Beef & Zucchini Red Curry

Beef & Zucchini Red Curry

Ingredients

400 grams Beef Sliced, Ask your butcher to slice the Beef in strips or thin slices (preferred)

1 Large Zucchini Diced

200 grams  Bean Sprouts

4 Chillies Fresh

2 Carrots

1 bunch Coriander Fresh w/ Roots

2 tablespoon Garlic Minced

1 tablespoon Fish sauce (nahm bplah)

4 tablespoon Peanut Oils

200 milliliters Water

200 milliliter Coconut Cream

3 tablespoon Mae Ploy RED Curry Paste

Method

1. Carrot Preparation: Precook the carrots until they are "easier" to slice! My measure for this is I can poke  bamboo stick in it - it gets in a bit but doesn't go through . Or enough to take it from the water with a fork. It is firm but cooked.

Cut the Carrot long-way in 2 parts if you prefer to cook in a very small pan cut it before pre-cooking. 

Cool it in running water and

Slice it thinly 

2. Coriander Bunch: First of all :

In Brazil for some unknown reason or no reasoning, when you buy a bunch of herbs most of the times you get some spring onions with the bunch. If that is the case separate them and I'll explain what I do in a second.

Separate the Coriander in 3 parts

1 Leaves - Chop them roughly

2 Stems - Chop them course

3 Roots - Chop them well - very small

If you have a bunch of spring onions that came with the coriander, 

Separate the spring onions in 2 parts t

1 The soft green - Chopped at 45 degrees angle ! 

2 The white part - Chop them well - very small

Mix the white chopped spring onions with the coriander roots

3. Beef on the Wok !: Preheat your wok.

Put on the wok in this order

 1 all peanut oil

 All Gralic

 2 All Coriander Roots and white part spring onions if available

 1 Tablespoon of Red Curry Paste

 400g of Beef slices (stroganoff beef)

 Fish sauce

The purpose here is to seal the pork meat with all the above ingredients mixed well i the meat.

If the mixture it too dry you add a bit of water to melt all ingredients together in a "soft paste"

As soon as the meat starts to seal outside add HALF of the chillies thinly chopped.

Add now All remainder:

Water

Red Curry Paste

Coconut Cream

Coriander STEMS

Keep turning the mixture until all mixture is homogenous 

Keep it in medium/high heat until you see the oil from the curry paste on the surface!

4. Add Pre-cooked Carrots: Add the pre cooked sliced Carrots 

Mix well and

Turn off the heat! 

Wait until it stops boiling!

5. Zucchini: Add the Zucchini dices and allow them to cook until you can pierce the peel easily with a fork.

They will be more yellowish, softer  but not  soggy !

Coconut cream to the proper consistency

6. Bean Spriuts: The important part of this dish is that the Ben Sprouts should be maintained without cooking!

They have to be only "heated" and "softened" to a minimum by the curry and served crunchy so 

BE QUICK on this step!

7. The Ready Wok: Add Coriander Leaves and Chillies to taste to the mixture

If you're casual like me and cook this everyday garnish it on the wok itself and serve!

8. Serving: Serve it with Jasmin Sickie Rice cooked with cardamon pods

Of course you add more coriander and chillies 

Servings: 4

Source: Beto Boton

Pork & Bean Sprouts Green Curry

Pork & Bean Sprouts Green Curry

(pt_br) Curry Verde com Lombo de Porco e Broto de Feijão

This is not an "authentic Thai" dish it is a creation based on Thai food and ingredients!

Servings: 4

Source: Beto Boton

Ingredients

400 grams Pork Sliced, Ask your butcher to slice the pork in strips or thin slices (preferred)

300 grams  Bean Sprouts

4 Chillies Fresh

2 Carrots

1 bunch Coriander Fresh w/ Roots

2 tablespoon Garlic Minced

1 tablespoon Fish sauce (nahm plah)

4 tablespoon Peanut Oils

300 millilitres Water

200 millilitres Coconut Cream

3 tablespoon Mae Ploy Green Curry Paste

Method

1. Carrot Preparation: 

Precook the carrots until they are "easier" to slice! My measure for this is I can poke  bamboo stick in it - it gets in a bit but doesn't go through . Or enough to take it from the water with a fork. It is firm but cooked.

Cut the Carrot long-way in 2 parts if you prefer to cook in a very small pan cut it before pre-cooking. 

Cool it in running water and

Slice it thinly 

2. Coriander Bunch: 

First of all :

In Brazil for some unknown reason or no reasoning, when you buy a bunch of herbs most of the times you get some spring onions with the bunch. If that is the case separate them and I'll explain what I do in a second.

