easy dish to make!

Serve it with some sliced mangoes for dessert with a fresh twist of lime and fresh limeade.

but that will have to wait for another post.

You might try a skewer of sate but

you'll have to wait for that post too.

"Gin Maak Maak, Na!"

"Eat alot alot, now!"

I might as well post a pic or two of some Thai adventure that I had:

Let's see....here's one!   Oh I love the flora and fauna of Southeast Asia!

Everywhere greenery (with humidity!) and orchids everywhere!

See the Thai architecture?   Yes, I used to live in a house with that detail in it.....

They put the ceilings up high like that so that when heat rises it goes up high...

This was the grounds of the opulent Marriott Hotel where we stayed.....

It was the prettiest place I ever stayed at.......

Go ahead, and click the link.  Would that NOT be an awesome

honeymoon location?  Oh my.......the romance of it...

My daughter was fully charmed with this

"lifestyle" though it only lasted 3 days 

and then we were off to the rice fields up country

where she got along just fine with brown skinned

children who could speak one word of English

nor she one word of Thai!

Oh. my I am getting homesick so for now, 

I bid you adieu and i hope you

enjoyed the recipe!

For a more streamlined version, you can visit

here.

Goo-ay TEA Oh....

Sa-Wat-Dee-Kha!   Been young ay, na kha?

Okay so most of you know I used to live in Siam, now called Thailand.  I spent
3 years there, ate everything imaginable, learned to read, write and speak Thai.
It was an awesome adventure, and I owe my lovely Thai friends there for putting up
with me.  

One of the wonderful things about Thailand is the sumptious food.  Although people
there live a very simple lifestyle and most live at our poverty level or under, they manage
to make food that will absolutely delight your tastebuds.   Savory hot soups that surprise with
a sour twist, cool sweet tropical fruits that sell for a dime, spices that will cause even the stouthearted to
almost faint (another story!), curries that are so creamy and delectable, and the fabled lemongrass which lends a citrusy and cool fragrant flavor to many dishes.  These, my friends are the wonders of "Aahaarn Thai", Thai food.  

If a dish is delicious, you compliment your hostess, saying   "A roy Maak"; meaning very delicious.   When you simply cannot eat another bite, you say, "Imm leew!"  The older or one who has the most authority pays the bill, and the person who invites pays the bill.   Fortunately for us, the bill was always cheap; we ate for about .75 a day!    Amazing!

Thailand is a very colorful place filled with smiles, tropical beauty, wild orchids and lovely floating markets.  The fruits and fauna are beutiful beyond my ability to describe.  Here is a typical market scene:

Okay so!  Would you like a brief lesson in Thai cooking today?  I thought so!

We ate this soup nearly every day in Thailand.  Goo-ay TEA oh.  

Let's get to it, shall we?  

GOO AY TEA OH    

Prep Time:  1 1/2 hours

One half of a chicken

6 - 8 cups of water

Vinegar

Sugar

Chicken Stock Powder

Fish Sauce

Ramen Noodles chicken flavor (or glass noodles but we like Ramen)

Cilantro

More Fish Sauce

Garlic

Crushed red chili peppers

1. Boil the chicken in the water with the stock powder or buillion cubes.  I like it strong!
2. While boiling, add vinegar and sugar to taste.   It should taste sweet and sour.   Keep adding until it does.  Approx. 1/2 C. white vinegar and approx 4 tablespoons sugar.  Sorry, I'm a right brain cook.
3. Add fish sauce to taste. Fish sauce is what they use instead of table salt.  YOU DON'T LIKE FISH SAUCE?  Stop the bus and get off right now!  I GA RAUNTEEE you, you have eaten fish sauce if you ever ate anything Thai.  So smile and get over it.
4. Chop coarsely about 6 large cloves of fresh garlic and saute until golden brown. I know, it's a pain, but oh man!  It's worth it!   It only takes 5 minutes, don't wimp out and use the powder! Drain garlic on a paper towel.  Save the garlicky oil for later use; it makes great fajita saute sauce.  
5. Cook and debone the chicken.  Skim some but not all fat.  Fat = flavor!  Never trust a skinny cook anyways.  
6. Add chicken, shredded back to the soup dish.
7. Chop some fresh cilantro.
8. Boil the Ramen noodles for 2 minutes, add into the soup mixture and then serve into bowls.  
9. Top with chopped cilantro, crushed red chilis, and more fish sauce.
10. Use chopsticks and a spoon to eat.   
11. This goes great with this that you can pick up at any Krogers:

Crunchy rolls from Kroger Sushi Deli.... See that ginger? I could eat that all day long!

