Pad Kee Mao - Thai Chilli Basil Noodles aka Drunken Noodles

Pad Kee Mao also known as Chilli Basil Noodles and also known as Drunken Noodles is a huge family favourite for us. I don't remember the first restaurant where I started relishing it - but has been on our orders during pretty much every visit to a Thai restaurant. No - there is no alcohol involved in the "drunken" noodle. The legend goes that some drunkard stumbled across this dish by accident and became very popular later on. Another story goes like Thai people made this after a night of hard partying. Of course definitely a great dish that could go very well with a nice cold beer. The best part of this dish is the aroma. This was the first recipe when I came to know that basil - thulasi (or tulsi) can be used in cooking. In fact you need what they call as Thai Basil or Holy Basil. Do not try this with the Italian basil - it's not going to be the same. Vegetarians - you can try making this with just the veggie ingredients but it's never going to be the same.

Ingredients

1. Flat rice noodles - the fresh variety from an asian store - 500 gms
2. Thai Holy Basil - you will need about a cup since you will need this during different stages of cooking.
3. Garlic - 1 bulb
4. Thai Bird's Eye Red Chilli - 8 - 10
5. Shallots - thinly sliced - 1/3 cup
6. Veggies - Sliced carrots, beans, some leafy vegetable
7. Green pepper corn - 3-4 twigs
8. Thinly sliced galanga - 2 table spoons
9. Protein - I used prawns this time. One can use any thinly sliced meat or tofu.
10. Fish sauce - 1 table spoon (got to be careful with this one) - Vegetarians feel free to skip. 
11. Sugar - 2 tea spoons
12. Dark Soya sauce - 2 table spoons
13. Oyster sauce - 2 table spoon
14. Any vegetable oil - 3-4 table spoons

Method

1. Create a sauce mix with fish sauce, oyster sauce, soya sauce and sugar.
2. Marinade the meat with a few tablespoons of sauce.
3. Prepare the noodles as per the packet instructions. Some may need a blanch in boiling water.
4. Pound the garlic and red chillies roughly.
5. If not done already keep your vegetables sliced and ready. Once the process starts then there's no stopping. :)
6. In a large wok heat a few table spoons of oil and saute the garlic-chilli mix.
7. Add the shallots, galanga slices and the pepper corn twigs and saute for a minute.
8. Add the prawns (or any meat) and saute until about 75% cooked.
9. Add the stems of leafy vegetable, beans and carrots and saute for a minute.
10. Add the remaining sauce and mix well.
11. Add the noodles and mix well.
12. Add the basil leaves and toss it around for about a minute.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Maggi Goreng

I remember my first introduction to Maggi in the 80s in Chennai. When they introduced there were a few different flavours - Masala, Capsicum, Chicken and some whacky flavour as well which I don't remember the name. Since then it has been a part of our "diet" every now and then. Yes, it did get a bit of bad publicity every now and then but it has not deterred my loyalty and now it's caught on with my kids as well. I have prepared Maggi in many different ways - including a simple - dump contents in a bowl with water and microwave. Here's a version which has stuck on a for a few years with me after I noticed a menu item in a Malaysian restaurant and they called it Maggi Goreng. So it's essentially stir friend Maggi noodles with vegetables and egg (optional). And yes - this recipe takes a little more than 2 minutes to prepare. ;-)

Ingredients

1. Maggi Noodles (Masala flavour) (for non Indians, you should be able to get it in any Indian store). 
2. Egg
3. Mixed vegetables - I use the frozen one with carrot, peas and corn
4. Onions (thinly sliced)
5. Green chillies
6. Curry leaves
7. Turmeric powder
8. Salt
9. Vegetable oil

The Method

1. Boil the Maggi noodles (just the noodles) in a large sauce pan for about 5 minutes (sorry Maggi does not get ready in 2 minutes).
2. Rinse the cooked noodles in cold water and keep it aside.
3. In a large wok heat a few table spoons of vegetable oil.
4. Crack open the eggs - 1 per serving / person and scramble it for a minute
5. Add the chillies and onions and saute until the onions get translucent.
6. Add about 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder and mix it up.
7. Add the vegetables along with the curry leaves and saute for a few minutes until cooked.
8. Add half of the taste maker packets and salt (to taste) while sauteeing the vegetables.
9. Add the noodles and the remaining taste maker masala and saute until mixed well.

