Kai Keng Khao Poon Chin 

HOT CHICKEN SOUP WITH CHINESE VERMICELLI

Ingredients

I chicken, washed and gutted

I small rice-bowl (4 tbsp) of jelly mushrooms (see page 43), washed and sliced lengthwise

I small rice-bowl (i.e. about 4 to 5) shallots, peeled

I dried squid, soaked and washed, beaten to soften it, and sliced thinly

I bowl (i.e. 3 to 4 large) potatoes, washed and peeled and Cut into cubes of 0.5 cm

2 hen's eggs~make them into a thin omelette, fold the omelette, cut it into strips of 2 cm, then slice the strips thinly, lengthwise

3 fragrance mushrooms (page 44), soaked and thinly sliced

spring onion, the green parts only, chopped

coriander leaves, chopped

salt, fish sauce, ground black pepper

I whole spring onion, bulb included

3 bunches of coriander roots

I rice-bowl Chinese vermicelli, soaked and cut up

Method
After preparing all the above ingredients, put a soup pot on the fire. In it put three metal jugfuls (3 pints) of water. Add a sprinkle of salt, the whole spring onion and the coriander roots. Place the lid on the pot and leave it until the contents come to the boil. Then put the whole chicken into the pot. Keep the lid on and leave it until the chicken is well cooked.

Take the pot off the fire. Remove the chicken to a platter. Take off the breast meat only, shred this and put it on a plate.

Pour the broth through a strainer. Place the pot of strained broth back on the fire and leave it until it comes to the boil. Then add the fish sauce, shallots and mushrooms. When the shallots are cooked, add the potatoes, the shredded chicken breast, Chinese vermicelli and squid. When all these are cooked, taste and check the saltiness. Take the pot off the fire and add the sliced omelette.

Serve the soup in a bowl and garnish it with the chopped spring onion leaves and coriander leaves, and the ground black pepper. Serve with Jaew Kapi (see page 48).

Notes
If you wish to make Keng Hon Sin Moo (Hot soup with pork) you would need the same ingredients (but substituting pork for chicken). The difference in preparation is that a lot of pork bones should be used to make the broth; and in addition there should be slices of pork to put in the soup. The rest of the method is the same.

One must not be too lavish in adding other ingredients, or else the dish will turn into an Or (see page 58). If it is called a Keng, this means that we want to eat the soup more than the meat.

52

Keng Pa Sai 

CLEAR FISH SOUP

Ingredients

pork bones, trimmed of any fat and washed

I small rice-bowl (i.e. about 200 g) grilled fish, deboned

I small rice-bowl (i.e. about 4 to 5) shallots, peeled

½ small rice-bowl (i.e. about 2 tbsp) jelly mushrooms (see page 43), cleaned, boiled and sliced

2 hen's eggs-make them into a thin omelette, then fold the omelette, cut it into strips of 2 cm, slice the strips thinly lengthwise and put them on a plate

spring onion, the green parts, chopped

coriander leaves, chopped

3 Kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped with a knife

ground black pepper, salt and fish sauce

6 straight-bulbed spring onions

2 bunches coriander (I bunch consists of 2 or 3 sprigs)

I small rice-bowl Chinese vermicelli, soaked in water and cut up small

Method

Put 3 metal jugfuls (3 pints) of water in a soup pot. Place the pot on the fire. Add salt, the 6 spring onions, and the bunches of coriander leaves with their roots. When the water boils, add the pork bones and put the lid on the pot. Leave it until the bones are cooked sufficiently for the meat to fall off them. Take the pot off the fire and spoon out the meat. If there is still any fat left, cut it all off.

Strain the broth and return it to the pot. Add the meat and return the pot to the fire. Add the shallots, the jelly mushrooms and the fish sauce. When the shallots are cooked, add the Chinese vermicelli. When all is done, taste and check the saltiness.

Take the pot off the fire. Add the prepared strips of omelette and the dried fish. Serve in a bowl and garnish with the chopped spring onion leaves, the chopped coriander leaves, the finely chopped Kaffir lime leaves and the ground black pepper. Accompany the dish with Jaew Kapi (see page 48) and fried vegetables.

