Food

Suwannee’s Cooking Northern Thai Food – Khao Soi

Khao Soi is a curry noodle dish from the northern part of Thailand

Cooking Northern Thai Food The dish is believed to have evolved from Chinese Muslim traders who plied the spice route when what is now modern-day northern Thailand was under the control of the Burmese.

Khao Soi Ingredients

It is often made with chicken, served over Chinese Bah-mi egg noodle, and garnished with fried noodles, shallots, cilantro, pickled mustard greens, fried whole chillis and a squeeze of lime juice.

The dish has continued to evolve over the years and nowadays each restaurant or food stall will have its own way of preparing and serving the dish. However, the basic ingredients of khao soi remain the same. Soft, flat egg noodles are served in a curry broth together with a choice of meat (chicken, pork or beef) and topped with crispy fried noodles. To accompany khao soi, which is eaten with chopsticks and a spoon, small side dishes are also served which enable the individual diner to adjust the sweetness or sourness of the broth. These condiments are usually a lime wedge, pickled cabbage, shallots and dried curry paste. Khao soi is a lunchtime favourite and there aren’t many places that serve it in the evening. A typical roadside eatery serves khao soi for between 30 to 40 Baht a bowl. Don’t think you’ve been short-changed when a large bowl arrives which is less than half-full; this is to aid the mixing of ingredients and is a typical way of serving many Thai noodle or curry-based dishes.

Khao Soi is a curry noodle dish from the northern part of Thailand. It is often made with chicken, served over Chinese Bah-mi egg noodle, and garnished with fried noodles, shallots, cilantro, pickled mustard greens, fried whole chillis and a squeeze of lime juice. The dish is a seeming cacophony of taste, each strong and distinct yet they blend into one beautifully harmonious bowl and delicious bowl, when done right, of course.

Suwannee Thai Cooking Class Chiangrai Thailand

The cooking class at Suwannee is an ideal home-style learning environment that is different from most of the opportunities in the hotels and restaurants in Thailand. Not will you be only watch and participate in the cooking of a number of traditional Thai dishes; also as part of our course we visit a local market to learn about local exotic fruits and vegetables, there is always an abundance of new things to see……and taste!

Khao Soi, façon Pim
Northern Chicken Curry Noodle

Ingredients:
For the chicken curry:
3-4 pounds chicken, cut into large pieces
(or you could use 2 legs, 2 thighs and 2 breast pieces, about 3 pounds altogether)
4-5 tbsp. Red Curry Paste
2 tbsp. Oil
3 cups Coconut Milk
1 tsp. Curry Powder
½ tsp. Turmeric Powder
1 brown (or black) cardamom, crushed or ground (optional)
1-1 ½ cup(s) of water or chicken stock
a pinch of sugar
Fish Sauce to taste

The rest of the ingredients:
About 6-7 (loosely packed) cups of Chinese Bah-mi egg noodle
5 shallots, (very) thinly sliced
1 package of Chinese pickled mustard green, rinsed and thinly sliced
3-4 cups oil for frying
3 limes, cut into slivers
6 dried chillies
a handful of cilantro, chopped

First you make the chicken curry..
1. Into a hot heavy bottom pot, add the oil and the red curry paste, curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring vigorously, for a few minutes until the curry paste is fragrant. Be careful not to burn the paste.
2. Add 1 cup of coconut milk, stir to blend and let the pan come back to a boil. Let it bubble for a few minutes over high heat, stirring often, until you see the red oil separating from the coconut milk mixture. Add the second cup of coconut milk, again wait until the oil separate.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the pan, with the 1 cup water and the rest of the coconut milk. Let the pan come back to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer.
4. Add the fish sauce, starting with 2 tbsp. Close the lid and let it simmer until the chicken is done. Check the seasonings, you might need to add more fish sauce. The flavor of the curry should be salty, spicy, and with a very slight after taste of sweetness. When you taste the curry at this stage, it should be a bit saltier than what you would like the final dish to taste like. If it is under-salted now, the addition of the other ingredients at serving time will make it even more insipid.

Then you deal with the noodles and the rest of the garnish..
5. Take 1 cup of the noodle, fluff up until the strands are separated. Fry a little bit at a time in a pan with very hot oil until golden, you will need to flip to noodle once in the pan to get the same color on both sides. Set aside
6. Use the oil to fry up the dried chilli, very quickly, be careful not to let them burn. Set aside.
7. Slice the shallots, rinse and slice the mustard greens, cut up the limes, chop the cilantro. Set aside.