Yummy Maggi Goreng Ready!!

Happy Cooking!!

C

Char Kway Teow - Fried Rice Noodles Malaysian Style

Char Kway Teow was first introduced to me by my mom thanks to her Malaysian influence. The very first time I had this dish was in Chung Wah - Koramangala back in the late 90s. It took more than a decade later until I moved to Sydney to have a try again. Sydney as some may know has got a pretty decent collection of Malaysian restaurants.This was one of the dishes I tried either on the first or 2nd visit.9/10 times I have been always impressed with the outcomes no matter where I go. Only once was I disappointed when  they gave me some soupy version of Kway Teow. That's when I learnt the importance of "char" - which meant stir-fried. Since then I've had it several times in Sydney and in Singapore (few times in Malaysia as well). Of course have experimented cooking this many a times with varied rates of success. After a long time tried it again today to give Mommy a taste of her childhood favourite. The most authentic version will include pork and pork related ingredients that I don't use. So here's a Chetty's Kitchen version.

Ingredients:

1. Flat rice noodles - preferably the fresh version you can get from the Chinese stores (not the one from your regular grocery chain) 
2. Garlic - minced
3. Chives - chopped across its length
4. Bean Sprouts
5. Red Onions
6. Eggs - beaten
7. Prawns (Shrimps - if you are on the Western part of the world)
8. Dark Soya Sauce
9. Sweet Soya Sauce (Kecap Manis)
10. Oyster Sauce
11. Prawn Sambal
12. Salt
13. Sugar
14. Vegetable oil

You can skip the prawns and prawn sambal should you prefer an Eggetarian version.

The Method:

1. Heat a large wok with a few table spoons of vegetable oil. Let it heat up until you can see the smoke coming out.
2. Add the beaten eggs and stir fry for a few seconds.
3. Add the minced garlic, onions and the bottom part of the chives 
4. Stir fry for about 30 seconds.
5. Add prawns (or other veggies should you prefer), prawn sambal sauce and stir fry until almost cooked.
6. Add the flat rice noodles, dark soya sauce, kecap manis and the oyster sauce (just a little) and toss in the noodles until it gets mixed well.
7. Add salt and half a tea spoon of sugar.
8. When it's almost done, add in the remaining chives and bean sprouts and toss it around for a minute.
9. Leave the noodles in the wok for a few minutes for them to get a bit of "burnt"flavour.
10. Toss them all up again to get an even mix.
11. Serve hot garnished with chives.

Char Kway Teow Ready!!

Happy Cooking

C

Pad Thai

Hello,

Alvin - This one is for you. The one who asks for 2 * Pad Thai @ Eagle Thai!! Pad Thai is what made me fall in love with Thai food. Especially the one at Eagle Thai - Pad Thai in Tomato sauce - 5 * (at times over the scale). Since then Pad Thai has been my dip stick to measure my likingness to any new Thai restaurant I try. If the Pad Thai is good then the other dishes can't be that bad. The version below may not be the typical recipe for Pad Thai. It's a mix and match of many recipes I have seen. Some claim that Pad Thai is actually not a Thai dish - but guess what - who cares!!

