Start by combining your cooled rice, the eggs with soy sauce, curry paste, salt, sugar, cooked ground pork, and coconut into a mixing bowl. Making sure everything is combined, form into baseball sized balls.
Next, heat the oil and let it come up to about 350 degrees. Add one ball at a time, and cook until completely golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, and let it rest on a paper lined plate to drain any excess oil.
Repeat with the remaining balls.
During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients into a serving bowl.
Take the crispy rice balls, and break apart into bite-sized pieces, adding them into the mixing bowl. Once all of the balls have been taken apart, mix everything together.
To plate, add a mound of the nam khao to a serving plate, and serve alongside cabbage or lettuce leaves, fresh lime, and whole Thai bird chili peppers.
Pork: I like a combination of pork belly and pork shoulder to balance out the meat to fat ratio
This dish is best and traditionally made with fresh butcher pork
Spices & Herbs:
Lots and lots of ginger, garlic, lemongrass, chili and kaffir lime leaves. Oh and don’t forget about the cilantro and green onions! Saute Serve with Rice To make this a meal, add in kua zaub tsuag and pepper dip
1+ cup sliced ginger (more or less depends on you)
8-12 kaffir lime leaves (rough chop) (more or less)
2-3 thai chili (minced)
1 cup chopped cilantro (more or less)
1 cup chopped green onions (more or less)
1 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce
---PEPPER DIP---
12-15 thai chili peppers
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mushroom seasoning
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2-3 Tbsp fish sauce (3 crab brand)
Chopped cilantro & green onion (optional)
---BOILED VEGETABLE-----
4 cups water
handful of Bok Choy (or greens/pumpkin of your choice)
INSTRUCTIONS
STIR FRY
In a pan, add in the sliced pork and salt. Saute until you no longer see any pink. Spread the meat out and leave the center open. Add the minced garlic and pounded lemongrass in the center. Let it brown for 2 minutes or so then continue mixing it into the meat. Add in the ginger, kaffir lime leaves, chopped pepper, and saute for 3-5 minutes or until your desired color. Then add in the oyster sauce, chopped cilantro & green onions. Saute for 30 secs or so and turn off the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with fresh steamed Jasmine rice.
PEPPER DIP
In a mortar and pestle, add in the Thai chili peppers, garlic, salt, and mushroom seasoning. Pound until it is fully mashed. Transfer the pepper mixture into a bowl and add in the lime juice, fish sauce, and chopped cilantro/green onion. Serve on the side.
BOILED VEGETABLE
In a pot add in 4 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Then add in the rinse vegetable. Cook to your liking and serve.
1) Place the chili peppers, garlic clove, salt, and sugar in a mortar and pestle. Pound until the pepper become a nice paste.
2) Scrap the pepper into a small bowl and add in lime juice, fish sauce, chopped cilantro and green onion. Mix well and serve with you favorite meat!
NOTES
You can add more lime juice for more sourness. Freezing the chili pepper ahead of time will make it easier to pound into a finer paste. You can add as much cilantro and green onion as you want.
Pepper Dip #2: Nam Jim Jaew (แจ่ว)
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1/2 Tbsp palm sugar chopped finely*
1 Tbsp fish sauce (3 crab brand)
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp (or more) Thai chili flakes
1 small shallot sliced
1 Tbsp toasted rice powder
1 Tbsp green onion chopped
4 cilantro sprigs chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Mix everything in a small bowl and taste to adjust. Serve with your favorite grilled meat.
*finely chop the palm sugar so it's easier to dissolve.
Add more chili flakes to make it spicier!
NOTES
This dip is good the day of. If you make it a day ahead, the toasted rice powder will absorb most of the liquid and make the dip thick. It won't taste as good as the day of.
Tomato Pepper (Txiv lwg suav hov txob)
Hello tomato season!
