ImportFood.com July 2009 Feature Thai Recipes and Specials

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July 2009 (see below for archives). Hello again from your online Thai Supermarket. Today we present two Thai recipes. One is an American/Thai fusion creation, and the other is Larb with beanthread noodles. We also have whole kaffir lime fruit, new grocery & cookware items, and two very interesting Thai street vendor videos.

Massaman Hashbrowns

Larb Woonsen

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Special Offer: Fresh Kaffir Limes

Kaffir lime peel is loaded with a fragrant citrus oil, and the flavor of the fruit is overwhelming if eaten fresh. The kaffir lime tree is grown and harvested mainly for the leaves which are a staple in Thai cooking, but the tree doesn't produce many of these limes. As kaffir limes aren't eaten fresh, and there's limited use for them, our grower typically strips the trees of all fruit each year to promote growth of the leaves. This year however we kept fruit on a few trees and now it's been harvested. The fruit not only looks excellent but the culinary appeal is perfect: fragrant, strong citrus flavor. Put a slice of the bitter peel in your mouth and your lips get a tingling sensation of citrus unlike anything you've tasted.

Kaffir lime peel is used to make Thai curry paste, by pounding it together with other ingredients in a mortar and pestle. Notice from the pictures the nice thick, white fleshy peel. This is loaded with citrus flavor and aroma. A classic Thai dish that uses kaffir limes, whole, in soup is Khanom Jin. It's also used to make candy.

Kaffir limes are used extensively in aromatherapy. Some massage oils, natural shampoos, and various herbal products call for kaffir limes but the scarcity of this fruit makes it difficult to prepare authentic versions. For anyone who might be interested, please consider ordering now because the fruit is limited to what was harvested last week, and will not be available again until next year.

Each lime is approx 1 3/4" diameter and weighs 1 oz. We'll ship your fresh limes separately via USPS Priority Mail, upgrading to 2 day service at no extra charge. Grown in USA.


	6 limes, $14.95 No Longer Avail

Gourmet Massaman Curry Paste, Buy 1 Get 1 Free
Featured in this month's newsletter: Massaman Hashbrowns (above)--we really want you to try that delicious new recipe! Here is a 2 for 1 deal to help you get started.

Many top chefs at restaurants around the country have chosen this as the best curry paste available. Made in small batches, using the very best ingredients. More information and recipes at this link.

As a special deal for our newsletter readers we are pleased to offer a "2 for 1" on Matsaman, for a few days only if you order using the button below you'll get 2 packages of this curry paste for the price of 1.



	$3.79 for 2 packs (reg price $3.79 each) Offer Expired July 2009

Pure Bean Thread Noodles, Kaset, 14.4 oz
Our feature recipe (and street vendor video below) uses this wonderful Thai noodle made from mung bean (the starch ground from bean sprout seeds). Also called glass noodles or "woonsen". We have the very best bean thread noodles on the planet, imported directly from Thailand where Kaset uses only the very best raw material in a state-of-the-art facility. Unlike other bean thread brands, Kaset commands a price premium for the quality, so you won't find this at stores where bargain-hunters stock the shelves with the cheapest Chinese import. Bean thread is all natural, flavorless, and takes on the taste of the accompanying sauce or broth. They should be soaked in warm water for about 7 minutes before use. You get 10 individual packs (individual pack shown here) of 1.4 oz each. Ingredients: green mung bean, water. Product of Thailand.



	$4.59

Stainless Steel Mug with Lid, Made in Thailand by Zebra

This design is so common in Thailand, found in households throughout the country. The large mug is made of a relatively thick, durable stainless steel. Try packing it with ice on a hot day with the lid on, then drink as the ice melts. You might keep this around your office full of drinking water, the lid keeps it clean and you won't use disposable cups. You'll find plenty of uses in and out of the kitchen. Espresso brewers use a similar stainless cup to steam milk. Some of our customers have remarked that when visiting Thailand they notice this mug and wanted to buy one but didn't know where.

The mug has a large, strong handle for ease of grip. It's larger than a typical mug, with 4.5" diameter and 4.5" height. It holds 4.5 cups. The lid has a bakelite knob with Zebra Thailand logo. Made in Thailand.

$8.25 Temporarily out of stock

Keychain Knife and Bottle Opener, Made in Thailand by Kom Kom

Kom Kom is the same company as Kiwi, and they produce the finest quality knives in Thailand. See our entire selection of Kiwi and Kom Kom knives. Here we have a new, inexpensive, and very useful culinary tool. As you can see, there is a bottle opener at the end of the knife. The knife fits snugly inside of a little keychain sleeve. Pull it out, turn it around and put it back in and it becomes a nice all-purpose knife. The hard plastic handle keeps knife and keychain together.

The knife blade and opener blade are tempered stainless steel. Nicer quality than you might expect for this price. Total length is 3 3/4". Knife blade is 2 1/4". The blade has a Kom-Kom Thailand logo. Made in Thailand.

$5.00

Stainless Steel Thermos, Made in Thailand by Zebra

Zebra manufactures stainless steel cookware of the finest quality, making no compromises. The price of Zebra cookware is usually higher than you might find from cost-cutting producers especially compared to mass-produced stuff from China. But you get first rate quality with Zebra and we stand behind that 100%. Most of our stainless steel Thai Cookware and Utensils are made by Zebra.

Last year when visiting Zebra we noticed that they make the best thermos we've ever seen. Made of excellent stainless steel with high quality, hard plastic accents. We ordered just one case of 12 in a recent shipment, because we wanted one for our personal use and a case was the minimum order. We gave away one as a gift, now we have just 10 left to offer our newsletter readers. We are offering for our cost price, which is still relatively high for what you might want to pay for a thermos, but we recently noticed a simple non-insulated stainless water bottle at REI for a similar price, and this is a lot more than a water bottle.

The thermos keeps hot things hot, and cold things cold, for many hours. It's 9 inches tall. The liquid is held in a pure stainless steel inner chamber that holds a generous 4 cups.

Click on each picture for a larger view. The handle pulls out for easy carry. Included is a carrying strap (not shown, and we don't use it on ours) that fits through a side slot. There is a white cup under the screw-on top. The top piece is also used as a drinking cup. There is a blue button on top. Push it to click, and allow liquid to pour through the drip-proof cap. Made in Thailand.

$38.00

Takrai Brand "Nam Pla Wan" Dipping Sauce
Takrai is a favorite brand throughout Thailand, locals swear by the quality of their products. Keeping a close eye on quality of every batch, Takrai is one of those small artisan food companies that we love to represent.

This nampla wan (nampla = fish sauce, wan = sweet) is a salty and sweet dip that has the consistency of jelly. Dip any fruit, especially sour fruit, into this before eating. Very tasty with sour green mango, radish, granny smith apple, or anything you might like.

Ingredients: palm sugar, shallots, fish sauce, dried shrimp, chile. Product of Thailand.


	$4.29, 8 oz glass jar

Special Street Vendor Videos--Larb Woonsen, and Beach Vendor Gai Yang. We take you back to a village in rural Kanchanaburi for a lesson on how to prepare larb woonsen, and then down to Bangsaen Beach for a video exclusive of Thai barbeque chicken.