Separate the Coriander in 3 parts

1 Leaves - Chop them roughly

2 Stems - Chop them course

3 Roots - Chop them well - very small

If you have a bunch of spring onions that came with the coriander, 

Separate the spring onions in 2 parts t

1 The soft green - Chopped at 45 degrees angle ! 

2 The white part - Chop them well - very small

Mix the white chopped spring onions with the coriander roots

3. Pork on the Wok !: 

Always Preheat your wok.

Put in the wok these ingredients in this order

 1 - All peanut oil

 2 - All Gralic

 3 - All Coriander Roots and white part spring onions if available

 4 - 1 Tablespoon of Green Curry Paste

 5 - 400g of Pork slices

 6 - Fish sauce

The purpose here is to seal the pork meat with all the above ingredients mixed well i the meat.

If the mixture it too dry you add a bit of water to melt all ingredients together in a "soft paste"

As soon as the meat starts to seal outside add HALF of the chillies thinly chopped.

Add now All remainder:

Water

Green Curry Paste

Coconut Cream

Coriander STEMS

Keep turning the mixture until all mixture is homogenous 

Keep it in medium/high heat until you see the oil from the curry paste on the surface!

4. Add Pre-cooked Carrots: 

Add the pre cooked sliced Carrots 

Mix well and

Turn off the heat! 

Wait until it stops boiling!

5. Bean Spriuts: 

The important part of this dish is that the Ben Sprouts should be maintained without cooking!

They have to be only "heated" and "softened" to a minimum by the curry and served crunchy so 

BE QUICK on this step!

6. The Ready Wok: 

Add Coriander Leaves and Chillies to taste to the mixture

If you're casual like me and cook this everyday garnish it on the wok itself and serve!

7. Serving: Serve it with Jasmin Sticky Rice 

Of course you add more coriander and chillies 

Ok This is not a restaurant! 


so no fancy decoration today...

Enjoy !

Thai Green Curry Paste

Thai Green Curry Paste (nam Prik Kaeng Khiaw Waan)

If I say now it is my favourite, it will not be true the minute after I have the urge to cook a Red curry, or a Yellow curry or Massaman curry and so on.

The fact is, Thai Green Curry is a must when you want something really chilli hot.
I don't believe in a "mild" Thai Green Curry. That is not right at all.

What do I use?
Ok, it has been a while I want to tell you this, and I don't make a cent from the manufactures, truly, but I love the Mae Ploy line of curry pastes.

You can buy Mae Ploy Thai Green Curry in a small envelope pack, enough for 2 people, on a small plastic jar, good for a few curries in 3 months or if you get really serious buy the 1 Kg pot! (like me…)

I found all Mae Ploy curries in São Paulo on an Asian Market located at Praça da Liberdade.

To tell you more, I'm so addicted to Thai Curry, I have sent, via express post to Brazil, 50 packs from Australia, so afraid I was, I'll would have difficulties finding it in São Paulo!

More on Thai Green Curry
You can make the paste yourself, if you can't find it!




Here it is, how to make your own Thai Green Curry Paste:

Thai Green Curry Paste (nam Prik Kaeng Khiaw Waan)

Ingredients:

- 15 large fresh green hot chillies*
- 3 shallots (pt_br - cebolinha aperitivo), sliced
- 9 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely sliced fresh galangal (pt_br substitua gengibre em pó)
- 1 tablespoon sliced fresh lemon grass
- 1/2 teaspoon finely sliced "kaffir" lime rind (pt_br limão bem verde substitui)
- 5 teaspoon chopped coriander root (or substitute coriander stems if unavailable)
- 10 white peppercorns or 1 teaspoon of ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon roasted coriander seeds**
- 1 tablespoon roasted cumin seeds*
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste or dried shrimp pound on a mortar


METHOD 1: (by hand!)

Combine coriander seeds, cumin and peppercorn in a mortar, pound well. Transfer to a bowl and put aside.
Pound hot chillies and salt together well. Add the remaining ingredients except shrimp paste, pound until mixed well.
Add the cumin mixture and shrimp paste, continue mixing it up until smooth and fine.

GREEN CHILLIES
I recommend "dark green" fresh hot Thai chilli peppers, and if you are in Brazil, "Dedo de Moça VERDE" for a beautiful green color paste

METHOD 2: (Lazy one - use a mixer)

In a bowl add coriander seeds, cumin and peppercorn, and mix it very well. If you find it difficult to get a powder from it, you can always use a blender! Separate this ones.
Mix hot chillies and salt together well. Add the remaining ingredients except shrimp paste, mix it until combined homogeneously.
Add the cumin mixture and shrimp paste, continue mixing it up until smooth and fine.