Seasonal tomatoes have arrived and they are growing beautifully this year. I LOVE LOVE LOVE fresh seasonal tomatoes since they are so sweet and full of great flavor. Here are two simple tomato pepper we love to eat in my family. One roasted and one fresh. Super quick and tasty. These tomato pepper goes great with any kind of grilled meat. I love them with fried chicken, grill pork belly, fried fish, and steak. So give it a try and let me know what you like to put in your tomato pepper. Happy cooking!
INGREDIENTS
---ROASTED TOMATO PEPPER---
10 oz cherry tomatoes (roughly 1 1/2 cups)
2 Thai chili pepper
1 garlic clove
2 shallots (chopped)
2-3 green onions (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fish sauce (3 crabs brand if you have it)
---FRESH TOMATO PEPPER---
10 oz cherry tomato (roughly 1 1/2 cups) sliced in half
2 Thai chili pepper minced
2 green onion (chopped)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (add more if you like)
1 Tbsp fish sauce (3 crabs brand if you have it)
Pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
ROASTED TOMATO PEPPER
1) In a foil lined pan, place the cherry tomatoes, peeled and cut shallots, the smashed garlic, and 2 chili pepper on. Cook in the oven under broiled @ 500' F for about 12-15 minutes or until it is nicely roasted. Take out and let it slightly cool.
2) In a mortar and pestle, add in the roasted shallots, garlic, pepper, and 1/4 tsp of salt. Pound until the peppers are completely smashed up. Then add in the roasted tomatoes and pound away. Once it is nicely pounded, add in the chopped cilantro, green onions, and fish sauce. Mix well, taste and serve!
FRESH TOMATO PEPPER
1) In a bowl add in the sliced tomato, minced pepper, cilantro, green onions, fish sauce, and pinch of salt. Mix well, taste, and serve!
Mushroom Pepper: Hov Txob Nceb
Another pepper dip is here! We are going to be making mushroom pepper dip. One of my mom’s favorite pepper dip and one I grew up loving as a kid. Full of umami, spice, herbs, and simplicity. Great over rice and or alongside any grilled meat. Very simple to make and also very delicious. In Hmong Leeg, we call this Hov Txob Nceb: Hov Txob means pepper and Nceb means mushroom. I hope you all can give this pepper dip a try and let me know if you like it. Do let me know what you like to put in your mushroom pepper dip if you’ve made it before! Yeah yeah! Happy Cooking!
Main Ingredients
Mushroom: The classic white button mushroom. You can use other mushroom you desire. I suggest using ones that cooks well and release moisture.
INGREDIENTS
1.5 lb chopped white button mushrooms
2 shallot rough chopped (½-1 cup)
2 garlic cloves
4 green onion (white and green part separated)
6 Thai chili pepper (more or less depends on you)
1/2 cups chopped cilantro
1/2 cups chopped green part of the green onion (from above)
½ tsp salt
2 tsp fish sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse and cut the mushroom. For a finer dip, cut the shrooms smaller. For a chunkier dip, leave them a little bit bigger.
Prep/cut the herbs.
Line 2 baking sheets with foil and place the cut up shrooms on one and the shallots, pepper, garlic, and white part of the green onions in one. Bake under broil @ 450 for 8 minutes, stir and for another 8 minutes. After 16 minutes total, take out the tray that has the shallots. They should be nice and charred/cook. If you want it more charred, cook it longer. Continue cooking the shrooms for an additional 8 more minutes or so (total time of about 25-30 minutes). Cooking time may vary on your oven. Make sure to stir the shrooms every 8-12 minutes for even cooking. Once cooked, take it out of the oven & cool for 2-3 minutes.
In a mortar n pestle, add in the roasted chili, shallots, garlic, and white parts of the green onion along with 1/2 tsp of salt. Pound until the peppers are smashed up. Then add in the mushrooms liquid and all. Pound. Then add in the chopped cilantro and green part of the green onion. Pound and then add in the fish sauce. Mix well. Taste to adjust and serve! Eat it white rice or as a side dish with meat etc.
In a small sauce pan, cook sugar in water over med heat until it turns into a light syrup. Add all remaining ingredients, stir well. Let cool. Serve over salad.