Keng Kalampi Jak 

CHOPPED CABBAGE SOUP (WITH MINCED PORK)

Ingredients

pork bones, washed and trimmed of all fat

6 straight-bulbed spring onions

2 bunches coriander

10 (small) shallots, peeled and sliced

minced pork, the red meat only, a quantity equivalent to a duck's egg (4 to 5 tbsp)

I large soup bowl (capacity about 1+ pints) sliced cabbage

coriander leaves, finely chopped

ground black pepper, salt, fish sauce

2 hen's eggs

Method
Put 2 metal jugfuls (2 pints) of water in a pot. Put the pot on the fire. Put the prepared bones, the spring onions, the coriander and salt in the pot, cover it and leave it to boil until the meat separates from the bones. Take the pot off the fire. Strain the soup, return it to the pot and put it back on the fire. Let it come back to the boil, then add the cabbage, the shallots and fish sauce. Use a fork to add in the minced pork a little at a time. When the vegetables are cooked, taste and cheek the saltiness. Break the hen's eggs into the soup and stir to mix them in.

Serve the soup in a bowl, garnished with the chopped coriander leaves and the ground black pepper.

54

Or Lam Nok Kho 

QUAIL STEW

Ingredients

I dried quail, matured until almost mouldy, divided into separate breast and leg parts, washed and put on a plate

7 round eggplants (see page 33)

5 large fresh green chilli peppers

I stalk lemon grass
3 straight-bulbed spring onions 

sa-kahn (an aromatic plant, used in stews-see page 41), cut into pieces about 5 cm long and 5 cm thick-about 10 pieces-washed

3 young shoots rattan, cooked by being placed directly on a charcoal fire and peeled so as to leave only the soft part, which is to be cut into pieces 2 cm long and washed

I bunch phak tam nin (an edible leaf see page 37), picked over, keeping only the leaves and tops, which are to be washed

dill, washed and Cut into pieces about 2 cm long

spring onion, the green parts, cut into pieces about 2 cm long and washed sweet basil leaves, washed

I piece of crisp-fried pork skin, cut into squares of 5 cm and put on a plate padek (page 23)

salt

2 yard-long beans, cut into pieces about 2 cm long

Method
Put 2 metal jugfuls (2 pints) of water in a pot and place it on the fire. Add the prepared bird, the eggplants, the chilli peppers, the spring onions, the lemon grass, the so-kahn and salt. Cover and let it boil. Add the padek in a padek basket suspended in the soup. When the eggplants and the chilli peppers are done, spoon them out and pound them. Put this mixture back in the pot. When it returns to the boil add the phak toni nin and the yard-long beans. When all is done, add the pieces of pork skin and the chopped coriander leaves, taste and check the saltiness.

Serve in a bowl, garnished with the chopped spring onion leaves. Accompany the dish with young cucumbers and older eggplants and other fresh vegetables (e.g. salad leaves, watercress, etc.).

Note
In cooking this Or Lam, you can also add Duk Moo Sam La (pork bones which have been kept for some time in the broth) if you fear that it will not be 'nua' (flavoursome enough).

You may also add other kinds of vegetables (when you are cooking the stew), but be careful not to use too many because the Or Lam Nok Kho will then turn into Or Moo (Pork Stew) or Or Phak (Vegetable stew).  

Kai Pad Khing 

FRIED CHICKEN WITH GINGER

Ingredients

I chicken, cleaned and gutted-divide it first into two breast pieces and two leg pieces, then cut and divide the legs from the drumsticks; as for the feet, they should be cut off at the knee joints the wings should also be separated at the shoulder bones, and each breast cut into two parts; the remaining carcase should be cut into large pieces-do not cut bones into small pieces

I chicken gizzard, turned inside out, washed, salted, sprinkled with ground black pepper and left on a plate

I fully grown coconut, opened, the meat grated and two extractions of coconut milk squeezed out, only a little from each extraction