.   Mmmm mmmm Good!

Let me know how you like this dish! 

Here is my daughter scarfing away; it's her favorite Thai dish~

And this was her in Thailand at the Bangkok airport at 2:30 AM after traveling 24 hours to get there in 2004:

Is she cute or WHAT?   

And, if you are just not able to jump on the next jumbo jet and fly away into the Siam sunset, why don't you try this fresh bar of Thai Market Soap?   Your skin will thank you, and you will feel almost like you might be walking through a Thai market on a soi in Bangkok, Thailand, the Land of Smiles!

Until next time, my friend, SaWatDeeKha, and Bon Appetit!

Thai Flied Lice aka "Cow Pot Guy"

Saaaa Wat De Kha!!! Phuan Phuan

Tee Rak Na Kha!

Some of you guys might not really share my fascination for soap or candles; but you may really dig the following! I haven't been cooking much in my kitchen lately, so last night I got out my wok and went to town on an old dish I used to eat nearly everyday in Thailand!

Thai Chicken Fried Rice, affectionately called "Cow Pot Guy" in Thailand!

Here is what you will need:

Pot of rice, approximately 3 1/2 cups; cooked and cooled (I use brown; it works fine)

Cabbage, coursely chopped (about 1 1/2 cup)

Carrots, cut diagonally (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup)

White Onions

Green Onions

Garlic (duh!)

2 eggs, beaten

chicken, cooked or uncooked about 1 1/2 cups

fish sauce

ginger; fresh or powdered

green onions, whole with ends cut; enough for each person to have two

cucumber, 1 large cut diagonally in 1/3" slices

chopped peppers: jalapenos or real thai peppers

vinegar if desired

chopped peanuts, several tablespoons

wedges of lime already cut enough to give each person 2 wedges

Chopped, fresh cilantro

Cooking time: about 20 minutes if your rice and chicken is already cooked

You can go ahead and use those lovely delicatessen chickens and cut up if you prefer; or you can use chicken breasts, about 2. Slice these thinly and saute; set aside.

Saute the garlic and onions (i use about 1 small onion and about 3 medium cloves in olive oil until semi-translucent. Sprinkle in the ginger. Add the carrots and saute on high for about 1.5 minutes. Then add the cabbage; turn down heat to medium. Do not cover.

Add the cooked, cooled rice and the chicken, saute on medium heat and squirt in fish sauce and cook until rice is lightly browned. Fish sauce should very lightly moisten the whole batch.

Make a little hole in the bottom of your wok; pushing cooked ingredients up the sides of the wok and out of the fire. Add a tad more olive oil to the well; and quickly whisk two eggs together with more fish sauce; stir fry until cooked, then mix whole bunch together and continue to stir fry until thoroughly mixed. If desired, you may add one wedged tomato and continue to fry for about one minute.

Quickly call your family and put on plates. Place 2 wedges of lime; 2 green onions on the side as a garnish. Sprinkle top of dish with cilantro. You may if desired, slice the Thai peppers or jalapenos, and place in a cup with some fish sauce and vinegar for additional flavor.

I used crushed red pepper on top and then add the peanuts as the final topping for a really tasty, authentic and totally Thai dish!

This is a meal in itself, but you may also want to consider serving it with a small bowl of

Thom Yum Gung (Thai Hot Sour Shrimp Soup)

Thom Yum Guy (Thai Hot Sour Chicken Soup)

or Thom Kha Guy (a wonderful creamy chicken soup)

or even yet the green or red curried chicken dishes which Thai Kitchen produce really easy spice mixes for that all you do is add coconut cream milk and any number of meats or veggies to produce a wonderful curry!

A roy, mak mak, na kha!

Sa wat dee kha!

Enjoy friends!