Kang Hed Top (Mushroom Soup)

As the rainy season approaches, numerous local vegetables starts blossoming, especially the puffball mushroom aka hed top which is now an agricultural product exported worldwide. To Chiang Mai people, this mushroom is regarded as a rare and expensive ingredient, used in several dishes. One of them includes hed top soup with mamao leaves (Lyonia Ovalifolia), a type of sour local plant widely purchased in the markets. Here's the recipe of this awesome seasonal dish.

Wash the mushrooms. Crush a pinch of shallots, garlic and dried chili, add 1 tablespoon of Thai shrimp paste, then mix them together. Add the paste and mushrooms into the pot with boiling water. Leave them for approx. 20 minutes and add the mamao leaves. Season with fish sauce or soy sauce and serve.

FRENCH CROISSANTS

My friend give this link for baking great croissant

FRENCH CROISSANTS

• 1 pkg. yeast
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. butter
• 1 egg, beaten

Follow the direction:

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water. Stir in sugar. Combine flour, salt, 1/4 cup butter and yeast mixture in bowl; mix well. Knead until smooth. Cover; let rest for 20 minutes. Roll into large rectangle on floured surface. Place remaining butter in center of dough. Fold dough in thirds from narrow ends. Chill for 1/2 hour. Roll; fold again. Chill for 1 hour. Roll, fold and chill again. Chill for 1 hour. Roll, fold and chill again. Roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into squares. Cut each square diagonally. Brush with beaten egg. Roll from wide side. Place on baking sheet. Let rise in warm place for 1/2 hour. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until brown.

Le Cordon Bleu

LE CORDON BLEU WORLDWIDE LEADER IN CULINARY EDUCATION

Le Cordon Bleu’s role as an educational leader at the forefront of the hospitality industry. Founded in Paris in 1895, today the presence of Le Cordon Bleu encompasses 26 international schools in 15 countries, attended by more than 18,000 students every year. The origin of the expression “Cordon Bleu” comes from the 1578 foundation of the Order of Knights of the Holy Spirit. The members of the order wore a medal suspended on a blue ribbon and their spectacular feasts became legendary.

In less than nine months, it is possible to obtain Le Grand Diploma Le Cordon Bleu, which is recognized worldwide by culinary professionals; the international passport to a great career. Most recently Le Cordon Bleu International has launched Associate Degree and Diploma courses in Restaurant and Hospitality Business that are accredited in North and South America, and in Australia the Bachelor and MBA degrees in International Hotel and Resort Management and Master of Arts in Gastronomy.

Today I come to tell the cooking and baking lovers in Thailand that ...

"Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Thailand has been opened now at Dusit Dhani Hotel, Bangkok"

Tom Kha Gai (Chicken and Coconut Soup with Galanga)

Thai Favorite Soups ... Mine Recommend!!

Thailand has two really famous soups: tom yum and tom kha gai. Both are complex and delicious, filled with exotic aromas and flavours. Such is the genius of Thai cuisine that although the two soups contain many of the same ingredients, their characters are completely distinct: tom yum takes on a fiery heat and slight sourness from the addition of chili paste (nam prik phao), while tom kha gai is silky smooth because of the inclusion of sweet and mellow coconut milk. I love them both, but this one is my favourite. The recipe above is pretty good, but not mine is a little different (and more authentic in both ingredients and method.

A note on the name: tom means boil or boiled in Thai, kha is galangal or galanga, and gai is chicken, so this is something like "boiled galangal chicken." More usually on menus in Thai restaurants it's something like chicken in coconut milk. The rest of today cooking word is Yum, means mix. So tom yum is "boiled mixed", hardly a good translation of what is more generally referred to as spicy sour soup.

This Hot Poultry Soups, my favorite, is a hot sweet and sour soup made with coconut milk, lemon grass and chicken. There are other versions made with either seafood (tom kha talay) or mushroom (tom kha het) too. All follow a similar recipe. When I studied in UK, we have an international party in the dorm … Guess what?

Yeah!... I choose Tom Kha Gai as a Thai food representative instead of Tom Yum Goong (Prawn hot and spicy soup). All roommates really like it (nothing left in their bowls of in the pot except the leaves and stalks of herbs), might because it’s only one dish that choose be the appetizer.

Ingredients:

48ml/16fl.oz. Chicken Stock
4 Kaffir Lime Leaves, finely shredded
4 stalks fresh Lemon Grass (cut each crosswise into 1-1 ½ inches)
2.5cm/1 inch length Galanga, sliced
4 tbsp Fish Sauce
2 tbsp Lime Juice
100g/1 whole Fresh Chicken Breast, shredded
150ml/4 ½ cups Coconut Milk
1 cup of mushrooms, halved lengthwise (sliced fresh button mushrooms also good to cook)
4 whole Small Thai Chili Peppers, lightly crushed
Fresh Coriander Leaves to garnish

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken stock in a large saucepan together with the Kaffir leaves, lemon grass, galanga, and chilies.

2. Bring to the gentle boil (medium-hign heat) mixing well combine with the shredded chicken and coconut milk.

3. Bring back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Once the chicken is cooked, add the mushrooms and remove from heat. Add the fish sauce and lime juice to taste.

5. To serve - transfer to warmed soup bowls and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Please note that lemongrass, galanga, lime leaves, coriander roots - which impart amazing aroma and flavour, they are not meant to be eaten.

"Kao Chae", a delicious must-eat

Hot Escape with a wonderful and unique Thai dish

Summer comes again so lots of people try to alleviate swelter. Many think of some cooling food like ice-cream, Nam Kang Sai (Thai dessert) … Today, I’d like to recommend you another tasty Thai food with unique character, “Kao Chae.”

Kao Chae is a very popular traditional delicacy unique to Thailand. It is a delicious must-eat during the hot months. Here, I present you with the favourite Thai summer rice dish, the combination of fresh, aromatic, and subtly saccharine tastes, the dish relies upon takes practiced skills and hard-to-find products.

Secret technique, making Kao Chae become a specialty is the way jasmine water is made. The flower water tastes by turns delicate and chalky; the jasmine rice on display in its transparent liquid. The grains permeated with a special incense candle. The scent from the candles and the natural oils from the jasmine should permeate the water.

In the past rain water is used but today mineral water is used instead. Water is kept in clay pot to keep it cool before wasn’t commonly used. Ice was used later on when it was made easier to find.

We will eat Kao Chae with the Fried Stuffed Corn Pepper (Prik Yuak Yud Sai), Fluffy Sweetened Dried Fish (Pla Yee Son Pud Warn), and savoury fish, Stuffed Shallot, Fried Shrimp Paste and Grachai Cat Fish (Kapi Tod). Fried shrimp paste is the heart of Kao Chae. People will decide whose Kao Chae is best by tasting fried shrimp paste.

Moreover there are boiled vegetable such as cucumber, mango, goat pepper etc. to serve with Kao Chae. Kao chae is another wonderful and unique Thai food that has reasonable supports of its origins. It shows the cleverness of adapting to the hot and humid climate.

Welcome Little Chef

Hi Everyone

I've finally started up my first Cooking blog.
I've dream to do this kind of webpage for ages ... So, at this moment I just hope that I'll be able to keep this page updated as often as I can.

Any Recipes to share please leave your comment.

Cheers!