To serve..
8. After the chicken curry is done, heat up a large pot of water to a full boil. Rinse the rest of the fresh noodles first in cold water to wash out the excess starch, then cook in the very hot boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Stir the noodles well to prevent sticking.
9. put some cooked noodles in a bowl, top with the curry, and the garnish to taste. Squeeze some lime juice into the bowl just before eating. You could add the fried chillies if you want more heat.

Food

America’s French Fry King Sounds An Alarm

Americans are revolting against McDonald’s and other fast-food establishments. This is harming French fry suppliers like Lamb Weston.

Lamb Weston, North America’s largest manufacturer of french fries and a significant supplier to fast-food chains, restaurants, and grocery stores, is closing a production facility in Washington state. Last week, the company stated that it would lay off almost 400 employees, or 4% of its workforce, and temporarily shut down manufacturing lines in response to falling customer demand.

Lamb Weston (LW) shares have plummeted 35% this year.

America’s French Fry King Sounds An Alarm

The potato giant is oversupplied at a time when demand is low. In recent years, restaurant prices have risen faster than grocery store prices, prompting shoppers to avoid fast-food establishments.

This move has had an impact on Lamb Weston because individuals are less inclined to prepare French fries at home. According to Lamb Weston, fast-food restaurants account for around 80% of all french fries consumed in the United States.

Fast-food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, are offering bargain menus to entice customers back. McDonald’s has introduced a $5 meal that contains a McDouble cheeseburger or a McChicken sandwich, small french fries, four chicken nuggets, and a small soft drink. However, these promotions are not benefiting Lamb Weston because customers are purchasing fewer portions of fries.

“Many of these promotional meal deals have consumers trading down from a medium fry to a small fry,” Lamb Weston CEO Thomas Werner stated during an earnings call last week.

Lamb Weston did not immediately reply to CNN’s request for comment.

McDonald’s, Lamb Weston’s largest customer, accounts for 13% of revenue. As McDonald’s goes, so does Lamb Weston.

America’s French Fry King Sounds An Alarm

And McDonald’s is struggling. Sales at US restaurants open at least a year declined 0.7% last quarter compared to the same period a year ago, dragged down by fewer consumers visiting the brand.

Lamb Weston is also heavily exposed to other fast-food companies, according to analyst R.J. Hottovy of analytics firm Placer.ai, in a research note to clients last week.

Customer traffic to fast-food restaurants fell 2% last quarter and 3% the prior quarter compared to the same period last year, according to Lamb Weston.

SOURCE | CNN

Food

Logan Paul And MrBeast Have A Lunchables Competitor That They Say Is Healthy

YouTube’s top stars have launched their competitor to Lunchables.

MrBeast, Logan Paul, and KSI are collaborating on a “groundbreaking new better-for-you lunch option” called Lunchly, combining all their goods into a single meal geared at their younger fans.

The all-in-one meal includes a bottle of Prime Hydration, a sports drink alternative founded by Paul and KSI that has grown in popularity; a Feastables milk chocolate bar created by MrBeast, a popular YouTube star with over 300 million subscribers; and one of three processed food options, including pizza, nachos, or turkey aand cheese with crackers.

Logan Paul And MrBeast Have A Lunchables Competitor That They Say Is Healthy

“Our ultimate goal has always been to offer not only high-quality products, but also healthier alternatives,” Lunchly cofounder Logan Paul stated in a press release. He also stated that the school lunch industry has been “dominated by Lunchables” since he was a child, and that it is “time to provide a better option for those looking for a convenient, healthier choice.”

Lunchly promises to be “healthier” since Prime contains more electrolytes than a Capri Sun in Lunchables, and Mr. Beast’s chocolate bar contains less sugar than a Kit Kat or Crunch bar.

Lunchly’s launch comes after Lunchable, owned by Kraft Heinz, announced a huge initiative last year to participate in school lunch programs. However, the company had to reformulate the components first to guarantee that the items met regulatory rules, which included incorporating fresh fruit into their meals.

Consumer Reports reported in 2024 that it recently studied the nutritional profiles of two Lunchables kits supplied in schools and discovered that they contain significantly more sodium than the Lunchables kits available in stores.