2 pieces ginger, thinly sliced; squeeze out the liquid and fry it in pork fat until it gives off a good aroma, then remove it from the fat and leave it on a plate

shallots, peeled-fry them until they give off a good aroma and are nice and golden, then leave them on a plate-you should have enough to fill a large rice-bowl

I large onion, peeled and finely chopped and set aside in a bowl

straight-bulbed spring onions-the green parts only, cut into pieces 2 cm long

3 (small) heads garlic-take off the outer skin and peel each clove, then crush them on a chopping-board

salt, fish sauce

chopped coriander leaves ground black pepper

Method
Put a wok on the fire, and I ladleful of pork fat in it. Add the chopped onion and fry it until it gives off a good smell and has turned golden. Next, put in the chicken and the crushed garlic. Turn the pieces of chicken frequently, add the fish sauce and mix everything together. If there seems to be too much fat, pour off some of it. Then add the second extraction of coconut milk and put the lid on the pan. When the chicken is tender, add the first extraction of coconut milk. When this comes to the boil, add the fried shallots and the fried ginger. Taste and check the saltiness. Then add the chopped spring onion leaves. Dish up on a platter and garnish with ground black pepper and chopped coriander leaves; then serve.

56

Pa Ling Sousi Haeng 

PIQUANT FRIED CATFISH

Ingredients

6 slices of pa ling (a name applied to two members of the pangasid family of catfish, one of which, PANGASIUS NASUTUS, is shown on page l04, with its belly full after feeding)-scrape off the mucus from the skin of the fish and cut slices about I cm thick-wash and salt these, fry them in pork fat until they are a good golden colour, then set them aside on a plate

5 dried red chilli peppers-pick off the stems, take out their cores and soak them in water 

7 (small) shallots (peeled) 

I fully grown coconut, split open-grate the meat and squeeze two extractions of coconut milk from it

chopped spring onion leaves chopped coriander leaves

salt, fish sauce, ground black pepper Kaffir lime leaves

(pig's-bone broth or any other clear soup)

Method
Put the first extraction of coconut milk in a wok on the fire and leave it until the cream separates. Add the kheuang hom and leave simmering over a hot fire stirring occasionally, until the ingredients give off a good aroma. Then add the pig's-bone broth or other clear soup and leave the wok over a low fire until the liquid has reduced somewhat.

Next, add the fish sauce and a considerable quantity of the second extraction of coconut milk, followed by the fish slices back and forth so that they absorb the liquid. Add the Kaffir lime leaves and the chopped spring onion leaves. Transfer the contents of the pan to a platter, garnish them with ground black pepper and chopped coriander leaves, and serve.

Note
Sousi Haeng should not have much liquid or juice. There should only be enough to keep the Slices of fish moist. When dished up, the liquid should cover the bottom of the platter, just enough so that when the platter is tipped the liquid will flow from one side to the other. That is called haeng (dry).

Nok Kho Hum Sai Kalampi 

BRAISED QUAIL WITH CABBAGE

Ingredients

I fresh quail, plucked, gutted, washed and sprinkled with salt and ground black pepper

5 straight-bulbed spring onions, crushed and stuffed into the bird (tie the bird's feet and wings to its body using wire)

butter, the size of a hen's egg

I cabbage, cut into quarters

(ground black pepper)

(chopped coriander leaves)

(pig's-bone broth)

Method
Put the butter in a cast-iron pot and put the pot on the fire. When the butter is hot, put in the bird. Turn it from side to side until it is nicely golden all over. Then add enough pig's-bone broth or other clear soup to cover the bird. Put in the quarters of cabbage, cover the pot and leave it until the broth has largely evaporated and the bird and cabbage are well cooked. The liquid remaining should be just enough to keep the bird from drying out.

Take the bird out of the pot and divide it into the breast and leg parts. Dress these on the centre of a platter and arrange the quarters of cabbage around them. Use the liquid left over in the pot as sauce, and garnish the dish with ground black pepper and chopped coriander. Serve it with Joew Sam (page 48).

