Two layered cake

Two layered cake

½ cup rice flour

1¾ cup tapioca flour

2¾ cup coconut milk

1¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup water

1tsp pandan favour

1 baking container

1)    Put the sugar and water in a pot. Stir constantly and boil until the sugar is dissolved. Heat it on a hob until it turns to thick syrup. Leave it aside.

2)    Mix the rice flour and tapioca flour together. Add the coconut milk and sugar syrup. Stir until everything is mixed well.

3)    Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions in 2 separate bowls. Add the pandan favour to one portion and stir well. Put the container on a steamer and heat until it is hot. Pour some white mixture (the one without pandan juice) into the heated container. Close the lid and steam for 5 minutes. Open the lid, pour some mixture with pandan juice to evenly cover the first layer, close the lid and steam for 5 minutes. Continue until you use all the mixture. The total steaming time should be about 20 minutes.

4)    When it is done, remove it from the steamer and let it cool down. Cut into small pieces to serve.

Stir fried egg noodles with fresh ginger

Stir fried egg noodles with fresh ginger

2 chicken fillets, cut into small dices or 8-10 king prawns

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1tbsp chopped fresh ginger

2 Thai red chillies, chopped

125g beansprouts

500g fresh egg noodles

2 spring onions, chopped

1tbsp fish sauce, 1tbsp soy sauce, 1 oyster sauce, hint of granulated sugar

2tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil for frying

1)   Heat the oil in a wok and wait until it is hot. Add the chopped garlic and red chillies. Stir until the garlic is golden.

2)   Add the chicken or prawns. Stir fry until they are cooked.

3)   Add the beansprouts, ginger and spring onions. Stir fry for a few minutes.

4)   Add the egg noodles. Stir fry again for a few minutes.

5)   Season it with 1tbsp fish sauce, 1tbsp soy sauce, 1tbsp oyster sauce and hint of sugar. 

Thai style papaya salad with grilled prawns

Papaya salad with grilled prawns

* This dish contains cashew nuts.

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2-3 Thai red chillies

50g fine green beans, cut into 1in length

1 unripe Thai green papaya, peeled and shredded

4 cherry tomatoes

1tbsp fish sauce

2tbsp palm sugar

1 lime

5-6 grilled king prawns

1tbsp dried shrimps (optional)

2tbsp peanuts or cashew nuts

1)   Grilled the king prawns. Leave them aside.

2)   Use a large mortar and pestle. Pound the chopped garlic and chillies.

3)   Add the green beans and break them up by using the pestle slightly. Add the shredded unripe papaya and stir with a spoon.

4)   Lightly pound all the ingredients together. Add the cherry tomatoes.

5)   Add the grilled prawns.

6)   Seasoning the salad with 1tbsp fish sauce, 2tbsp palm sugar and squeeze some lime juice. Stir it with a spoon.

7)   Add the peanuts or cashew nuts. Stir until they are mixed well.

8)   Serve the salad with sticky rice.

Stir fried Thai morning glory

Stir fried Thai morning glory (water spinach)

250g Thai morning glory, cut into 2in length

1tbsp chopped fresh garlic

1tbsp soya bean paste 

1-2 red Thai chillies

1/2 tbsp fish sauce, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1tbsp oyster sauce, hint of granulated sugar

2tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil for stir frying

1)    Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chopped garlic when the oil is hot and stir until the garlic is golden.

2)    Add the morning glory. Stir fry for a few minutes. Do not wait until it goes soft as it has to be served when it is a bit crispy. 

4)    Season it with 1tbsp fish sauce, 1tbsp soy sauce, 1tbsp oyster sauce and hint of sugar. Add the soya bean paste. Stir for a few minutes. 

You can also add bacon to this dish.

Thai style spring rolls

Thai style spring rolls

4 Chinese mushrooms, soaked in water until soft and cut into small pieces (optional)

20g Thai bean/ glass vermicelli (‘Wun Sen’), soaked in warm water until soft

2 Thai red chillies, chopped

200g mince pork

5 cooked king prawns, cut into small pieces

1tbsp fish sauce, 1tsp soy sauce

Hint of granulated sugar

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 carrot, shredded

50g bamboo shoots, chopped (optional)

50g bean sprouts

1tbsp chopped fresh coriander

2 tsp plain flour, mixed with water to make smooth paste (to be used to seal the spring rolls)

10 spring roll wrappers

2 cups sunflower or vegetable oil for deep frying

Thai sweet chilli, plum or sweet and sour sauce to serve

1)   Stir fry the mince pork, prawns, chopped garlic and chillies in a wok until they are cooked. Leave them aside to cool down.

2)   Mix the Chinese mushrooms, vermicelli, carrots, bamboo shoots, beansprouts and coriander together in a mixing bowl. Add the mince pork mixture to it and stir well until all the ingredients are mixed well.

3)   Season it with 1tbsp fish sauce, 1tsp soy sauce, hint of sugar and ground black pepper. Stir until the sauces are mixed well with the ingredients.

4)   Put a spoonful of the mixture in the centre of a spring roll wrapper. Roll it to cover the mixture and fold the left and right sides. Roll it to the edge and brush it with the flour paste and seal. Do the same with the rest of the mixture and wrappers.

5)   Heat the oil in a wok and wait until is really hot. Deep fry the spring rolls until they are golden and crispy.

6)   Serve them with Thai sweet chilli sauce, sweet and sour sauce or plum sauce. 

Sweet sticky rice with Thai longans

Sticky rice with Thai longans

1 cup cooked sticky rice

4tbsp granulated sugar

200ml coconut milk

¾ cup water (you can use jasmine-flavoured water can be used to make it more aromatic, you can buy the jasmine flavour from any Thai supermarkets)

longans (you can buy them in a can from Thai supermarkets)

1)   Cook the sticky rice. The easiest way is cooking it in a microwave. Soak the sticky rice in warm water for 10 minutes in a bowl (this is important as if you do not soak the sticky rice in warm water the rice would not be properly cooked and not edible). Transfer the soaked sticky rice to a microwave proof container. Add 1 ¼ cup of water (the water has to cover the rice) and cook in high heat for 8 minutes. Stir thoroughly and cook in medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir and leave it aside.

2)   Pour the coconut milk into a pot and heat until it is boiled. Add 4tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp jasmine water and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat.

To serve, put some sticky rice on a plate, arrange some longans on the side and pour the coconut milk on top of the sticky rice. 

Potato soup

Potato soup

2 baking potatoes, chopped into small dices

2-3 chicken drumsticks

1 onion, chopped

4-5 cherry tomatoes

1 chicken stock cube

2 cups of water

1tbsp fish sauce, 1tsp soy sauce and hint of sugar

1)    Boil 2 cups of water in a pot until it is boiled. Add the chicken stock cube. Stir until it is dissolved.

2)    Add the chicken drumsticks. Boil until they are cooked.

3)    Add the chopped potatoes. Boil until they are soft.

4)    Add the onions and cherry tomatoes. Boil for a few minutes.

5)    Season the soup with 1tbsp fish sauce, 1tsp soy sauce and hint of sugar.