Temple of Thai Cooking News

Temple of Thai Cooking E-News
More Easy Fruit Carving and Green Papaya Salad Recipe!

Sa-wah-dee-kah (Greetings!)
You may also read this newsletter online here: http://www.templeofthai.com/news/june2003.html

Fruit and Vegetable Miracle Knife

Sale price $10.95

Making sweet,sour,spicy Green Papaya Salad(recipe below)is a breeze with this multi-purpose Miracle Knife. Peel, pare, core, and carve quickly and professonally both fruits and vegetables with the uniquely designed rotating zig-zag shaped stainless steel blade.

Perfect for shredding cucumbers,daikon radish, and other semi-firm fruits and vegetables, the handle is durable, dishwasher-safe plastic. More details on our site.

Clay mortar and pestle (normally $14.95)

Sale price $13.95

Use this mortar and pestle set for preparing Thai Green Papaya Salad(recipe below), curry pastes and fresh herbs from your garden. It's large size makes it perfect for pounding rosemary, oregeno and other herbs for grilling this summer.

This natural earth-toned mortar with wooden pestle will be a beautiful addition to your kitchen! Also visit our site to see our granite mortar and pestle.

(approx. 7 3/4" diameter, 7 1/4"; height; wooden pestle 13 1/2"; 6 cups capacity; 5lb)

Simple White Lotus Cucumber Garnish

Material:
1 long cucumber and 1 carrot
Equipment:
sharp pointed knife and carving knife

Instructions:
1. Wash the cucumbers. Cut into 3 sections.
2. Divide the circumference of each into 8 equal parts and then make cuts about 3mm deep between each part down the length of the section.
3. Slice beneath each part down the length almost to the base to separate it from the flesh, thus forming the 8 outer petals.
4. Trim the flesh to remove ridges and then divide into 8 parts as before to make the inner ring of petals. These should be centered between those of the outer ring.
5. Remove the core of the cucumber, trim each petal so it tapers to a point, and then insert the center of the flower.
6. For the center, use 1/4" thick disk cut from a small carrot. Cut small grooves in a crisscross pattern on one face, and place up in the lotus flower.

These carving and garnish instructions taken from:

Step-by-Step Vegetable and Fruit Carving Book

Please visit our site for a wide selection of Carving Knives and Tools

Green Papaya Salad Recipe (Som Tom Malakor)

Ingredients:
1 peeled and shredded green papaya (about 3 cups)*
1/4 cup ground dried shrimp
1 dried chili soaked in water
6 cloves garlic
7 white peppercorns
1/4 cup lemon or lime, cut into small cubes
3 Tbsp. palm sugar
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1 Tbsp. tamarind juice**
1 head of lettuce (bibb or Boston)

Preparation:
Gently crush shredded papaya in mortar with pestle.

Crush garlic, dried chili, and peppercorns in mortar mixing thoroughly.

Mix tamarind juice, fish sauce, and sugar in a pot and heat to a boil. Remove from heat, allow to cool, add lemon juice, and mix with chili paste in a mortar.

Add crushed papaya, dried shrimp and lemon cubes and mix thoroughly.

Spoon onto a plate. Garnish with fresh red chilies. Serve with lettuce.

Notes: Thai recipes calling for lemons if written in Thailand are calling for Limes! Lemons are not available in Thailand unless imported, therefore not commonly used. *If green papaya is not available substitute a combination of shredded hothouse cucumbers (about 2 cups, seedless), carrots (about 1/2 cup) and daikon radish (about 1/2 cup). **To prepare tamarind juice break off a 1 inch piece of tamarind paste and squeeze with your fingers in 1/4 cup of warm water. Or use our prepared Sour Soup Base, Por Kwan.

This Thai recipe is from Spicy Thai Cuisine cookbook edited by Narin Khu-Armornpatana;
now on sale for $19.95 (normally $22.95)

Sale ends July 8,2003