Logan Paul And MrBeast Have A Lunchables Competitor That They Say Is Healthy

Of course, KSI, Paul, and MrBeast know how to create brands, thanks partly to their devoted following. Despite government worries about the caffeine content of some of its drinks, Prime sales have risen, threatening industry leaders such as Gatorade and BodyArmor.

“Prime brings a youthful buying cohort that hasn’t had a lot pitched their way beyond traditional kids’ drinks,” Jeffrey Klineman, editor-in-chief of BevNet, previously told CNN. “Paul is significantly more intriguing to a 13-year-old than a juice box.”

SOURCE | CNN

Food

Beyond Soups and Stews: Unexpected Ways to Utilize Your 5 Litre Pressure Cooker

Pressure cookers are very popular cooking utensils for preparing soups, stews, and tenderising meats in quick time. However, their versatility and uses go far beyond these traditional uses.

If you’re trying to use your 5 litre pressure cooker differently, you are at the right place, as we are going to explore unexpected and creative ways to use this essential kitchen utensil.

Infused oils and extract

You can use your pressure cooker to prepare infused oils and extracts. To do that, you have to put the herbs, spices, or citrus peels in a jar filled with oil or alcohol. Then, seal the jar and cook under low pressure for a short time to infuse the flavours uniformly.

By this method, you can extract intense flavours in a quick time as compared to what it takes through traditional infusion methods. You can also experiment with combinations like rosemary-infused olive oil or vanilla extract for baking.

Artisanal Curd Making

You can use your pressure cooker to prepare yoghurt. To do that you have to heat the milk to a proper and specific temperature, and then cool it down before adding yoghurt culture. After that, keep the mixture in jars, seal, and ferment in the pressure cooker with the use of the yoghurt setting. And yes, after that, you will have creamy, homemade yoghurt at a much lower cost than store-bought varieties. You can add up your yoghurt, various flavours and toppings for a healthy breakfast or snack option.

Quick pickling

You can also prepare quick pickles using your pressure cooker. For doing that combine the ingredients such as vinegar, water, salt, and your choice of vegetables or fruits in the cooker.

Now, after that, cook under pressure for a few minutes to infuse the flavours rapidly.

Once it is done and cooled, your quick pickles will be ready to eat and enjoy, giving a taste of tangy flavour to sandwiches, salads, or charcuterie boards. You can do this using different spices and herbs to prepare unique flavour profiles for your pickles.

Steaming vegetables and seafood

You can use your pressure cooker’s steaming capabilities to cook vegetables and seafood very easily and quickly. To do that, you have to place a steamer basket inside the cooker, add water, and put your ingredients.

Then, after that, cook under pressure for a few minutes to keep the nutrients intact and also get the perfect tenderness. From crisp-tender asparagus to succulent shrimp, the possibilities of preparing the dishes are many. You can add different flavours using aromatic herbs, spices, and citrus zest.

Homemade bread and desserts

You can amaze your family with freshly baked bread and delicious desserts that can easily be prepared in your pressure cooker. To do that, use the cooker as a makeshift oven by placing a trivet inside and also adding water to it.

After that, you have to place your bread dough or dessert batter in a heat-proof container, cover it, and then cook under low pressure. In very little time, you will get tender bread or delicious desserts without even messing up the kitchen. You can also try various other recipes like chocolate lava cake or savoury herb bread for a delightful treat.

One-pot pasta dishes

You can easily prepare one-pot pasta dishes that are cooked perfectly in your pressure cooker. To do that you have to combine pasta, sauce, vegetables, and protein in the cooker, and also remember to check and put enough liquid for cooking. Then, seal and cook under pressure for a few minutes. This will allow the flavours to get mixed beautifully.

And with this, from classic spaghetti marinara to creamy Alfredo, your pressure cooker can do it all. You can enhance your pasta with your favourite ingredients and garnishes.

Conclusion on a pressure cooker

Cooking indeed is a creative method. Do justice to your creative culinary spirit with your 5-litre pressure cooker. Bake bread, make homemade yoghurt, and make several main dishes as well as side dishes using a wide pressure cooker.

Impress everyone and yourself! Make the best out of your culinary instincts.

Post Disclaimer

The above article is sponsored content any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of CTN News- Chiang Rai Times. For detailed information about sponsored content policy click here.