Sunday, October 19, 2008

Tom Yum

What's the first thing come into mind when someone mentions about Thai food? Tom yum it is!! Eric who craved for tom yum so badly, has decided to have a Thai fix! Presented to you, the hot & spicy tom yum soup and tom yum rice vermicelli!



The delicious Tom Yum soup.


Ingredients:
~ 1 kg chicken thighs (chopped into pieces)
30 frozen cooked shrimps
2 medium carrots (1.5-inch pieces)
1 large onion
1/4 lb long beans (one-inch pieces)
5 medium white mushrooms (sliced)
2 medium tomatoes (in cubes)
6 dried red chillies
2 stalk lemongrass
3 piece lime leaves
1/2 can instant tom yum paste
2.5 tom yum cubes

Directions:
1. Chop the chicken thighs into small pieces. Cut the onion into pieces.
2. Cut the carrots, long beans, white mushrooms, and tomatoes. Soak the frozen shrimps in a bowl of water to thaw.
3. Prepare a large pot of boiling water. Add the tom yum cubes into the boiling water.
4. Add the chicken pieces into the pot. While they're almost cooked, add the rest of the ingredients (except shrimps). Snap the dried red chillies into two pieces before adding into the soup.
5. Add tom yum paste and salt according to taste.
6. Once cooked, cover the pot with lid and let simmer for 30 minutes until the soup thickens. Add the cooked shrimps for the last two minutes.
7. Serve it with white rice. Bon appetit!

The tom yum soup tasted more delightful the next day! And the best of all, it reminded me of asam laksa ;D



The spicy fried tom yum rice vermicelli.


Ingredients:
1/2 lb chicken breast (small stripes)
5 medium white mushrooms (sliced)
1/4 lb long beans (one-inch pieces)
1 small carrot (thin stripes)
1/2 medium red pepper (thin stripes)
1 inch ginger root (finely chopped)
1/2 large red onion
Bean sprouts
1 packet rice vermicelli
Instant tom yum paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Directions:
1. Soak the rice vermicelli in a bowl of hot water to soften.
2. Cut chicken into stripes and prepare the vegetables.
3. Heat the pan and add cooking oil. Saute the onion and ginger. Pan-fry the chicken stripes.
4. Add tom yum paste to taste. Add the rest of the vegetables into the pan and stir-fry them.
5. Add the rice vermicelli and more tom yum paste according to taste. Add salt and pepper.
6. Add bean sprouts and stir-fry for one minute.
7. Ready to serve!
Very colourful rice vermicelli indeed! Red (red pepper), green (long beans), orange (carrots), light brown (mushrooms), white (bean sprouts) etc. The presentation was appetizing, and the aroma of tom yum was simply irresistible! I certainly went for seconds, so did others!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving celebration without a turkey? Yeah! This was an Asian-style thanksgiving with yummy sushi! Oh well, sushi was one of the many dishes we prepared for the big feast! There were mostly finger food:


Pork ribs with barbecue sauce.

Pork ribs were marinated overnight with barbecue sauce and kept in the refrigerator. Bake them the next day in the preheated oven at 400 F till cooked (about 40-45 minutes). It's as easy as ABC!



Chicken wings and home-baked fries.

Half of the chicken wings were marinated with ginger sesame sauce and the rest with teriyaki sauce. Together with the pork ribs, they were kept in the refrigerator overnight. Bake them in preheated oven at 400F.

Home-baked fries

Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them into long stripes.
2. Place potato stripes in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix well.
3. Spread the potato stripes on a greased cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
4. Cook them in a preheated oven at 400 F until cooked (about 45 minutes).
5. Serve while hot!

*Hint: Fries are best served with mayonnaise + ketchup as dipping sauce.



Sushi with avocado, simulated crab sticks, picked radish, canned salmon and tuna ;)

This special dish was prepared by Paul and Eric. Yummy sushi, best served with wasabi + sashimi soya sauce ;)



The cream cheese blueberry pie from the Happy Baker!

The bountiful food left my stomach with no room to contain this yummy blueberry pie bought by Teck from the famous bakery store, Happy Baker. Located in the heart of downtown Fredericton, it sells fresh and delicious pastries, cakes, breads (you name it) and I just love to be there!

I had to take a two-hour break before indulging into the yummy pie. Smart choice, Teck! Fresh blueberries on soft custard and tasty pie shell, yumm....



Gingerbread loaf from my Lab Manager, Tracy.

I shared this gingerbread loaf on Thanksgiving day with two of my roommates. Apparently, gingerbread is best served with whipping cream. We had it plain and it was tasteful with a strong aroma of spices just the way it was!