The Best Thai Foods!

For the final recipes of our Thai cooking experience, we made two very delicious dishes.  They are deep fried spring rolls and mango with sticky rice!  These are popular in Thailand and we really enjoyed making them almost as much as we loved eating them. 🙂

Spring rolls

Filling

100g clear glass noodles (vermicelli noodles can work too)

1 tbsp. vegetable oil for stir frying

1 tbsp. chopped garlic

1 cup ground meat (chicken, pork, or beef)

½ tbsp. fish sauce

One pinch white sugar

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup shredded cabbage

6 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

*For a vegetarian dish, replace the ground meat with minced tofu and the fish sauce with soy sauce.

Wrapping

Spring roll wraps or rice paper

2 tsp. tapioca starch or corn starch

3 tbsp. water

Chili sauce

1 red spur chili

2 tsp. garlic

1/2 cup vinegar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tbsp. salt

1/4 cup water

Preparations

• Soak the noodles in warm water for about 10 minutes. If they are too long, cut them to make them shorter.
• Mix the tapioca and the water on the stove at low heat until it becomes clear and sticky. This will be used as glue to seal the rolls.
• Prepare the vegetables; chop and/or grate.

Filling ingredients

Tapioca glue

Under Chef Oliver’s watchful eye, I prepared the tapioca glue while my fellow classmate from Singapore stir fried the vegetables.

1. Start making the filling by heating the tablespoon of oil in a wok, add garlic, and stir fry until fragrant.
2. Add meat and stir until cooked.
3. Add all ingredients except for oil and keep stir frying for 10-15 minutes.

4. Place the filling in a bowl.

5. Put a spoonful of filling near the edge of a wrap. Be careful not to put too much or else the wrap may break.

6. Fold up the bottom and sides over the filling.

7. Roll until almost to the top.

8. Brush with a bit of tapioca glue to keep it sealed.

9. Continue for the rest of the rolls.

10. Heat the rest of the oil in a pot by turning the stove to medium heat.

11. Deep fry the spring rolls until they are crispy and golden brown.

12. An essential to eating spring rolls is sweet chili sauce.  To make the sauce, pound red spur chili and garlic together.  Simmer with vinegar, white sugar, salt, and water over medium heat.  Simmer the sauce until thick, garnish with red chili slices, and serve with spring rolls.

Pouring in the water

Chef Oliver making the chili sauce

13. Enjoy!

Mango with Sticky Rice

Ingredients

1 cup hot cooked sticky rice

2 tbsp. white sugar or palm sugar

1 pinch salt

½ cup coconut milk

1 ripe, peeled mango (lychee or ripe papaya can also be used)

¼ cup pandana leaves cut into small pieces

½ deep fried mung bean seeds (optional garnish)

1. Cook the sticky rice.

2. Heat the coconut milk and pandana leaves in a pot on the stove at medium heat.

3. Stir and let the coconut milk simmer.

4. Add the sugar and salt and continue to stir.

5. Remove pot from heat.

6. Pour the coconut milk over the rice.

7. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes. The rice will absorb the milk, so it will be a bit mushy.

8. Serve with the pieces of mango with the mung bean seeds and flowers for decoration.

9. Eat!

The spring rolls are perfect for a light snack or appetizer and the mango with sticky rice is a yummy dessert.  These are my new favourite Thai foods and I can’t wait to make them again at home.