Ingredients
Fried Rice with Shrimp (Khao Pad Goong ข้าวผัดกุ้ง)
1.5 cups of cooked rice cooled (or day old rice works well too) – Or just estimate about 1 normal bowl full
About 5 – 10 shrimp, head peeled, but tail on
¼ of a big white onion (or ½ of a very small white onion, like I used)
1 leaf of Chinese broccoli (or any crisp green leafy vegetable)
2 cloves garlic
1 egg
½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon oyster sauce
Pinch of sugar (optional)
1 tablespoon of oil for frying
Prik Nam Pla (Chilies in Fish Sauce พริกน้ำปลา)
5 Thai chilies
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
½ of a lime
Instructions
Fried Rice
If you’re using whole fresh shrimp like I did, first pinch off the head, and peel the outer shell of the shrimp, leaving only the tail on (that’s Thai style). You can also devein them if you’d like, but for small shrimp, to me it doesn’t really matter.
Peel 2 cloves of garlic, and then just finely mince them
Slice ¼ of a sweet white onion into medium sized strips
Finely dice about 3 – 4 green onions
Take just 1 leaf of Chinese broccoli (kai-lan), slice it in half first along the spine, and then slice it into 1 centimeter sized strips
Turn on your stove to medium high, heat up your wok (or frying pan), and add about 1 tablespoon of oil
Once your oil is hot, add the garlic first, and stir fry continuously for about 15 seconds or so, until it gets nice and fragrant
Next, toss in your shrimp, and fry for about 30 seconds – your shrimp should start to turn pink and feel more firm
Add in a little less than ½ of your rice first. This is going to soak up all those delicious shrimp juices and oils and keep your rice nice and dry. Stir fry for about 10 more seconds – This is a little known trick to make good rice, so it remains nice and dry
Scoot all your rice to one side of the pan, and then crack in the egg into the empty side
Whirl the egg up, let it cook for a few seconds, and then start to mix it up with the rice and shrimp
Keep stir frying for about 20 seconds until the egg is fully cooked, and then add in the rest of your rice, and give it a quick stir
Add ½ tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ tablespoon of oyster sauce, just a pinch of sugar (optional), and continue stir frying your rice, making sure all the sauce get mixed in
Then add your chopped Chinese broccoli and onions, and stir fry for another 30 seconds until the vegetables wilt, but they can still be crisp and not fully cooked
Lastly, toss in your green onions, stir it a few more seconds, and it’s ready
Immediately dish your fried rice onto a plate
Slice off a wedge of lime, and serve it on the plate next to the rice
For the final touch, I like to sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on top to give some extra flavor
Prik Nam Pla (Chilies in Fish Sauce)
Add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce to a small bowl
Slice about 5 Thai chilies (you can add more or less, up to you), and add them to the fish sauce
Finally, I like it with a little squeeze of about ½ of a lime – but this is optional – and at many Thai restaurants it’s only fish sauce and chilies
That’s is, give it a stir, and set it aside

Ingredients:
10 – 12 oz. (400-450 g) fresh Asian-style noodles (available in most supermarket deli sections), OR fettucini-style noodles
1 cup small cooked shrimp, thawed and drained if frozen
1 zucchini, grated with a wide grater or peeled into thin strips with a vegetable peeler
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1 red or green chili, de-seeded and thinly sliced
1 can baby corn, cut into 1-2 inch lengths
1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into strips
3 spring (green) onions, sliced
1 cup fresh coriander/cilantro, lightly chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, lightly chopped
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts or cashews, unsalted, and left whole or lightly chopped
SALAD DRESSING:
1/3 cup lime juice (about 2 limes, juiced)
4 Tbsp. fish sauce (available at Asian/Chinese stores)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2-3 tsp. sugar (adjust to taste)
1-3 tsp. chili sauce OR 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper OR crushed chili (adjust to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced

Preparation:
Prepare noodles according to the directions on the package. Rinse noodles with cold water, drain, and set aside.
Prepare salad dressing by mixing all dressing ingredients together in a cup or small bowl until sugar dissolves. Taste-test for sour/sweetness, adding more sugar as desired. Note that the taste of the dressing will be very “zing-y” at this point because of the lime juice – it will taste milder when distributed among the noodles.
Prepare the vegetables and shrimp, and place them in a very large salad or mixing bowl. Add the herbs and nuts too.
Stir the dressing once more and pour over. Toss the vegetables, shrimp, herbs, and peanuts with the dressing.
Now add the noodles and toss again (note: This salad requires a lot of tossing to distribute the dressing, vegetables, herbs, shrimp and peanuts throughout the noodles). Once well-tossed, taste-test the noodles, adding more fish sauce if not salty or tasty enough.
You can serve this salad immediately, or cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to eat (this salad will keep for up to 5 days, and makes great workday lunches!). Serve right out of the bowl, or lift and place onto a serving platter or individual bowls. Garnish with a few extra sprigs of the fresh herbs, plus some chopped peanuts. For those who like it extra spicy, Thai chili sauce can be served on the side.