58

Ka lee Ped 

DUCK CURRY*

Ingredients

I duck, plucked, gutted and cut into pieces as desired-these to be washed, sprinkled with salt and ground black pepper and left on a plate

dried chilli peppers, soaked in water until soft

7 (small) shallots 

3 tablespoons of curry powder

I fully grown coconut, opened and the meat grated by using a ka-tai kood mok-pao (a 'rabbit' for grating coconut, see page 28)-then make the first extraction of cream, followed by the second and third extractions of milk, approximately enough to fill a large soup bowl

10 potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces of the size which you think would be beautiful, then washed and left on a plate

salt, fish sauce, ground black pepper chopped coriander leaves

Method
Put the coconut cream in a wok and place it on the fire. Leave it until the cream separates, and then add the kheuang hom. Stir until it gives offa good aroma.

Next, put in the salted pieces of duck and stir until they have shrunk a bit. Add the fish sauce and curry powder. Stir some more and then add the second extraction of coconut milk and the potatoes. Put the lid on the wok. When the duck and potatoes are well done, taste, then dish up in a bowl, garnish with ground black pepper and chopped coriander leaves, and serve.

* Editor's Note. Phia Sing added the words 'Lao style' to the title, but then crossed them out.

Kalee Ped 

DUCK CURRY*

Ingredients

I duck, plucked and gutted - cut off the legs and divide the breast into two pieces; cut off the tail end; cut other parts (such as the wings) into large pieces; wash all the pieces and sprinkle them with Salt

2 large onions, thinly sliced

I coconut, opened and the meat grated-make two extractions of coconut milk and combine them, then leave the mixture in a large soup bowl

6 tablespoons of curry powder

2 tablespoons of butter

12 potatoes, peeled, soaked in water and washed

2 large red chilli peppers

salt, fish sauce

chopped coriander leaves

ground black pepper

I small can tomato paste

Method
Put the pieces of duck in a pot and place this on the fire. Stir until a good aroma is given off Add the fish sauce and take the pot off the fire. Pour off some of the duck's fat if there seems to be too much.

Put the butter in a wok and put it on the fire. When the butter is hot, add the onion. When this starts to smell good, add the tomato paste and curry powder. When these ingredients give off a good aroma, add the coconut milk. Stir until the cream separates, then take the wok off the fire.

Put the pot with the pieces of duck back on the fire and pour the curry sauce from the wok on to it. If some of the coconut milk had been left over, add it to the pot at this stage. Cover the pot and leave it until the duck meat is well cooked, then add the red chill peppers and the potatoes. When the latter are thoroughly cooked, taste.

Serve the dish in a bowl, garnished with ground black pepper and chopped coriander leaves and accompanied by rice.
Note

This kale efalang (curry for foreigners) should not have as clear a soup as our Lao curry. One must try to make it as thick as the sauce for Khao Poon Nam Phik (page 83).

* Editor's Note. Phia Sing had added to the recipe title French style', but then crossed out the addition.

60

Sousi Pa Gnon 

A 'HOT' DISH OF SMALL CATFISH

Ingredients

6 pa gnon-(see illustration below)-scrape off the mucus from the skin, gut the fish, cut off and discard the heads and tails, wash the fish and salt them

I fully grown coconut, split open-grate the meat and squeeze two extractions of coconut milk from it, keeping the first extraction Separate from the second one-quantity, one soupbowl of each

2 dried chilli peppers soaked in water 

7 (small) shallots, peeled 

Salt and fish sauce Kaffir lime leaves

spring onion leaves, chopped coriander leaves, chopped

ground black pepper

Method
Put the first extraction of coconut milk in a wok on the fire until it becomes creamy. Then add the kheuang hom: and fry it until it gives off a good aroma. Add the fish gently, stir thoroughly, then add fish sauce and the second extraction of coconut milk. When the fish are cooked, taste and check the saltiness. Add the Kaffir lime leaves. Transfer to a serving-dish, garnish with the chopped spring onion leaves and coriander and ground black pepper, and serve.