Directions: |
Directions:Nam Prik Pao:
In a small bowl, place the tamarind paste, add water, stir it, let it sit for a few minutes, stir again until smooth, and pass it through a mesh strainer until everything passes through and you get a smooth consistency.
In a wok, add vegetable oil; before heating the oil, add garlic and turn up the heat to medium. The garlic will start to bubble, then fry, let it cook, occasionally stirring until the garlic is toasted and golden brown. Then remove from oil with a skimmer and place on a paper towel to drain.
Add shallots to the oil, leave it on medium, fry the shallots occasionally stirring, then once most of the bubbling has subsided, and the shallots are golden brown, remove from oil with a skimmer and place on a paper towel to drain.
Add chilies to the oil, gently stir those in, fry around 20 to 30 seconds or until fragrant and beginning to darken; remove from oil with a skimmer and place on a paper towel to drain.
In a food processor, add dried shrimp, process on high until you get as fine of a powder as possible, remove, and reserve. In the same processor, add fried chilies, fried garlic, and shallots, blend on high until fine but slightly crumbly mixture.
Using the same wok as before, set to medium-high, add shrimp powder, lightly stir fry until fragrant. Then add palm sugar (crushed), cook together constantly stirring until your palm sugar is dissolved, stir in your chili mixture, tamarind paste, fish sauce, let it simmer, often stirring until slightly thickened. Pour it into a bowl, and let it cool down completely.
Tom Yum:
Devein the shrimp, remove the heads and shells place them in a separate bowl. In a medium stockpot, add all your shrimp heads and shells, add water, heat over medium-high; as soon as it starts to come to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer till reduced to about three cups skimming any foam that rises to the top, about ten minutes. Strain out the heads and shells.
In a large piece of cheesecloth, add lemongrass, galangal, and wrap that up tightly to make a sachet and tie it together with kitchen twine.
In a small stockpot, add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pot, heat over medium-high; add beech mushrooms (with the base cut off), oyster mushroom, sear that for three minutes, occasionally stirring, until browning and your mushrooms are softened. Remove.
Add Nam Prik Pao, garlic, Thai chilis, saute that until fragrant about 30 seconds, add your sachet, add all of your shrimp stock and lime leaves, and then bring it to a light simmer over medium heat and cook for 15 minutes. Next, add the mushrooms back to the pot, add your shrimp, reduce the heat to low, and cook for two to three more minutes or when your shrimp is fully cooked.
Remove the sachet and squeeze any extra juices. Add lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Serve in a bowl, add a bit of the Nam Prik Pao oil (or chili oil), garnish with cilantro leaves. |
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