Stir-fried Pork with vegetables.

This is a basis recipe that is easily adapted for cooking any meat with any vegetables, according to seasonal availability.

Ingredients

225g/8 oz pork fillet

15 ml/1 tbsp light soy sauce

5ml/ 1 tsp light brown sugar

5ml/ 1 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

10ml/ 2tsp cornflour paste

115g/4 oz mangetouts

115g/4 oz/2 cups white mashrooms

1 medium or 2 small carrots

1 spring onion

60 ml/4 tbsp vegetable oil

5ml/ 1 tsp salt

Basic Stock or water, if necessery few drops of sesame oil

1. Cut the pork into thin slices about 4 x 2.5 cm/1 ¹/₂ x 1 in. Marinete the slices with about 5 ml/1 tsp of the soy sauce, the sugar, wine or sherry and cornflour paste.

2. Top and tail the mangetiuts and thinly slice the mashrooms. Cut the carrots into pieces than are roughly the same size as the pork slices, and cut the spring onion into short sections.

3. heat the oil in a preheated wok or frying pan and stir-fry the pieces of pork for about 1 minute, or until the colour changes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

4. Stir-fly the mangerouts, mashrooms and carrots for about 2 minutes, add the salt and the pork, and a little stock or water only if necessery. Continue stirring for another minute or so, then add the remaining soy sauce and blend well. Sprincle with the sesame oil and serve.

Best of Thailand

Introduction

Thailand is probably one of the most diverse and complex countries of Asia. Geografically it is halflay between India and so it is hardly surprising that its national cuisine contains strong inflyences from these two very different cultures.

A Thai meal offers a combinetion of contrasting yet complementary flavours: sweet, hot, sour, salty and sometimes bitter. Like native Thais, you should always taste as you prepare in order to achieve the exact balance of flavours that you prefer. Usually, in addition to the obligatiry bowl of rice, there will be a veriety of dishes including a soup, a curry, a steamed dish, a fried one, a salad and a couple of souces. Aii the dishes are placed on the table at the same time and shared.

Flavoring and Spices

Many of the ingredirnts needed to create an authentic Thai meal at home are now widely available in supermarkets$ others can be obtained from Asian and specialist shops.

Bamboo Shoots : The edible young shoots of the bamboo plan. When buying canned shoots, look for the whole ones as they seem to be of better qality than the ready-sliced canned shoots.

Banana Leaves: Glossy, dark green leaves of the banana tree are used to line steamers or to wrap foods such us fish before grilling or baking. They impart a slight flavour of fine tea.

Basil: The herb sweet basil is well known in Mediterranian cooking; in Thailand the hotter, slightly medicinal-tasting. Thai basis is used frequently.

Beancurd (Tofu) : Made from soya beans, this is sold in blocks paked in water and is avaible fresh, smoked and dried.

Bean Sauce: Made from salted, fermented soya beans, this sauce is a popular flavouring agent in Asian dishes.

Blanchan: A strong-smelling, firm paste made of fermented shrimps, used us e flavouring. To prepare blachan, wrap a piece in foil and dry fry over a gentle heat for 5 minutes, turning occasionally.

Chilly: The small red and green fresh chillies known as Thai or bird’s eye chillies are extremely hot. Larger varieties are in fact slightly milder.

Coconut Milk: This unsweetened liquid, made from grated ccoconut flesh and water, is an essential ingredient of many Thai dishes. It is available in cans, compressed blocks and as a powder.

Coriander: The leaves and seeds of this plant are amond the most essential flavourings in Thai cooking. The root is also used.

Fish Sauce: The most commonly used flavouring ingredient in Thai food. It is made from salter anchovies and has a strong, salty flavour.

Galangal: This looks similar to fresh root ginger and is prepared in the same way. It has a wonderful sharp, lemony taste.

Garlic: Indespensible in Thai cooking. Pickled garlic, available in jars, is also used.

Ginger: fresh root ginger should be peeled and chopped or crushed before cooking. Though not used as frequently as galangal in Thai cooking, fresh root ginger makes a good alternative.

Kaffir Lime: The fruit is similar to the common lime, but has a knobbly skin. The glossy, dark green leaves impart a pungent lemon-line flavour to dishes.

Lemon glass: similar to a spring onion, this has long, pale green stalks a bulbous end. It has a woody texture and an aromatic lemon scent. Unless finelly chopped, it is always removed from a dish before serving becouse it is so fibrous.

Tamarind : An acidic tropical fruit that recembles a bean pod, usually sold dried or pulped. To make tamarind juice, soak 25g/1 oz dried tamarind in 150ml/ ^¼ pint/ ²/₃ cup warm ater fpr 10 minutes.

Recipe.

Hot-&-sour Prawn Soup.

Probably the best-known Thai soup, this is Flavoured with lemon glass.