There are those that would insist that som tam can only be made with green papaya, but in fact Thais have created an almost infinite number of variations on the dish, using a variety of fruits and vegetables. This one offers an interesting way to dress up a simple vegetable like fresh green beans.

String Bean Som Tam

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• Blanch the green beans by boiling them for just a minute or two, and then drain them and let them cool.
• Stir together the lime juice and sugar. It’s usually better to set it aside for a few minutes or more to give the juice time to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the tamarind sauce, chilies and garlic.
• Pour the dressing over the beans and stir to mix lightly, then pour the mixture onto a serving dish.
• Sprinkle the cherry tomatoes, crushed peanuts and optional dried shrimp over the top.

Instant noodles – often called Ramen noodles in the US – are a very popular light meal or snack in Thailand. While they may be something you thought you left behind when you left college, chances are you never ate this well back in school.

This is not a very common dish, but I have seen it on the menu of some Thai restaurants, although not those that cater to westerners. The Thai-language version I translated this recipe from called for shrimp paste and fermented fish sauce (and by ‘fermented’ they mean rotten). Since I’m not a big fan of overly fishy-tasting foods and prefer lighter dishes that can be vegetarian, I’ve adjusted the recipe.

Traditionally, the garlic and chilies would be mashed together in a big mortar and then the other dressing ingredients would be stirred in. You can get quite satisfactory results by just mincing them. You can also use shallots instead of garlic. Tamarind paste (or sauce) is very sour, so you may need to use more sugar if you add it.

Instant Noodle Salad

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• Stir together the sugar and lime juice. It’s best to leave this to set a little while to allow the lime juice to dissolve the sugar. Then stir in the chilies and garlic, as well as the tamarind paste if you decide to use it.
• Cook the noodles, then drain them and set aside until they’re warm enough to touch. Pour the dressing over the noodles and stir together.
• Transfer the noodles to a serving dish and then arrange the tomatoes on top.
• I like this dish when the noodles are still a little warm, but it’s good at room temperature.

Use whatever type of lettuce you prefer. I like red coral but regular iceberg works nicely as well.

Thai Tuna Salad

Ingredients

Dressing

Preparation Method

• Mix all fo the ingredients for the dressing together and set aside for a little while.
• Arrange the lettuce of a serving plate.
• Drain the tuna and spoon it onto the lettuce.
• Pour the dressing over the tuna and sprinkle the coriander on top just before serving.

Glass Noodle Yum Salad

For this recipe, the peanuts are usually pan-roasted. Heat a heavy skillet and toss the peanuts in, shaking the skillet until the peanuts are darkened in spots. You can do this well in advance of needing the nuts.

Ingredients

Dressing

Preparation Method

• Prepare the dressing first. Mix all of the ingredients together and set aside.
• Mix the noodles, cooked ground pork, mushrooms and corander together – hands work best!
• Pour the dressing over the noodle mix and stir.
• Transfer to a serving dish or bowl. Sprinkle the crushed nuts and fried garlic over the top.

Unlike other types of noodles, glass noodles are almost always purchased dry. To prepare the noodles, you don’t need to boil them like other pastas. The will quickly soften in hot water. I usually use hot water from the kettle, but hot tap water will also work well enough.

One important thing to note about glass noodles is that, while they may appear to be brittle when dry, unlike spaghetti they retain some flexibility. So, they can’t easily be snapped into smaller pieces. If you do want to break up the long noodles, it’s best to cut them with some kitchen shears.
 

A traditional set for steaming sticky rice.

 
Sometimes there’s a trick to preparing certain foods, or ingredients. It may be as simple as knowing how long to soak rice before cooking, or maybe it’s something more complicated, like the best utensils to use for steaming sticky rice. This category of articles is where you’ll find all the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years.

Check the list below for suggestions on how to prepare certain ingredients.
 

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.

This recipe is extremely easy to make. You can prepare it first and set it aside while cooking a curry or other dish that should be served hot. This dish should be served with some raw ‘cooling’ vegetables to help take the heat off. Common choices are long beans and the stalks of Chinese kale.

Pork with lime salad.

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• Grill the pork until cooked through, then slice about one centimeter / ¼ inch thick. Arrange the slices on a serving plate. For the dish in the photo, I went with an easier route of using pork that was already thinly sliced from my local Thai supermarket.
• Grind the garlic and chillies together until well mashed. Mix in the sugar, fish sauce and lime juice.
• Pour the spice mixture over the pork. Serve garnished with lime slices. Some cooks serve this cold, or even iced.

Stir-fried Pork with Chili

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• Heat a wok over high flame and add the vegetable oil. When hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until its fragrance is released.
• Add the pork and stir-fry until it browns. Add the chillies and onion. Stir just to mix, then season with the fish sauce and sugar.

This can be quite a mild dish. I like to add a little cracked pepper to spice it up a bit more.
 

There are indeed a great many versions of this dish, since the Burmese origins of the name imply an improvised dish, put together with whatever was on hand. Pork is always the meat used in Thailand, but you should be able to substitute chicken or beef with good results.

Burmese pork curry

Curry Paste

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• Make the curry paste by pounding all the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle to form a thick paste. Of course, you can do it the "easy way" and use a food processor.

Burmese Pork Curry

Ingredients

Preparation Method

• Sprinkle the dark soy sauce over the cubed pork.
• Mix in the prepared curry paste with the meat, and allow to marinate about 1 hour.
• In a large pot, brown the pork over low heat. Add the water, cover the pot and simmer until liquid is reduced.
• Add ginger, garlic and curry powder. Continue simmering until pork is tender and liquid is evaporated.
• Season with the tamarind juice. The taste should be a balance of sour, salty and spicy. If necessary, add salt.

To be completely authentic, Burmese Curry should be served with sticky rice.