Thai Recipes Please!

[pgwiz1]

I love thai food and can't find a good thai restaurant close to my house. I am specifically looking for Tom Yum soup (I especially like them when they are almost bright red in color :-0), as well as this crispy duck with basil and garlic that Thai Luang in Virginia makes....

Thanks!

[evergreengirl]

My favorite way to prepare a quick Tom Yum Kung (with shrimp) is from a recipe that I got out of a fairly authentic cookbook from Thailand. It seriously only takes about 20 minutes to make, or ~30 if I don't have my extra-cute set of hands helping me chop ingredients. http://seattleyummystuff.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-favorite-quick-soup-tom-yum-kung-or.html

Sometimes I put a little shrimp paste in with the fish sauce, but other times I'm feeling less fishy. The key to making it taste just right is to have all the authentic ingredients on hand, if possible. Thai red basil will suffice for Thai holy basil, and lime zest in strips can work instead of the lime leaves.

Sadly, I think most of the ones with an 'almost bright red color' are the prepared pastes, which contain MSG (which makes me feel pretty yukky). Otherwise, Maesri or Mae Ploy are both good brands for the base (the ingredients are about the same, though: http://www.dietfacts.com/html/nutriti...

[ThaiNut]

The red color in Tom Yam does not come from the red curry pastes that you commonly find in small cans. It comes from a chili paste called 'Nam Phrik Pao' that comes in much larger containers. Mae Sri makes some fine ones that comes in 1 pound bottles. There are several types but the one used in Tom Yam has 'Chili Paste in Soy Bean Oil' on the label in English and the Thai is 'น้ำพริกเผาชนิดปรุงอาหาร'. For two servings of the soup you would add perhaps 3/4 Tbspn to start with and that should give you the red color, and flavor, that you are looking for.

[evergreengirl]

Thank you for clarifying, ThaiNut, that the color of Tom Yum comes from Nam Prik Pao. Although I've only used fresh chiles thus far, I'll try using the paste also next time!

Also, Mae Sri and Mae Ploy do make their own Tom Yum pastes/mixes - I have tried these, and they are not very good.

[wrlinton]

I ADORE papaya salad! I could eat it everyday if possible. Have you ever had it? Green papaya with fish sauce, peanuts and hot peppers and some shrimp? TO DIE FOR!

[pgwiz1]

I have!!! This vietnamese restaurant had this amazing green papaya salad with pork and shrimp. Delicious!

[todao]

http://www.google.com/search?q=Tom+Yum+soup+Recipes&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=Thai+c...

[JungMann]

It's kind of funny when you do it this way: http://tinyurl.com/9j8ftg But to be more helpful, I've also been making some very satisfying tom yum with the Maesri brand tom yum bouillon and soup bases I've purchased. They require some tinkering, but they are easy starters for when I need a quick meal.

[pgwiz1]

I was really hoping for more tried-and-true recipes rather than just a recipe off the internet. I have googled multiple, but looking at the different recipes that come up, it's hard to know which one will come out to be authentic. Any one with a home cooked authentic recipe??