We Laotians LOVE dipping sauces, a meal wouldn’t complete without a dipping sauce. We usually serve a dipping sauce with either steamed or fresh vegetables, along with steamed, grilled or fried fish and/or meats. Every region of Laos has it’s own special dipping sauce, example, the Luang Prabang region is known for Jeow Bong. We usually dip sticky rice or vegetables into the sauce. Most Laotian households have one or more type of fish sauce in their pantry or fridge, (city folks).
Ingredients 15 cherry tomatoes 12 garlic cloves 1/2 red onion or two shallots 8 Thai chilies 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp fish sauce or thin soy sauce 1 tbsp unfiltered fish sauce or anchovy sauce or fermented bean paste a handful of cilantro
Directions
Soak skewers in water at least 30 minutes to prevent burning.
Cut onions into 2-inch pieces, push skewers through all the vegetables.
Grill for about 15 minutes. Until nicely charred, not burnt.
Using mortar and pestle, pound chilies, garlic, and onions until all are well mixed and mashed.
Add tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients, pound until all ingredients are well mixed. Stir in cilantro and serve it with grilled fish, meats, and/or steamed mixed vegetables and sticky rice.
Isan, or Isaan is a northeastern region of Thailand, bordering Laos and Cambodia that has its own style of food. Not that it stems too far away from the main culture, but I find it to be a bit spicier, and commonly the food is eaten with sticky rice (known as khao neow). This grilled chicken is common in the region and is one that you will really love, whether you grill it (preferred) or bake it until you have crispy skin. I have made variations of this style of chicken over the last 15 years or so, but this one is a bit different as I brined the chicken in advance to make it even more juicy. If you are looking for in introduction into Northern Thai cooking, and one without a ton of spice but packed with tons of flavor.
Isan Grilled Chicken Recipe
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs on this particular recipe, but feel free to use a halved chicken, or spatchcock a chicken and go that route, especially for a crispy skin.
Ingredients for the brine:
1 gallon of water
1/2 cup of kosher salt
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces, or 6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
Ingredients for the Marinade: (if you have a mortar and pestle use it, otherwise your food processor)
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of thinly sliced lemongrass
1/2 cup of cilantro, leaves and stems
1/4 tsp MSG, optional
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp curry powder, or turmeric
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp canola oil
Start by bringing the salt, sugar and water to a boil. Once the sugar and salts dissolve into the water, remove from the stove and let it cool.
Once the brine is cool, add in the chicken pieces, cover, and let this brine for 4 hours, and up to 24.
Isan Grilled Chicken Ingredients
Make the marinade, either by using your food processor which many of you probably have, or go the authentic route and use the mortar and pestle. Make the mixture into a wet paste. Scrape into a sealable jar until the chicken is ready.
When the chicken is ready, remove it from the pot, and rinse and pat dry. Add the chicken pieces to a large sealable plastic bag, and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the chicken and marinate for another 4-24 hours. The longer the better in my opinion.
Before you are wanting to grill, set the chicken out to get some of the chill off of it. I grill over charcoal, but again you can grill over wood, gas, or cook at 400 degrees until you get your internal temperature. My preference is grilling over coal for a more authentic taste.
When you have your grill going, I like to heat one side of the grill with coals and keep a warmer side with no coals. This way I can adjust the heat if things get too hot.
Place the chicken on the grill, near the coals, cover, and adjust the vents. You kind of want to go low and slow with this, slowly cooking the chicken, while any skin will get nice and crisp.
Isan Grilled Chicken Recipe
As this is cooking, feel free to whip up some dipping sauce that includes fish sauce, lime juice, chili, and a bit of sugar. Also feel free to serve this with jasmine rice, or better yet sticky rice (this is take a bit more planning, but recommended). When the chicken comes to your desired temperature, remove, and serve. Again, I used thighs, so I ended up chopping mine up as my kids love to eat stove like this in the style of larb.
Dig in and enjoy. The flavors are out of this world. A bit smoky from the charcoal, juicy from the brine, and just packed full of awesome flavor from the marinade. This is a great introduction to Northern Thai food, so give this one a try. Hope you enjoy!
