Fah Thai Magazine Jan-Feb 2017

Overtures
on the menu
A Feast
from the Soul
A meeting of two cultural favourites creates the
perfect celebration meal.
After years of being away from Thailand,
time came for Chef Alyssa Han to return
to her motherland. Always in the
comfort of the culinary world, she was
a successful chef in Norway and Finland
and also a restaurateur in both Shanghai
and Hong Kong. Alyssa is now back,
choosing Bangkok and Phetchaburi as the
places to make her dreams come true.
FAB-A, Food and Arts by Alyssa offers private cooking events
in Bangkok and Phetchaburi; a town just two hours away from
the Thai capital. Her programme includes visiting local farms,
boat paddling in the nearby river and making mini clay stoves
from scratch.
For a taste of her talent, here is Chef Alyssa’s soulful recipe
that can be easily done at home. She features a classic soup
recipe from Thailand, known as Tom Yum Kung and Jiao Zi, the
ever popular dumplings that originated in China.
“As a chef, I created this fusion menu for the family to cook
together. Since the Chinese New Year regularly takes place
around January and February, Tom Yum Kung and Jiao Zi are
one of the most traditional and popular dishes for both Thai and
Chinese people to enjoy.
“Tom Yum Kung is also a popular Thai dish for the Chinese
people. It’s truly a meaningful way to celebrate the Chinese New
Year in Thailand,” explained Chef Alyssa.
For Dumpling Fillings:
• 300g of chicken breast (finely chopped)
• 200g of shrimp (coarsely chopped)
• 1 tsp of finely chopped galangal
• 1 tsp of finely chopped lemongrass
• 1 tsp kaffir lime zest
(use a cheese grater or microplane)
• 1 finely julienned kaffir lime leaf
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp of finely cut spring onions
• 1 tbsp of fish sauce
• 2 tsp of white sugar
• 1 tsp of chilli paste
(for a children’s version, skip the chilli paste)
• 1 tbsp of tamarind juice (1 pulp squeezed
in 1 cup of warm water)
• 1 tsp of finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped shallots
• 50g of coriander leaves (2 bunches);
cut and coat with 1 tsp of vegetable oil
Mix all the above ingredients well. Chill for 1
hour while making the wrappers.
For the Dough
(kids can join in the activity)
• 300g of plain flour
• 150ml water
• Pinch of salt
How to Make the
Dumpling Wrappers
(You can skip this part and buy dumpling
wrappers from a supermarket)
Mix the flour, salt and water together,
then knead it into dough. When it feels
bouncy and soft, let the dough rest for a
while to get it to stretch better.
Sprinkle all-purpose flour on the
chopping board. Create a hole in the
middle of the dough with your finger.
Use the hole to grip and turn the dough
until it becomes a circle. Find a spot to
cut the dough into strips. Rub it to
stretch and make the dough smaller,
then cut into small pieces. (1 inch long)
Time for the kids to help in
making Jiao Zi wrappers
Use your palm to flatten each piece, then
use your thumb to hold the dough in the
middle. And use your right hand to hold
the rolling pin and roll it. Use your thumb
to turn the dough and make the dough
into a small round shape that is thick in the
centre and thin at the edge. Sprinkle flour
if the dough becomes sticky. Roll it until
each small piece of the dumpling wrapper
will be the same size of your palm. Make
6 pieces; 3 pieces for one portion of the
Tom Yum soup and 3 for your kids to eat
(the kids can help you make more) after
cooking them right away.
How to Cook the Jiao Zi
Cook the dumplings by boiling 3 cups
of water for 6 pieces first. Sprinkle salt
into the water while it is boiling in order
to protect the wrapper from breaks and
to make it chewy. Put the dumplings in
one by one. Wait for few seconds then
stir the water gently and don’t touch the
dumplings directly. Fill the pot with cold
water after the dumplings are boiled. The
dumplings are fully cooked when they are
floating and expand in size. Take them out
to rest.
Remarks: The kids can eat Joai Zi now with
soy sauce. For adults, make a Thai chilli sauce
by mixing 1 tsp of chilli paste (Phanthai
Norasingh or Mae Pranom brand), 1 tsp of
chopped shallots, 1 tsp of chopped galangal,
1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of honey and 1
lime wedge. Blend together well.
What You Need for Tom Yum kung
For the Tom Yum Soup, use the original clear
broth for the dumplings.
Ingredients for 2 Portions
• Broth from boiling shrimp shell, 3 cups
(Shrimp shells are from 200g of shrimp that were
previously chopped for the filling: half for the broth,
and half for frying.)
• River Prawns (size 20g each), 4 pieces
• Straw mushroom (cut in half ),3/4 cup
• Lemongrass (young), 1 stalk
• Kaffir lime leaves (young), 3 leaves
• Coriander root, 1 root
• Shallots (small), 5 bulbs
• Fish sauce (preferrably Tipparos), 2 tbsp
• Fresh lime juice, 2 tbsp
• Small Thai chillies, 4 pieces
• Fresh coriander, 1/2 cup
• Thai chilli paste, 2 tsp
• Palm sugar 1 tsp
Steps to Soup
Boil 3 cups of water with shrimp shells, and
add 1 tsp of salt for 15-20 minutes under
low heat.
Separate and fry the shrimp fat with mild
crushed peppers in 2 tsp of cooking oil.
Clean the veins from the back of 4 river
prawns. Leave the heads and tails.
Diagonally cut the young lemongrass to the
size of one bite; bind the old leaves into a
bundle and pour on some lime juice. Tear the
kaffir lime leaves from their veins; gently
pound the coriander roots, just for them to
break. Roughly cut the onions into small pieces;
cut off the chilli stalks and break them open
before soaking them in the lime juice.
Filter the shrimp shell broth and boil it. Once
the soup is boiled — add shrimps, mushrooms,
coriander roots, onion, kaffir lime leaves, and
fish sauce into the boiling soup. Once the soup
is boiled, turn off the heat before putting and
submerging the Thai chillies, lime juice and
cilantro in the soup.
Plate the Bowl
Plating, which is the art of food presentation, is
equally important to please the eye and sense
of smell. Start by laying three cooked dumplings
anywhere in the bowl, then add two prawns with
their heads sitting past the rim. Ladle in the Tom
Yum soup and garnish with coriander and chillies.
For more information:
www.foodandartsbyalyssa.com/contact-us
For more information: www.foodandartsbyalyssa.com/contact-us
32 Fah Thai 33