Friday, May 25, 2012

Thailand - Paak Tom Kati


Paak Tom Kati


Description

The name literally means 'vegetables boiled in coconut milk'.
Makheua phuang are very small Thai eggplants, that resemble crunchy garden peas. If (as I expect) they are not available near you, then I suggest you use tender garden peas, raw. If you can only get frozen peas, then drop them in hot, not boiling water, until defrosted, then transfer to ice water to stop the cooking and then strain thoroughly.

If paak bung (swamp cabbage) is not available, substitute spinach.

Thai long beans, tua paak yao (sometimes called yard beans or yak's tails), can be replaced with ordinary western long beans.

Prikthai ong, or green peppercorns are sold in Thailand on the stem, making them easy to discard before serving, but I suggest that if you canonly get loose peppercorns, that you put them in a small muslin bag or 'spiceball'

Ingredients

-       1 cup coconut milk half a cup makheua phuang (Thai eggplant)
-       cup tua phak yao (long beans), broken into 2" pieces
-       cup of mushrooms, sliced
-       cup phak bung (swamp cabbage), shredded
-       cup phakat khao (Chinese cabbage)
-       2 tablespoons hom daeng (shallots/purple onions), sliced finely
-       1 tablespoon light soy sauce
-       1 tablespoon [palm] sugar
-       1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng (red mouse shit chilis), finely sliced
-       1 tablespoon prikthai ong (green peppercorns)
-       1 teaspoon bai makrut (kaffir lime leaves) shredded, or teaspoon of lime zest

Directions

-       In a saucepan bring the coconut milk to a gentle simmer and mix in the sugarand soy sauce, and stir in the lime leaves.
-       Add the shallots and pepper, and gently simmer for 1-2 minutes until aromatic.
-       Taste for the balance of sugar and salt, and adjust if necessary.
-       Add the vegetables, and return to a boil.
-       Simmer gently until just cooked (If using garden peas, do not add them until the other ingredients are almost cooked, and then serve as soon as they are warmed through).
-       Remove the peppercorns, and serve with either rice or noodles

serves 4

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