What goes in:

For the sauce:

1) Tamarind puree
2) Fish sauce (can substitute with soy and salt)
3) Peanut butter (smooth)
4) Tomato sauce (ketchup)
5) Palm sugar (ordinary sugar would do as well)








Other stuff
1) Flat rice noodles - thin variety
2) Egg
3) Dried prawn (shrimp)
4) Pickled turnips (this is the signature ingredient)
5) Prawn - preferably raw (can substitute with chicken, tofu or any other veggie)
6) Chives (substitute with spring onions)
7) Bean sprouts
8) Ground peanuts (roasted)



The procedure:

1) Mix the ingredients of the sauce together and make a paste. The quantity of each of this ingredient would make or break the taste of Pad Thai. Happy experimenting.
2) Boil the rice noodles. Make sure it is not too soft that it breaks apart or gets mushy mushy.
3) Heat a large wok and add a few tablespoons of oil.
4) Break in an egg and scramble fry it.
5) Add the dried prawns and turnips and saute for a few minutes.
6) Add the mixed sauce and saute for a minute or 2.
7) Add the prawns and cook them until they just turn red.
8) Add the noodles and add some more fish sauce. Remember to sprinkle some water if the noodles gets too sticky.
9) Mix well for a few minutes.
10) Add the chives.
11) Add bean sprouts and garnish with roasted peanuts.

Some serve with a wedge of lemon - personally I never preferred that.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Stir Fried Chicken Noodles a.k.a. Chicken Chowmein (in Indo-Chinese lingo)

Stir-fried noodles or "Mee" as I was introduce to about 4 decades ago was always a hit at home. My mom had her recipe influenced probably by Malay and Indian cuisine with a strong garlic and ginger flavour to it. Over the years I have realized that "chowmein" means many things in different restaurants. I always get confused (and confuse the waiters) when I order "chowmein" in a proper Chinese restaurant (outside India). I've learnt to order this as "stir fried egg noodles with...".  When it comes to anything chinese and stir fried - one of the key requirements is a nice wok to get the smoky restauranty flavour. You cannot get this with the non-stick versions but a proper steel sticky version that needs proper "seasoning".  I used something like the one below. 

Ingredients:
1) Egg Noodles
2) Carrot
3) Onions
4) Cabbage
5) Capsicum (Bell Pepper)
6) Spring Onions (Shallots)
7) Garlic
8) Eggs (beaten)
9) Dark Soya sauce
10) Chicken thigh fillet
11) Vinegar

The method:

1) Chop Shop
The first and foremost in making noodles is chopping the veggies to the right size in terms of length and thickness. Yes, it could be a pain to chop the carrots, but any other way would not make that a chowmein. These days I cheat and get the ready made stir fry veggie mix. The next important thing in chopping is the meat. Make sure you slice the chicken fillet as thinly as possible and chop it up a bit more. Each piece should not be more than 1-2 inches in length and probably a few centimeters wide. This is to allow the chicken to be cooked fairly quickly. The next trick was to marinade the chicken in soy sauce and garlic. This removed the otherwise chickeny smell of chicken once stir fried.

2) The Noodles

1) Heat a large sauce pan with enough water to dunk all of the noodles.
2) Bring it to a boil and add the noodles.
3) Use a fork to separate the noodles after a few minutes.
4) Stop cooking when you can see the froth coming up.
5) Drain and wash the noodles in cold water to stop further cooking.

3) Stir Fry
a) Heat up a large wok on high heat until you can see the smoke coming out.
b) Add a few table spoons of oil (1 per serving) and coat the wok with oil.
c) Toss in the minced garlic and sautee for about 10-20 seconds.
d) Add the chicken and sautee until the chicken is 3/4ths cooked i.e., you dont see anything pinkish. Remove the chicken and transfer to a separate bowl / plate.
e) Add the beaten egg and scramble it up for about a minute.
f) Add the onions and stir fry for a minute.
g) Next comes the carrots. Another 30 seconds of stir frying.
h) Add capsicum and cabbage and give it another quick stir.
i) Toss in the boiled noodles and coat it with a bit of soya sauce. A typical Indo-chinese version will be fairly low on the soy sauce content. Add a few tablespoons of water if the noodles are sticky.
j) Stir fry the mix for about a minute ensuring all the contents have mixed well.
k) Garnish with spring onions.

Chicken Chowmein ready!!

Enjoy

C