Tamarind paste, seedless, 14 oz

Thai Massaman Beef - Gaeng Massaman

This is a new version of Massaman beef that takes advantage of the premium quality massaman curry paste now available from:

Aroy-D and Mae Ploy massaman curry paste

Both brands create delicious massaman using this recipe.

Massaman cooked slowly with tender beef is one of our personal favorites, and many people who call us to order mention that they love massaman beef.  

This massaman is simple, and loaded with flavor.

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is often called the signature dish of Thai cuisine. There are several regional variations, indeed it has been said that Thailand has not only a different curry for every day of the year, but also a different pad Thai for every cook in Thailand! This is our variation, and please see our street vendor photos & videos (below left) for others.

Also consider our Picnic Table Pad Thai Recipe

Stir-Fried Tamarind Shrimp, 'Goong Pad Nam Makham Piek'

A very simple but elegant dish, serve with freshly steamed jasmine rice and enjoy this slightly sour, mildly spicy shrimp.

Thai Masaman Chicken, 'Gaeng Masaman Gai'

The 'massaman' indicates that the recipe is of a 'musselman' or islamic origin. It probably owes something to early Portuguese influences, and is similar in concept to the 'sour and hot' Goan style vindaloo dishes.

By Thai standards this is usually a fairly mild curry, so we find it's a good starting point.

This version is a guaranteed winner but takes a bit longer to make than our other Massaman recipe:
Classic Thai Massaman Beef

In a CNN story, Massaman curry was declared "World's Most Delicious Food"

Also see our Ready-Made Massaman Soup Can

Northern Thai Pork Curry, 'Gaeng Hanglay'

In our continuing effort to present regional Thai recipes, here is an authentic version of Gaeng Hanglay, a northern Thai curry made with pork (or beef). Similar to massaman but without the coconut milk. The main ingredient is pork, and you can use a fatty belly pork or other cut of your choice. Other distinctive ingredients are ginger and pickled garlic.

Thanks to our distinctive Hunglay Paste from Thailand you can make a real masterpiece.

Some recipes call for Santol fruit (wild mangosteen) or pineapple cut into large cubes. We used fresh pineapple with good results. This dish originated from Burma, and in Burma this is usually served with Khai bananas (small bananas). You will usually find gaeng hanglay served in Khantok-style Thai dinners as one of the main dishes, together with sticky rice.

Thai Crispy Stir-Fried Noodle, 'Mee Krob'

Mee krob is a fun dish to present to friends, as the crispy noodles are very unique and unlike anything you find in traditional American food. It's fairly time-consuming to prepare but well worth it.

The authentic sweet/sour sauce offers wonderful, exotic flavor. It can be served without the pork and shrimp for vegetarians.

In Thailand this is prepared in a wok but we used a pot to fry the noodles which worked well, and a skillet to fry the other ingredients. See pictures below, also read about Mee Krob as part of our sidewalk guide of good eats in Bangkok.

Thai Beef Flambe, 'Neua Pad Kimao'

This meal needs to be cooked in very hot oil, and it is deliberately flamed at the end. Because of this we recommend using a wok not a skillet, at least 16 inches in diameter and 6 inches deep, or a saute pan, at least 16" in diameter and 4" deep.

Thai Green Papaya Salad, 'Som Tum'

Green papaya salad is loved throughout SE Asia in various forms, and we are pleased to present this detailed recipe so you can bring it to your own kitchen. Somtum is a classic Thai dish, commonly associated with the NE (Isaan) area but served all over Thailand, for example here at a sidewalk shop found on our walking tour of good eats in Saochingcha area.

Also see our video features How To Shred Green Papaya for Som Tum, Som Tum Long Bean and Noodle Salad, Som Tum Shredded Mango and Cucumber, and our new feature story on a modern take on Som Tum: Jungle Salad.

Korat-Style Stir-Fried Noodles, 'Pad Korat'

The result of this recipe is a hot, spicy, thoroughly addictive succulent noodle dish. It might seem like you're adding too much ground chile peppers, but it's meant to be hot, and the chile gives it the distinctive color. This version is both sweet and spicy. To add some depth, you can add a tablespoon of tamarind concentrate to the cup of water. Use any greens you have on hand, we liked the way our version turn out, with bean sprouts and bok choy.

Thai Sweet & Sour Chicken Soup, 'Kaeng Som Gai'

This is a variant of kaeng som, which is a popular fish soup that is quite common in Thailand. Keang som is quite sour, and this dish has been given a degree of sweetness in keeping with making it from chicken.

Thai Fish Sour Soup, 'Gaeng Som Pla'

This is a popular fish soup that is quite common in Thailand, where it is usually prepared using a freshwater fish "pla chon", or snakehead serpent fish. As an alternative, we suggest using canned herrings packed in brine. It can also be prepared using chicken and chicken stock.

Thai Sweet & Sour Sauce, 'Nam Jim Priao Wan'

This is a simple, Thai-style, sweet and sour sauce. Note that it isn't pink! The sauce is spicy and has complex flavors.

Serve with any grilled meat. We enjoyed it here with chicken, som tum, sticky rice, and hard-boiled eggs.

Waterfall Beef, 'Neua Yang Nam Tok'

In Thai language, nam tok is a waterfall. This dish is usually cooked using a barbeque (the juices drip onto charcoal hence the name waterfall) but you can fry or broil the beef just as well. It should be cooked rare to start with. See our street vendor video lower left, a sidewalk chef prepares it.

We also offer: instant nam tok mix and Mama instant namtok noodles.

A great dipping sauce to serve with this beef is made with our Namprik Thai Tae.

Vegetables with Tofu Dip, 'Pak Namjim Tofu'

Chicken Salad with Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette, Thai-American Style

This recipe is from our "Thai-American" section, which contains dishes that would not typically be found in Thailand. These dishes have been developed and/or popularized in America.