Mandarin Oriental Thai Cooking School With Chef Narain
At the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok’s Oriental Thai Cooking School, Chef Narain Kiattiyotcharoen hosts classes highlighting Thai cuisine. On a recent trip to Bangkok, Jetset Extra had the opportunity to experience these classes first hand.
How to Cook Smoked Palm Sugar Dumplings
In the first of four extended video segments, Chef Narain takes us step by step, demonstrating how to make smoked palm sugar dumplings using sticky rice flour, palm sugar, full-grown coconut flesh, and black and white sesame seeds. The result: teeny tiny dumplings because, as the chef says, “In a Thai way, the smaller the cuter!”
Music is “Gameboy Memories” by Macroform
Dumplings with palm sugar filling recipe:
(Serves four)
1 cup of sticky rice flour
1/3 cup water
4 tablespoons pandan juice
20 cubes of palm sugar
Grated full-grown coconut flesh
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon black and white sesame seeds, dry-roasted and crushed
In a mixing bowl, combine the sticky rice flour with water and pandan juice. Knead well.
Take a little dough at a time, form into a ball of about 2 cm in diameter, flatten it and put the palm-sugar cube in the middle. Pinch the edges to close and carefully reform into a ball. Continue until all the sugar cubes are used up.
Bring some water to a boil, then add the dumplings to cook. When they are rising, remove them with a slotted spoon and leave to cool.
Dredge the cool dumplings with the mixture of the grated coconut flesh and salt then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Smoking the dumplings is optional.
How to Cook Rice Flour Crêpes with Prawns and Coconut Filling
The next video features steamed rice-flour crêpes with a coconut and prawn filling. Although Chef Narain uses a fancy crêpe-steamer to make the crêpes in his demonstration, he also explains how to use an alternate method at home.
Music is “Gameboy Memories” by Macroform
Steamed rice-flour crepe with prawn and coconut filling recipe:
(Serves four)
4 1/2 tablespoons of chili oil
2 tablespoons of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of coriander roots, finely chopped
1/4 cup of tomalley
1 1/4 cups of prawns, shelled, deveined, and minced
1 cup grated coconut flesh
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
1 cup of rice flour
1 cup of tapioca flour
1 cup of water
1 cup of coconut milk
crisp-fried garlic
coriander
lettuce
bird’s eye chilis
Heat the chili oil in a wok for about one minute, add garlic and coriander roots to stir-fry until aromatic, then add the tomalley. Continue sautéing for a few minutes, add the prawns, and stir well until the mixture is cooked. Add the coconut, then keep cooking and flavor with salt and sugar. When the mixture is quite dry add the pepper and kaffir lime leaves, stir well, and remove from the heat. Allow to cool, then take the amount of a coffee spoon and shape into a ball 2 centimeters in diameter. Continue until all the mixture is used up. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine rice flour with tapioca flour; gradually add a little water to knead. When the dough is formed, add the rest of the water and coconut milk to mix. Stir and strain well. Set aside.
To prepare the steamer, put a pot on the stove and a cheesecloth over the top. Gently pour hot water through the cloth, then pull the cloth tight and secure with rubber bands. Bring the water to a boil.
As soon as the water boils, pour a spoonful of the batter onto the middle of the cloth and smooth the batter out to all sides with the back of the spoon leaving a rim of about 1 inch. Cover with a lid, and let it steam for a few seconds. Place a ball of filling in the middle of the batter once the color becomes slightly transparent-white, and delicately and loosely fold the edges over the filling with a slight twist of the hand. Gently pull the crêpe off the cheesecloth and put it onto an oiled plate. Sprinkle with crisp-friend garlic and serve warm with coriander, lettuce, and bird’s eye chilis.
How to Cook Thai Egg Noodles with Chicken Curry Sauce
In part three, Chef Narain Kiattiyotcharoen demonstrates how to make authentic chicken curry with egg noodles. This unique dish draws inspiration from Myanmar in its use of both curry powder and paste.
Music is “Gameboy Memories” by Macroform
Egg noodles in chicken curry sauce recipe:
(Serves four)
For the curry paste:
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, dry-roasted
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, dry-roasted
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 cup of dried red chilis, seeded, cut, and soaked
1/2 tablespoon of lemon grass, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon kaffir lime zest
1 tablespoon galangal, sliced
1 teaspoon coriander roots, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic
1 tablespoon shallots, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon shrimp paste, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled
For the chicken curry:
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/3 cup water
2 3/4 cups coconut milk
1/4 galangal, crushed
1 tablespoon coriander roots, crushed
2 tablespoons shallots, crushed
1/2 teaspoon kuruma powder
1/4 turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
3 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 1/4 cups chicken thigh, sliced
1 1/2 cups egg noodle, boiled
Serve along with some crisp-fried egg noodles, crisp fried pork scratchings, preserved mustard greens, shallots, fried chili paste, and lime juice.
To make the paste, pound the spices until fine. Add the chilis, lemon grass, kaffir lime zest, and galangal and coriander roots. Continue to pound until smooth and well-mixed. Add the garlic and shallots, pounding until a fine and smooth paste forms. Add the shrimp paste and pound until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside. (For this recipe use 15 grams (1 tablespoon) of the resulting paste.)
Combine the coconut cream and water in a wok and reduce over medium heat. Stir well until oil surfaces. Add the red curry paste and stir fry until aromatic. Add the coconut milk, galangal, coriander roots, and shallots.
Bring to a boil, then add the kuruma, turmeric, and curry powders. Flavor with fish sauce and palm sugar. Add the chicken to simmer for about 10 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat and discard the galangal and coriander roots. In a serving bowl, pour the soup over cooked egg noodles and serve with the above accompaniments.
How to Cook Chinese Kale Salad with Jetset Extra
In the final video segment from Chef Narain’s cooking class, the chef makes a quick Chinese kale salad with grilled pork. The salad is topped with a healthy dressing made with coriander roots, garlic, bird’s eye and Thai green chilis, and pickled garlic ground in a mortar and mixed with lime juice, fish sauce, and syrup.
Music is “Gameboy Memories” by Macroform
Chinese kale salad recipe:
(Serves four)
1 cup pork shoulder, grilled
1 cup Chinese kale, stems only
Cold water as needed
1 teaspoon coriander roots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon bird’s eye chilis
1 tablespoon Thai green chilis, seeded and sliced
1 tablespoon pickled garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons garlic, finely sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons syrup
Slice the pork thinly and set aside. Slice the Chinese kale thinly and soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
In a mortar, pound the coriander roots, chilis, pickled garlic, and one third of the garlic, until thoroughly incorporated. Spoon the paste into a bowl and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, and syrup. Set aside.
In a serving dish, arrange the kale and pork and top with the rest of the garlic. Pour the dressing all over and serve.
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