Tart Orange Curry Soup

Tart orange curries are inherently simple to prepare and versatile in the ingredients you can use, including many types of seafood and vegetables. These central plains curries of Thailand are thinner than most others and don’t use coconut milk, hence I felt they were a natural selection for transformation into a soup. David Thompson, the ultimate authority on Thai food, and hence culture, explains in his seminal book, Thai Food, that grilled fish is sometimes added. I know that a few flakes of charred fish or shrimp would be most welcome in this soup and adding some noodles would make it a complete meal.

Serves 4–8
 Preparation time: 10 mins
 Cooking time: 10 mins

2 tablespoons oil

5 tablespoons sour curry paste (substitute red curry paste)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

4 cups (1 liter) chicken or seafood stock/broth

2 cups (500 ml) water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup (120 g) onions, bite-sized slices

1 cup (100 g) long beans or green beans, bite-sized pieces

1 cup (80 g) cabbage, bite-sized pieces

1 cup (150 g) bamboo shoots, bite-sized slices

1 cup (150 g) cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in halves or large diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons Tamarind Pulp or concentrate (page 25)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

¼ cup (10 g) chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

2 cups (80 g) watercress, sliced into small pieces (substitute choy sum, arugula or spinach)

1 Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil, curry paste, and turmeric. Stir while roasting the spices for 1 minute.

2 Mix in the stock, water, sugar, onions, beans, cabbage, bamboo shoots, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.

3 Stir in the tamarind, fish sauce, and fresh lime juice. Adjust the seasoning with fish sauce, salt, sugar, and tamarind.

4 Divide the chopped coriander leaves and watercress into the serving bowls. Ladle the hot soup into the bowls and serve.

Citrus Salad with Crispy Shallots

The fragrant flavors reverberate on your tongue with this vibrant citrus salad. All citrus is believed to originate in Asia and this contemporary recipe shows how the flavors of Thailand can be applied to a newly founded fruit salad combination. Grilled or poached shrimp are a fantastic addition inside the salad, or use this as a base on a plate and top with a grilled fish, beef, pork, or chicken.

1 Cut the rind into equal segments by slicing it with a sharp knife. Be careful not to cut the inner segments.

2 Starting from the top of the cut, peel away the rind to expose the segments.

3 Remove the citrus membranes and separate the segments.

Serves 4–6
 Preparation time: 15 mins + chilling

2 cups (350 g) pomelo, peeled and crumbled, as shown below (substitute grapefruit)

2 oranges, peeled and deseeded, pulp torn into small pieces

1 lime, finely grated zest combined with juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1–2 red finger-length chilies, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup (20 g) mint leaves

2 cups (70 g) shredded green leaf lettuce, save some leaves for garnish

2 tablespoons Fried Shallots (page 37)

1 Gently fold the citrus, garlic, shallot, chilies, fish sauce, and sugar together in a medium bowl. Chill for ½ hour before serving, but no longer than 8 hours as the flavor begin to suffer.

2 Fold in the mint leaves, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt and sugar.

3 Put the lettuce leaves inside a shallow bowl, then spoon the citrus salad on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with the Fried Shallots.

 Glass Noodle Salad

Bright flavors, quick to prepare, and easy to make ahead, this side dish is a twist on Thai yam woon sen. The cooks of the small seaside town of Sriracha never dreamed that their own Nahm Prik Sriracha Chili Sauce (page 35) would be an international favorite, this recipe uses the brillant red sauce to add color and a spicy kick. Adding slices of grilled meats or seafood make it a more substantial meal, or keep it vegetarian by using soy sauce in place of the fish sauce.

Serves 4–6
 Preparation time: 10 mins + marinating time

One 4 oz (120 g) packet or bundle of dried bean thread noodles (cellophane noodles)

¼ cup (40 g) thinly sliced red onions, soaked in ice water for 15 minutes, drained well

2 stalks lemongrass, tender inner part of bottom third only, finely minced

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2–3 tablespoons Sriracha Chili Sauce (page 35)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup (125 g) matchstick strips cucumber

¼ cup (10 g) roughly chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

1 cup (50 g) bean sprouts

¼ cup (5 g) mint leaves

1 Pour boiling water over the noodles and let soak for 5 minutes. Strain and rinse with water until cool, drain very well. Using scissors or knife, cut the noodles a few times to shorten the length, making them easier to eat. Transfer the noodles to a large mixing bowl.

2 Stir in the onions, lemongrass, lime juice, Sriracha Chili Sauce, fish sauce, sugar, cucumber, and coriander leaves. Make sure the noodles are thoroughly mixed with all the ingredients. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until ready to eat.

3 Fold in the bean sprouts and mint leaves. Adjust the taste by seasoning it with Sriracha, sugar, and, fish sauce.