Ingredients:
12-14 large or medium shrimp, shells removed (tails can be left on)
Optional: 1+1/2 cups pineapple chunks, OR 1 firm, nearly-ripe mango (see note below for fruit tips)
1 large bowl salad greens, enough for each person dining
generous handful of fresh coriander, basil, and/or mint
optional: 1 thinly sliced red chili for garnish
MARINADE:
4 Tbsp. oyster sauce (I use Golden Dragon Brand)
2 tsp. brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
COCONUT-LIME DRESSING:
1/2 cup good-quality coconut milk (not ‘lite’, as it is too thin)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1+1/2 to 2 Tbsp. fish sauce (to taste) OR 1/4 to 1/3 tsp. salt (*see note below)
2 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili flakes
2 tsp. brown sugar
optional: 1 tsp. grated lime zest

Preparation:
Place shrimp and fruit (if using) in a bowl. Stir marinade ingredients together in a cup and pour over. Toss gently and set aside to marinate while you prepare the salad and warm up your grill.
Stir together the salad dressing in a cup. Taste-test, adding more sugar if you prefer it sweeter, or more lime juice if too sweet for your taste. Add more chili or more fish sauce/salt to taste. About Using Fish Sauce: If you are offended by the smell of fish, you may want to use salt instead of fish sauce. I personally love fish sauce, and finds it also adds depth of flavor to this dressing.
Prepare the bowl of salad greens. Thinly slice the herbs and toss them in.
Skewer the marinated shrimp and fruit onto wooden satay sticks or stainless steel brochette skewers. Or, if you shrimp and fruit pieces are large enough, you can set them directly on the grill. Another option is to use a fish cage.
Before grilling, lightly brush you grill/fish cage with cooking oil to prevent sticking. Grill the shrimp and fruit 4-8 minutes per side, or until shrimp is pink and plump, and fruit has grill markings and is bright in color.
Serve the hot shrimp and fruit over the cool salad greens and top with a generous amount of the dressing. Add a sprinkling of sliced red chili for those who like it extra spicy. Pair with your favorite chilled white wine, and ENJOY!

Fruit Tips: I find fresh pineapple or a firm, nearly-ripe mango work beautifully for this recipe. For the mango, if you can easily indent the skin with your thumb, it’s too ripe and will fall apart on the grill. Choose one that is fragrant when you lift it to your nose, but still quite firm. For pineapple, if you want to use canned instead of fresh, I recommend buying the pineapple rings and slicing them into large chunks (this will give you firmer results than buying canned chunks). Fresh pineapple is always firm enough for grilling.

Ingredients

1 cup papaya
1 cup apples
1 cup green seedless grapes
1 cup pineapple
100 grams medium prawns, peeled and cooked (blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds)
4 tablespoons of shallots (small onions) – sliced and deep-fried to golden brown till they are crisp
1 tablespoon garlic – fried on low heat for about ten seconds. They shouldn’t turn brown.
4 small green chillies – sliced very fine (about 2mm thick)
5 tablespoons of toasted peanuts – lightly crushed
Handful of fresh mint leaves – chopped fine

Salad dressing

Juice of two medium lemons
1 teaspoon chili powder (cayenne pepper in USA)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce – adjust to taste
How to make
Combine the fruits with the shredded chicken and prawns. Mix well.

Combine the salad dressing ingredients and stir till all the sugar is dissolved. The lemon flavour can vary widely depending upon the type of lemon used, so dip your finger in and taste the dressing. If your face doesn’t light up with delight in about two seconds, you probably need to adjust something. If it’s too sour, try adding sugar � teaspoon at a time till it’s right. The chili flavour should be noticeable but not overpowering. If your tongue burns or you start panting when you taste it, there’s too much chili.

Both these steps can be done well ahead of time.

Just before serving, stir the dressing one more time. Add the sliced green chilies to the fruits, chicken and shrimp. Throw in the dressing and toss well. Garnish with the fried shallots, garlic, peanuts and mint leaves.

Do try making this at home. It may seem like an unusual dish but the amazing combination of hot, sour, sweet, salty, and pungent flavours make this dish truly spectacular. For variations, try different fruits such as oranges, mangoes, melons, etc. Just try to aim for contrast in colour, texture, and flavour.