Quick Thai Eggplant Soup

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms (caps only,) or use white
mushrooms
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, stemmed and cut into 1-inch squares
1 envelope Coconut Ginger Soup Mix (a Taste of Thai brand)
2 chopped plum tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
4 sprigs fresh cilantro, stems included
8 ounces chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

In a medium-size pot, heat chicken broth over medium heat.
Add
eggplant and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.

Add onion, bell pepper, soup mix, tomatoes, coconut milk and
cilantro, and return to a simmer.
Add chicken and simmer for 10
more minutes.
Serve hot as a soup or over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: Cal 379 (56% fat) Fat 24 g (20 g sat) Fiber 5 g
Chol 50 mg Sodium 242 mg Carb 19 g Calcium 51 mg

Thai Beef Salad

From the kitchen of Martin James - Copenhagen, Denmark

1 pound (500g) beef rump steak
1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice
2 tablespoons shredded mint leaves
150g spinach leaves
2 (260mg) Lebanese cucumbers, seeded, sliced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Combine beef with juice and mint in medium bowl, cover;
refrigerate at least 3 hours or until required.

Heat oiled large pan; cook beef until browned on both sides and
cooked as desired.

Cover beef and let rest 5 minutes; cut into thin slices.
Combine
beef with spinach and cucumber in large bowl.

Gently toss combined vinegar, sauce and sugar through beef
salad.
Serves 4.

Per serving: 8.6g fat; 2g fiber

Thai Pork and Pineapple (Ma Ho)

“Ma Ho” means “galloping horses.”

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground pork
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, minced
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
1 small pineapple, pared, cored and
cut into slices
Snipped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in wok or 10-inch skillet until hot.
Stir-fry garlic
until light brown.
Add pork; stir-fry until brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
Spoon off fat.
Add peppers, sugar and fish sauce; stir-fry 2
minutes.
Add peanuts and 2 tablespoons cilantro; stir-fry 1 minute.
Spoon pork mixture onto pineapple slices.
Sprinkle with
cilantro.

Serve with hot cooked rice.

Yields 4 servings.

Vietnamese Pork with Orange Juice and Cilantro

Source: Nothing Fancy by Diana Kennedy

1 (2 1/2 pound) loin of pork, center cut, trimmed
of most but not all the fat
20 small cloves garlic, peeled
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped cilantro stalks
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 bay leaves
4 whole allspice

Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fat skimmed from the pan juices
3 green onions, trimmed and finely
chopped, with most of the green parts
2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Juice of 2 large oranges
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro stalks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and set the rack in the middle
of the oven.

Make 20 incisions all over the pork with the point of a sharp
knife and insert the cloves of garlic.
Season the meat with salt
and pepper to taste.
Set the meat on a rack in a roasting pan and
sprinkle the top thickly with the 1/3 cup chopped cilantro stalks.
Put the broth, bay leaves and allspice in the roasting pan, and
cover the pan tightly with foil so that no steam will escape.

Cook the meat until it is very tender but not falling apart, so
that you can slice it easily — about 3 1/2 to 4
hours.
Set the meat aside on a warm dish for about 15 minutes.
Slice the meat, cover with foil and keep warm in the oven.

Meanwhile, degrease the broth.
Put the butter and 1 tablespoon
of the skimmed fat in a saucepan and heat.
Add the onions and 1
tablespoon of the lime juice and fry gently until soft.
Add the
remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice plus the skimmed pan juices
(be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan well for all the scraps
adhering to it), cover the pan and cook the sauce for about 5
minutes.
Add the mustard, orange juice and the 1/4 cup chopped
cilantro stalks.
Cook, uncovered, for about 4 minutes longer.
Pour
some of the sauce over the meat and pass the rest in a separate
dish.

Makes 5 to 6 servings.

Vietnamese Rice Cake in Banana Leaf (Banh Chung)

2 cups sticky (glutinous) rice, preferably long-grain
1 drop green food coloring (optional)
1/4 cup dried split mung beans
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 ounces pork shoulder or butt or chicken thighs,
cut into 1/4-inch thick chunks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (15 x 17-inch) sheets plastic wrap plus extra
1 (15 x 17-inch sheet aluminum foil
2 (15-inch square) pieces banana leaf
Kitchen string

Place the sticky rice in a large bowl and cover with 3 inches of
water.
Stir in the food coloring, if using, and let the rice soak
overnight.
You should have about 4 cups of rice after soaking.

In a separate bowl, soak the mung beans for at least 4
hours.

Combine the shallots, fish sauce, black pepper and pork pieces
and let marinate for 30 minutes.

Just before cooking, drain the rice and the beans and leave them
in separate bowls.
Add the salt to the rice and stir to blend.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over moderate heat.
Add the pork
pieces and all the marinade and stir just until the meat is brown
around the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove the pan from the
heat and set aside.

Using a steamer basket, steam the mung beans over simmering
water until they’re soft, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat
and set aside.

To make the packet, neatly lay down the wrappers in this order:
one sheet of plastic wrap, the aluminum foil and two sheets of
banana leaves (one perpendicular to the other).
Place 1 cup of rice
in the center of the banana leaf, spreading it over a 5-inch-square
area.
Place half of the mung beans on top then add the pork pieces.
Cover again with the remaining mung beans and place 1 cup of rice
on top.

Bring the narrow sides of the wrappers together.
Fold the
gathered edges over twice, then flatten against the packet.
(You
now have two open ends.) Fold one end over and hold the packet
upright.
Add half of the remaining rice, tapping it and pushing it
down so the packet will be an even square.
Fold the ends (like
wrapping a gift box) and repeat on the other side.

Place the packet with the folded sides down in the center of the
remaining plastic sheet.
Wrap tightly so water will not seep into
the packet during cooking.
Tightly tie the packet with two parallel
strings in both directions (as in a tic-tac-toe pattern).

Fill a large stockpot with water.
Add the packet and bring to a
boil.
Reduce the heat to a low simmer.
Place a colander or
something heavy to keep the packet submerged in the water.
Cook,
uncovered, for 4 hours, adding more water as necessary.
Remove from
the heat and set aside to cool for 1 hour.

To serve, cut the packet (without unwrapping) into 1/2-inch
slices.
Remove the wrapping and arrange the slices on a serving
plate.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
If wrapped in plastic and
refrigerated, the cake will keep for 1 week.

Makes 1 large packet, or 4 servings.

PER SERVING: 450 calories, 18 g protein, 77 g carbohydrate,
12 g fat (3 g saturated), 34 mg cholesterol, 698 mg sodium, 6 g
fiber

Sesame Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce

1 pound vermicelli or thin spaghetti
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
3 cloves garlic
4 green onions, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1 (1 inch) piece ginger root, pared and quartered
1/3 cup peanut butter (plain or chunky)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup tap water or chicken broth
1 tablespoon rice or white vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Cook spaghetti as directed; drain and rinse with cold water.
Toss with 2 tablespoons sesame oil (this dish can be served cold or
hot).
If you want to serve as a hot dish, do not rinse with cold
water; just drain.

In food processor, finely chop garlic, green onions and ginger.
Add remaining sesame oil and all ingredients.
Process until
thoroughly mixed.
Top each serving of vermicelli or spaghetti with
amount of desired sauce.