Foi Thong - Golden Threads

It is not often that I get a chance to see Thai desserts being made in person. So, I was particularly thrilled at the weekend to see some demonstrations of how to make a few of my favourite Thai sweets. The one I want to show you today is called Golden Threads, or foi thong in Thai. It is not strictly speaking a Thai dessert as it was believed to have been introduced by the Portuguese over 400 years ago. However, the Thai have made it their own now. The basic ingredient is egg yolk which is gently cooked in a syrup of water and sugar.

It all looks quite easy to make but I am sure you need to practice a lot to get it just right. First the eggs are separated and then the yolks are beaten in a bowl. This is then placed in the refrigerator until it is needed. A syrup is then made with a mixture of sugar and perfumed water. This is done in a large wok. The egg yolks are then put into a funnel with two small holes at the bottom. This is then swung above the wok in a circular motion.

As soon as the egg yolk hits the hot syrup it starts to cook. It only takes about 1 minute before it is ready. The lady then used a knife to cut the strands in four places. She then used what looked like knitting needles to collect these threads. She then dipped them into another syrup solution which gave it a gleam and then placed it on the tray. A very interesting dessert indeed.

Thai Chicken Green Curry

In Thai cuisine green curry is one of the spicier variations of curry. The thickness of the sauce varies with the amount of coconut milk used. The main ingredients are coconut milk, green curry paste, aubergine, sugar, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and thai basil leaves. Its name, "green" curry, is consistent of Thai curry dishes, which are frequently identified solely by their color, other common types being yellow curry and red curry. Typically, green curry paste is made by pounding in a mortor and pestle ingredients including: shallots, green chillies, garlic, galangal, fresh turmeric, shrimp paste and salt.

The paste is briefly fried in a wok and coconut milk is added, then the meat and vegetables added along with a pinch of brown sugar. Finally, kaffir lime leaves and thai basil are added just at the end of cooking for fragrance.

Thai green curry can be made with meat, chicken, fish or vegetables and is usually eaten as an accompaniment to rice or round rice noodles known as "khanom jeen". Source : wikipedia

Tom Yum Goong

Tom Yum Goong is a clear soup originating from Thailand and is perhaps one of the most famous dishes in Thai cuisine, especially Japanese tourists love to taste it. Tom Yum Goong is characterized by its distinct hot and sour flavours with fragrant herbs generously used.
The basic broth is made up of stock and fresh herbs such as lemon grass, kraffir lime leaves, galangal, and shallots, so you can make sure this broth for good health. The intense flavours come from the addition of fresh lime juice, fish sauce and crushed chillis before serving. And popular variety of Tom Yum Goong is Tom Yum Goong Nam Khon where coconut milk is added to the broth.

Grilled Thai Chicken

One of my favourite street food stalls in Thailand has to be grilled chicken (gai yaang). You sometimes see the chicken being grilled over a charcoal fire next to a som tam stall. The two go well together. With perhaps some sticky rice as well. You can see the guy here marinating the chicken with some yellow looking liquid. Each vendor uses their own secret ingredients. Here they are probably using some turmeric.

Thai Food

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