GREEN CHILLIES
I recommend "dark green" fresh hot Thai chilli peppers, and if you are in Brazil, "Dedo de Moça VERDE" for a beautiful green color paste


This mixture can be stored in a "cold" fridge for a month and in the freezer a lot( I keep it for 6 months easily)


After all this once again, the commercially available Thai Green Curry Paste in the fridge last a very long time, when kept with its plastic closed inside the plastic jar also well closed.

Finally there are many ways to cook Thai Green Curry, and soon I'll be posting a few options here.


Beto Boton

I love Coriander (pt_br Coentro)

I love Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum ) (pt_br Coentro)

If parsley makes a splash in Italian cooking, it's cousin coriander, is king in Thai cooking.
It is also interesting to mention the yankees call it cilantro an in portuguese is coentro.

Mainly we use coriander in 4 different forms:

• Seeds
• Seeds powder
• Leaves and Stems
• Roots

I personally prefer to buy coriander bunches with longer and thicker roots since I use 3 separate parts of the bunch in different steps of cooking as explained below.

Buying a fresh bunch is essential, and the best way to store it is in a glass of water like a vase, with roots underwater and everything else above water level in a ventilated place. If this is not possible wrap it (very dry) in paper towel ( usually newspaper is used in Bangkok) and then in a plastic bag, as far as it can be from the coldest places of your fridge because it will "burn" it otherwise.


Coriander Seeds
It is curry used in pastes, sauces, and marinades, try dry roasting in the oven on a baking tray to bring out their perfume and flavours at the time of cooking.
Light soy sauce with roasted coriander seeds is a fantastic sauce for fried whatever (sausages skewers, fried fish etc.

Seeds powder
One key ingredient in the preparation of curry pastes.

Making good use of the coriander bunch:

Coriander Roots
Separate the roots from the rest of the bunch.
With a mortar ans pestle create a thick paste mixing coriander roots with garlic (see variations) .

Walking the streets in Bangkok and observing the street cooks, I was intrigued by what were they pressing the whole day long with their mortar and pestles?


And my answer is this:

1- Coriander Roots + Garlic
2- Coriander Roots + Garlic + Chillies
3- Coriander Roots + Garlic + Lemon Grass
4- Coriander Roots + Garlic + Galangal
5- Coriander Roots + Garlic + Ginger

Coriander Stems
I chop very finely most of the stem part of the bunch and I use them during the curry cooking process, mostly when the curry in the wok is releasing all its oil to the surface, and before adding the second lot of coconut cream to the curry.

This paste is then "roasted or fried" if you prefer in your wok PRIOR to preparing your curries! (NEAT TRICK!)
Personally I like using a very small drop of Peanut oil and fry the mixture before cooking, also If I'm going to use meat, chicken or pork I "seal" them first in this mixture.

Coriander Leaves
Of course Coriander Leaves are used for edible decoration in many Thai dishes.
Here is my personal taste. I prefer to break them with my hands into my plate. Very course, very whole very FRESH!

Of course you can chop them if you prefer and serve them separately so everyone can add their preferred amount of Coriander to their plates. At home we have always a serve of fresh coriander and one of fresh chillies so we can "spice up" everything. I even like to eat sticky rice with fresh coriander and chillies by itself.

OK, Coriander and Chillies are a fantastic mixture! I love it!

Note: It is also important to mention that there are other 2 types of coriander used in cooking:
1- Long Coriander (Eryngium foetidum L.) sometimes known as culantro an in portuguese coentro-bravo.
2- Vietnamese Coriander (Polygonum odoratum Lour.) in portuguese hortelã-vietnamita

Bok-Choy - The secret ingredient!

Bok-Choy is one of my secret ingredients, I'll tell you why:

When my sister moved to France near 1976, and obviously influenced by the family name (Boton / Botton in it's original spelling) I became fascinated by French cuisine, and in particular I was follower of the book "La cuisine du marché par Paul Bocuse" published that same year.

Following these recipes like a dog in a fox's trail, I've learned quite a few tricks, but the message that got stuck into my mind is: "What is fresh today is what will be served!"

I've learned the main ingredient of any recipe is what is fresh, and what is fresh is determined by the season. Finally I was able to connect my Astrological knowledge with my cooking passions. Seasons was something close to my heart.

Contrary to "main stream" beliefs, recipes are to a certain degree "organic" and are adapted to the seasons where most of it's ingredients are native of.

All these, to tell you about what goes into my Curries!

