I still had almost all the ingredients for the marinade of the ‘Korean’ beef dish, except the spring onions. That was a good marinade, so I decided to use some finely chopped kaffir leaves in place of the spring onions and marinate the chicken.

The mushrooms I decided to sauté in some olive oil, butter and leftover coriander. I added a bit of baby corn and broccoli, which I also had on hand.

Chicken Kaffir with sauteed mushrooms

On the whole, it turned out rather well. The one mistake I made was not filleting the chicken breast, so it took forever to cook and the marinate had more or less caramelized by the time it did. Other than that, it turned out well. This recipe would make two light meals.

Ingredients

Vegetables

Preparation Method

• Mix all of the main ingredients except the chicken together in a bowl.
• Add the chicken to the mix and make sure it gets coated well. Marinate the chicken in the sauce for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
• Just before you’re ready to cook the chicken, you can prepare the vegetables. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the mushrooms, baby corn and coriander. Sauté until the mushrooms begin to brown slightly, and then add the broccoli. The broccoli will take just a few seconds to turn dark green, which for me means it’s cooked just right. Spoon the vegetables onto a plate or serving dish.
• Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and cook it in a hot skillet. Turn it and make sure it’s cooked through. Just as it’s getting done, you can add any marinade left to the skillet, and it will reduce quickly to a nice dark brown sauce.
• Transfer the cooked chicken to the plate along side the vegetables.

Glass Noodles Stir-fried with Mushrooms

To make this dish completely vegetarian, just leave out the fish sauce. I usually do anyway, since the soy sauce makes it salty enough for my taste.

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• If using dried mushrooms, soak in warm water to soften. Trim off any hard stems and slice.
• Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the glass noodles, stock and both types of mushrooms. Stir well to combine.
• Season with the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Stir to combine and then add the celery. Allow everything to cook through and then transfer to a serving platter.

In thin curries, you will see the straw mushroom (hed fang), which are small and range from almost completely spherical to a more elongated egg shape. Straw mushrooms are rather delicate and don’t travel well, and so are almost impossible to find outside of Thailand. In soups, you can try using canned but its better to use a similar fresh mushroom such as oyster mushrooms.

Shiitake Mushrooms

Lastly, shiitake mushrooms (hed hawm) are also used in some dishes, especially recipes derived from Chinese origins. Shiitake mushrooms are almost always purchased dried. They must be soaked in hot water or simmered for a few minutes to soften before using. Shiitake mushrooms have a strong woody taste and a texture unlike just about any other kind of mushroom. Their meaty texture probably explains why shiitake mushrooms are especially popular in vegetarian dishes during the annual vegetarian festival.