Video: Thai beef salad

timesonline.co.uk — In the third of our video recipe series Niall Harbison makes a mouthwatering hot steak salad with an Asian twist Niall Harbison's recipe for Thai beef salad Preparation time: 10 mins (+1 hour to marinade) Cooking time: 5 mins Serves: 2 2 ribeyes of beef Thai fish sauce soy saucecastor sugar 1 red chilli 5 spring onions 3 shallots fresh coriander 1 lime salt and pepper olive oil 1 cucumber cherry tomatoes baby spinach Mint leaves 1. For the marinade: Blend 3 tsp soy sauce, 3 tsp Thai fish sauce and 3 heaped tsp castor sugar. Pour over the beef and place in the fridge for 1 hour - turning after 30 minutes. 2. For the dressing: Deseed and dice one red chilli, add 3 diced shallots, 5 sliced spring onions, a bunch of chopped coriander and combine with a good splash of fish and soy sauce. 3. Remove the steak from the fridge and season before searing on a high heat for 90 seconds on each side, spooning a little of the marinade over the steaks as they cook. 4. Make a salad of strips of cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, a little oil and the dressing. 5. Allow the steak to rest for a couple of minutes, slice and serve on top of the salad, garnished with some mint leaves. read more...

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499 priests to ward off storm surge

bangkokpost.com — A total of 499 Buddhist, Christian, Islamic and Hindu priests and a Buddha statue in the ''Calming the Ocean'' posture will take part in a ritual next Tuesday to keep the province's coastline safe from storm surges. Provincial governor Anuwat Maytheewibulwut said the ''Stop the wind, stop the water'' ceremony will be held at the provincial hall in Muang district. The ancient Buddha statue will be borrowed from Wat Phra Samut Chedi, and its presence will be the highlight of the ceremony. read more...

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Farmers oppose plan to auction rice

bangkokpost.net — The Thai Farmers Association has opposed the state's bid to auction 2.1 million tonnes of rice in its stockpiles, a move it fears will hurt rice prices, which are already plunging. Association president Prasit Boonchuey said the association would petition Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and ask him to rethink the plan proposed by Commerce Minister Chaiya Sasomsab. Mr Chaiya met Mr Samak at Government House yesterday to discuss the plan. He claimed Mr Samak needed his help to find ways to clear the old stockpile of 2.1 million tonnes of rice and another one million tonnes of second-season rice. The Commerce Ministry offered to handle the management of rice, but Mr Samak declined, saying three sub-panels already oversee rice mortgages, disposal and alteration. Mr Samak offered the ministry involvement in the sub-panels. Mr Chaiya suggested the auction, with a minimum bidding price of 14,000 baht per tonne, the price the government paid under the rice mortgage scheme. He said government-to-government trade often created problems and there was a need to get rid of the stockpiles before the new-season rice arrives in a couple of months. ''The prime minister cautioned that the auction price should not be lower than the mortgage price so farmers have an idea of future prices and continue to get good prices,'' he said. But Mr Prasit argued that government-to-government deals are the best alternative because the market mechanism would not get distorted. He estimated that farmers had about two million tonnes of rice paddy in their stocks, half of which would go into the rice mortgage scheme. The scheme, which ends at the end of next month, pays 12,500-13,000 baht for a tonne of rice with a moisture content of 25%. read more...

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Hun Sen's wife hosts huge Preah Vihear temple ritual

bangkokpost.com — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's wife Bun Rany yesterday hosted a huge ritual at the Preah Vihear temple to bless the country with good luck and to give it power against the backdrop of a dispute with Thailand over the area surrounding the temple. The ceremony, chosen to coincide with a solar eclipse yesterday, was attended by about 1,000 people, including high-ranking officials, priests and experts in rituals. The ritual started at 9.30am. Far from softening its stance on the temple after it was declared a World Heritage site by Unesco, angering Thailand, Cambodia is flaunting the site. read more...

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SUGAR AND SPICE AND FISH SAUCE

nakedfarang.com — Thai food is famed the world over, with a well-earned reputation for spiciness. Unlike Indian food, which combines several different spices to generate its famous curry flavours, the heat in Thai dishes comes almost exclusively from the ubiquitous chilli pepper. While the cuisine of Thailand has been influenced, in particular, by Chinese and Indian food, a wholly unique Thai style has evolved and this can be further categorized into regional variations: northern, north-eastern, central and southern. read more...

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Philip Cornwel-Smith: Very Thai

thainewsland.com — Philip Cornwel-Smith is obsessed with details. A man of boundless energy and great curiosity, the 43-year-old British is a meticulous, a perfectionist who is incredibly careful about his work, and his keen eyes always see things beyond the obvious - things that are very ... very Thai. While culture normally is a term associated with refined arts and national prestige, Cornwel-Smith looks for ordinary things representing hybrids between Thai tradition and modernity. The Bangkok-based writer took seven years gathering over a hundred casual, everyday expressions of Thainess, and presented them in a practical, easy to read and well-illustrated book of 60 chapters entitled Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture. read more...

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Silkworms as afternoon snack

farang.pai-nai.com — If people hear about Silkworms they probably not directly think of food. Therefore some people will look surprised if they see people eating silkworms or other insects. Why eat silkworms are they any good? Yes I looked some things up and found out that the composition of protein in a silkworm (amino acid) is unique, and surely not dangerous. Silk and silkworms contain high levels of protein called Fibroin. This protein contains a high level of amino acids what is absolutely indispensable for any person such as Alanine, Glycine and Tyrosine. Especially, it contains Glycine 8 times of milk, and 6 times of an egg. These Amino Acids strengthen liver function, improve Detoxication action and decrease Cholesterol in blood. read more...

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Thai Sweets or Khanom Thai

farang.pai-nai.com — Speaking about Thai sweets or Khanom Thai is only one way of speaking about Thai women. Even today, cooking and the making of sweets are still considered a feminine art. That can be understood in terms of the social condition in Thailand since the Ayutthaya period. Men went to war while women stayed at home to take care of the family. However, the role of women then was no less active or less renowned. For, during the intervals when the soldiers came home, it was the women who put the hearts back into them by welcoming them to "sweet home," not only figuratively but literally. In performing household duties, Thai women have pleased not as slaves, but as free people who are well aware, of the division of labor. In this respect, great women cooks were not only much appreciated in their times, but have also lived on in people's memories. Thai sweets are, in fact, made from three simple ingredients, namely, coconut, rice flour, and palm sugar. But out of this mixture they can come in many different shapes, colors, and flavors. Some also have beautiful names, such as Bulan Dan Mek or the Moon Soaring through the Clouds. Thai sweets making, like Thai cooking in general, appears quite simple. read more...

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