My main curry themes are:

Prawns
Fish
Seafood Mix
Beef
Chicken
Pork
All Veggies

Here is the important bit!

The vegetable part of the curries follows the "Bocuse's Law" of what is fresh!

My preferred curry vegetable is very fresh Bok Choy.

Bok choy, otherwise known as bak choi, paak choi, Chinese chard cabbage and Chinese mustard cabbage (couve chinesa in portuguese ) is a vegetable that resembles celery although it is actually a member of the cabbage family. It has thick, white stalks and dark green leaves that have a round shape.

Talking to a street cook in Tailand, I was told that bok choy is a "complete vegetable". It has the harder texture part that contributes with a crunchy part to the dish and the very green leaf part what makes almost unnecessary to add anything to a complete dish.

Any simple everyday curry will be more than complete when you cook it with bok-choy.

As per basic rules of cooking, the longer cooking time ingredient goes first in the wok, so your leaves will be added after you took the wok from the fire and mixed carefully not to break these delicious green leaves.


Ask your "leaves" street market person or in your local asian food sore.


Enjoy

Carlos Alberto (BETO) Boton

Visite:

http://betoboton.com/

e

http://brasilcoaching.com/

No chillies! No Coriander! No Thai Food!

When we arrived in Brazil we where very enthusiastic about everything. Too much enthusiasm...

We found out that with the exception of the state of Bahia, and a few places near it, Brazilian people are not  prepared to have a Thai food experience.

Most people are hypersensitive to chillies e the others who venture into chilli land don't like coriander, also there is a smaller but significant group who express there dissatisfaction with everything ginger.

Well how do you make Thai Curry this way?
Well you don't!


The fact is that Thai restaurants in São Paulo are so rare and when you can find one the food as far as it can be from authentic Thai food.

Coriander (coentro in portuguese) also one of the main ingredients of basic Thai food is not that much appreciated and assimilated in the southern part of Brazil. Apparently it's presence is restricted to a few black beans related dishes .

To have it settled, there is a tendency to mix up "moqueca" with Thai curry, as the closest resemblance  ( the coconut milk) drags the sensitive Brazilian palate to consider Thai Curry too hot, too strong too whatever.


A few people ventured into the Thai food! They end up HOOKED like me into these lovely dishes.

Using mostly original ingredients and a few "local ones" I'll post soon some less than 20 minutes total prepare time meals using the basic Thai Curries.

Beto

Visite:

http://betoboton.com/

e

http://brasilcoaching.com/

Street-food in Thailand

I love street food in Thailand. Get this for example!
Each skewer is 5 baht - means today (Nov/2010) $0.29 Brazilian Real and US or Aus $ 0.17.

This means that for less tha $US$1 you had a very nice meal...
Quail eggs, sausage skewer, fish balls skewer etc etc etc.

For a full entertainment day visit Chatuchak Market via Skytrain is the easiest way!

Precious Ingredient

The most precious ingredient in cooking is Time!

You have to find and enjoy the time to locate, select and buy the best, freshest possible ingredients.
I don't buy "fake stuff" examples:
If I need Milk I don't buy Soya extract with the name milk on the box!
If I'm going to use Saffron, it must be real Saffron.
I believe you got the point already.

When I mistakenly moved back to Brazil, I was afraid of not finding the ingredients I was used to. Mainly because they were mostly from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia,  and the only understanding of Asian Food there was in here was "Japanese Food".

I took some drastic measures:
1-I sent via express post, 2 envelopes containing 25 packs each of Thai curries!
2- I located in the US a supplier of Asian Vegetables and Chillies seeds, certified of course, so I could plant them here, just in case I could not find them!

In the Addiction classes of my Counselling course, I learned with this nice teacher that an "Addiction is anything that seems more important than....."

Well, I'm addicted to Thai food.
Yes I cook and eat it on a Daily basis.

No it doesn't take long to cook, usually everything is done in less 30 minutes, since the rice takes 20 minute to cook!

I learned and like many other world cuisines, but Asian food is more me!

I'm not the Iron Chef Thai, but I manage to do a good job.
I owe most of it to my friend Savitree Sommerfeld, this beautiful Thai lady that lives in Germany and is a master-chef! I learned from her.

Later on I'll post some of the key ingredients to have at home and offer some super quick recipes.

Cheers

What's all about?

Hello Everyone

First of all in English and later on I'll try to add some content in Portuguese too.

This Blog has to do with my favourite past time: Cooking.
It is for the friends who asked me for recopies of this and that.

Lets keep it simple and see what will happen.

Cheers
Beto Boton