Mangos with Sticky Rice

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Mangos and coconut milk are meant for each other, and sticky rice is the icing on the cake. Try to get yellow-skinned “Manila” mangos if you can—the flavor is stronger and more acidic than the green and red-skinned South American varieties.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sticky rice

  • 1 can coconut milk, separated into: 1 cup coconut milk and 1/4 cup coconut cream

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1-2 large ripe mangos, peeled and sliced

Instructions

Soak the sticky rice for several hours, then place in a bamboo steamer over a wok of boiling water until translucent and dry. A large stock pot with a bowl inside can be used as a substitute if the normal bamboo steamer is not available. Sticky rice is very hard and requires a lot of water to cook, so don’t let the steamer run dry.

Heat the coconut milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan over low heat until sugar just dissolves. Pour about half of the mixture over the cooked sticky rice and mix well. Add coconut cream to the remaining mixture and heat to a boil, then cook 5 to 10 minutes until thickened. Allow to cool. Place the rice in a serving bowl, top with sliced mango and drizzle with the coconut cream mixture. Serve at room temperature.

‘General’s’ Noodles

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According to the waiters at Sanamluang, this noodle dish is named for the restaurant’s former parking attendant whose authoritarian ways were legendary. Any kind of mixed meat can be used, although to stay true to form requires leftover roast duck, beef meatballs and squid.

Ingredients

  • 1 package dried rice noodles

  • 6 cups beef broth

  • 1 cup leftover roast duck, sliced

  • 4 preserved duck eggs, hard-boiled and sliced

  • 1 cup squid, cooked and chopped coarsely

  • 8 to12 beef meatballs (found in the frozen section of most Thai stores)

Instructions

Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 15 minutes. Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot. Divide the noodles into four individual portions and dunk each into the boiling broth for a few seconds with a wire strainer basket before placing in four bowls. Divide and dunk the duck, sliced eggs, squid and meatballs in the broth and place on top of the noodles.

Pour 1/4 of the broth into each bowl and serve hot.

Coconut Milk Soup

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This dish is somewhat elaborate but definitely worth the effort. Creamy, rich and spicy at the same time, it’s no wonder that it is among the most popular dishes served at Sanamluang. The only unusual ingredient is galangal, which is a kind of Thai ginger with a pine-like flavor.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chicken stock

  • 3 stalks lemon grass, pounded lightly

  • 2-inch long knob of galangal, sliced

  • 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn into small pieces

  • 1 pound chicken, sliced

  • 1 cup straw mushrooms

  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar

  • Juice of 2 limes

  • 4 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 6 cups coconut milk

  • 10 Thai chiles, pounded lightly

Instructions

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large pot, adding the lemon grass stalks, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves. As soon as the stock begins to boil, add chicken, mushrooms, sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce. Add the coconut milk and chiles and cook for a few minutes longer. Remove from the heat and take out the lemon grass and galangal pieces before serving.

Chicken with Basil

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“Holy” basil is widely available in Thai stores. The stems are purple and the leaves are pointed, distinguishing it from regular sweet basil. I actually prefer the flavor to “regular” basil—it’s slightly more bitter and fragrant, with a unique aroma. The basil doesn’t require much cooking, as too much heat makes it bitter and destroys the delicate flavor.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1/2 pound chicken breast, chopped coarsely

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce

  • 4 fresh red chiles, sliced lengthwise

  • 1 large bunch of Thai “holy” basil

Instructions

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the chicken breast, and cook over high heat for a few minutes. Add fish sauce and chiles and cook for a few minutes more. Add the basil and toss together until cooked.

Fried Spicy Noodles

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I like the way the cooks at Ruen Pair prepare their Khii Mao or “drunkard’s noodles.” It is less elaborate than some, but I prefer its simplicity. This is a typical bar food dish in Thailand, intended to be washed down with buckets of Singha beer. Don’t be afraid to make it as spicy as you can stand—it will certainly be true to the original. Stir-frying noodles isn’t hard, but it does require a lot of oil. To minimize the amount of oil used, add a little at a time as you cook the noodles.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breast

  • 4 tablespoons oil

  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 pound fresh wide, flat rice noodles (Sen Yai)

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 2 to 8 Thai chiles, chopped coarsely

  • 1 small bunch Thai basil

  • White or black pepper to taste

Instructions

Slice the chicken breast into strips 1/4-inch wide. Heat the oil in a wok and add garlic. As soon as the garlic begins to cook, add the chicken and cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, saving the oil. Stir fry the noodles in the oil with the soy sauce until cooked, then add the chicken breast. Mix together and add fish sauce, chiles, and basil leaves. Toss in a wok, remove from heat and add pepper. Serve with vast quantities of Thai beer.