When I arrived at home on Friday night there was a huge red gift on my kitchen table from my loving husband. It was a huge, huge bag of red chillies – do you perhaps think he wanted to tell me something? Anyway, seeing these beautiful chillies took me back to Thailand – and my dear friend Pierre (kitchenbabble.com) in Bangkok. In 2010 I was privileged enough to spend a week in Bangkok where we shared the most wonderful times preparing all sorts of Thai dishes and specialities … but back to the chillies … chillies can be found in nearly every Thai dish or element of Thai cuisine – and rightfully so. I left Bangkok with the most fantastic memories and loads of recipes … but this one – is my ultimate favourite – I gave the Grapua Moo Sub a bit of a twist. Its easy to make and soooo tasty! Just so you know though … I added a bit of lemon juice and black pepper to the dish. Its heaven when that yellow of the egg breaks and spills over the cooked mince and rice.
- 500g Extra lean mince meat
- 2T Oil for frying
- 8 Cloves of garlic – finely crushed - I love grating my garlic on the smallest side of the grater
- 2T Fish sauce – I tend to use more – taste and see what your palette says
- 3 - 4 Red chillies – chopped -I don't take the seeds out - I do like things hot
- One nice big pinch of freshly grounded black pepper
- A big squeeze of lemon juice
- A huge handful of fresh basil leaves - please be generous
- 3-4 Eggs (1 egg per person)
- Cooked basmati rice or if you prefer normal rice
- Heat your oil + add the mince - loosen the meat with your fork. It must be loose, fine and brown. Fry slowly till the meat is cooked.
- Now all you do is add the garlic, fish sauce, chillies and pepper. Stir it and let it cook for a few minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, taste and correct the seasoning with salt (I prefer fish sauce) and pepper.
- Poach or fry the eggs( if you fry your eggs make sure that these are sunny-side up and soft).
- To serve: Add the fresh basil to the mince. Scoop some rice into a bowl. Then add some mince to the rice. Top the dish with a soft poached or fried egg - season you egg with salt to taste. Enjoy!
Noodle is baie lekker met hierdie dis, maar dit moet rysbasis wees. Fatti’s en Moni’s Duram variety sal nie werk nie. (Johan ek noem hierdie vir lesers wat nie so vertroud met asiese kookuns is nie)
Vir bietjie ekstra flavor, stirfry die klaargekookte noodle in bietjie veg oil in ‘n lekker warm pan en season met spatsels goeie donker soy sous. (nie die soet tipe nie) As die noodle net ondergekook is voordat dit uit die water kom toe dit oorspronklik gekook is, en goed gedreineer is, is hierdie noodle soy stirfry ‘n goeie basis vir hierdie of enige ‘oriental noodle stirfry’ dis. My seun vra dikwels vir hierdie as ontbyt – en dan maak ek die noodle met gebraaide uie en soy, stoot die lot eenkant in die pan, en scramble ‘n eier aan die ander kant totdat dit gaar is, en meng die lot saam. Hy eet dit by die bakvol. Rys kan ook gebruik word instede vd noodle.
Instant 2 min noodle also works a charm!
This is such a great dish, and so easy to make, particularly if you have some spare rice hanging around the fridge.
I have made this dish often and have watched Thais do it more times than I can remember. Here are some tips :
I stir fry a roughly chopped large onion in 2-3 tbsp veg oil until the onion has just changed color, about 2-3 mins. The pan with oil needs to be sizzling hot before the onion goes in. Remove the onion to a seperate bowl. Sometimes I fry a chopped green chilli with the onion, as it gives great flavor.
The same as above for the mince. Very high, almost smoking hot heat before ingredients go into the pan/wok is a trademark of authentic Asian cooking. Of course you can do it slowly if you want, but if the meat is fatty, (preferred) then high heat is the way to go.
this dish loves fish sauce and is its trademark is that it is quite salty, with the rice and egg to counteract the salt and chili.
mushrooms work a dream, preferably white, Deny is completely acceptable.
Some Thais add chopped green beans to it – If you do, pre-cook it a couple of minutes before adding.
Green Chilli works better than red chilli, though you should use a combo of about 60/40 favoring green.
Anel is on the money with the Basil. Lots and Lots of of it… this is not the time to be shy…. add the basil (more than a handful) when the mince is done, not before. Don’t bother using dried basil – make another dish if you don’t have fresh basil.
If you have guests who ‘don’t like spicy” use one chilli for this dish. (The thais normally use 1 to 2 chilies with seeds per portion) Chili should NOT be the very small ‘devil type’, as they they are SUPERPOTENT. Use the generic green/red ones as long as a small finger found at the Pick n Pay veg section. Chop up a few and soak them in a small dish with a few squirts of fish sauce – this is always found on restaurant tables in thailand, and the combo will outlast your grandchildren when placed in the fridge. Add as needed.
Though lemon is not normally added to this dish, I am totally intrigued by this idea. I think the sour could add a very interesting dimension which I am keen to try next time around.
Use Basmati, or if possible, Jasmine. Tastic has the best Thai Jasmin rice, comparable to the best found here in Thailand. Yes its a little pricy, however if you follow the instructions on the packet it cooks perfect and its worth the extra R !
Lastly to add dimension and keep the whole lot moist, I cook this dish with 1/4 cup of strong chicken stock next to the wok, (use 1/3 of a chicken stock cube dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water) and add splashes when things look a bit dry. Nothing at any point should be soaked… or worse… floating or swimming…
If you find that your mouth is burning too much to think – run to the fridge and counteract with cold milk or yogurt.
Also sweet ice tea with mint works a treat served one the side when having this dish.
Lekker Eet !
Great idea thanks John!
Vandat Pierre vir ons hiervan vertel het, maak ek dit ten minste een maal per maand. Met pork mince. Ons is mal daaroor. Ek sit dit op Singapore noodles en gooi ook mushrooms by, want ek like mushrooms.
the thai hamburger !
Sounds wonderful.! Defenitaley supper tomorrow !