This soup, said to have been invented by the Hokkien Chinese, is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore. It is a hearty herbal soup made with pork ribs and eaten with plain boiled rice. Bak Kut Teh, if made with a herbal sachet mix, is a pungent and robust soup and is perhaps not … Continued
The ingredients in this curry (lemon grass, shrimp paste, etc) are similar to those used in Malaysia and Indonesia. Cooking with coconut milk results in a rich, creamy curry but replace with water if you are concerned about calories. This recipe uses 2 large chicken breasts but double the ingredients if you are going to … Continued
Here we use an ingredient not normally found in Western desserts – water chestnuts. Unusual and delicious it is suitable for people on a gluten or lactose free diet. Treat coconut milk as you would fresh cream.
This family favourite has three distinct flavours; sweet, spicy and sour. The sour note is achieved by adding tamarind, a popular ingredient used in the dishes of South East Asia and India. Traditionally this dish is cooked with belly pork and water convolvulus (also known as water spinach). If this vegetable is unavailable, replaced it … Continued
This is a typical Thai dessert. Choose bananas that are not too ripe as they need to hold their shape after cooking. This simple dessert is traditionally eaten warm, and sometimes as a snack. Remember to treat coconut milk as you would fresh milk or cream and refrigerate any that is left over. The addition … Continued
Kha is the Thai word for galangal which is an ingredient in this dish. I recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe as they have better flavour. This soup, which has the consistency of a broth, may be eaten as a starter but in Thailand it is served with rice and other dishes as a … Continued
Simple to make, this fragrant Thai soup is a combination of hot and sour flavours. Traditionally made with prawns it can be served as a starter or as part of the main meal. This recipe uses large fresh tiger prawns but if you decide to use frozen prawns do defrost them first and add to … Continued
Agar agar is a quick gelling agent, made from seaweed and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. When cold the jelly is firm to the touch and can be handled. In this South East Asian recipe I have combined agar with coconut milk and palm sugar but do use gular melaka if available.
This purple, almost black rice is used in the Far East in desserts. Cooked with traditional pandan leaves and served with coconut milk, this pudding has a flavour all of its own. In this recipe we use pandan essence, which must be used sparingly, but do use the presh leaves if available. Soaking the rice … Continued
As Agar agar on its own does not have any calories, this is a healthy, low calorie desert. Made from seaweed it is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Here we have added the jelly to a fresh fruit salad for an interesting combination of textures.