Cuisines Archives: Thai

Thai Soured Pork Ribs – Naem Si Krong Mu (แหนมซี่โครงหมู)

By on February 18, 2011 in She Deglutenizes, She Jams and Pickles, She Stocks a Thai Pantry, She Thais


After I teased you with a preview of Naem in one of the recent posts, quite a few impatient emails have come in asking for a full post on this cured meat, one of the most delicious charcuterie products Southeast Asia has to offer. While the enthusiasm is encouraging, I strongly believe that if you’re someone who has never eaten naem (แหนม), let alone made it from scratch, it’s best that you take one baby step at a time. After all, we’re talking about fermented pork meat that is traditionally served raw; even those who grew up eating it rarely make it at home.

The type of naem most commonly found in Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos is soured ground pork (sometimes with pork skin slivers added to it). However, at least in Thailand, another sub-category of naem is just as popular. Chief among the members of this sub-category is soured pork ribs (แหนมซี่โครงหมู). Continue Reading →

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Thai Green Mango Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Cashews (ยำมะม่วงกุ้งย่าง)

By on February 9, 2011 in She Grills, She Thais, She Tosses

Thai Green Mango Salad with Grilled Shrimp by SheSimmers.com

For this batch, I grilled my shrimp with the shells on; this explains the absence of grill marks.

This is just something I threw together for lunch the other day. The ingredients are so perfect together. Having said that, there’s lots of room to play around with this no-recipe recipe. Grilled scallops or cuttlefish would make a great substitute for the shrimp. I can also see small pieces of white fish, lightly-battered and deep-fried, in this in lieu of the grilled seafood (the end result would closely mimic the much-loved yam pla-duk fu). Cashew is the best nut for this salad, but peanut would be nice also.

Just for kicks, add a tablespoon of nam prik pao to it. Continue Reading →

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Thai Custard with Mung Beans: Khanom Mo Kaeng Thua (ขนมหม้อแกงถั่ว)

By on January 9, 2011 in She Bakes, She Deglutenizes, She Thais, She Veges


Just as the name of Marcel Proust is often mentioned along with a reference to the French cookie/cakelet, madeleine, the name of Maria Guyomar de Pinha (Thao Thong Kip Ma ท้าวทองกีบม้า) is almost always invoked at every mention of Portuguese-derived desserts which had been assimilated into Thai cuisine. All this took place in the reign of King Narai the Great (สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช) — the period in 17th century Siam wherein foreign influences abounded politically, linguistically, culturally, and, in this case, culinarily.

Maria Guyomar de Pinha is said to be a Japanese-Portuguese woman who made a definite hand print on the Ayutthaya royal court kitchen, an influence that is still in effect today. Despite the enduring legacy, so very little about the woman is known. While certain aspects of her life have been documented, much information that is in circulation remains unsubstantiated. The little we know about this woman is fascinating, though. I’ll talk more about the woman whom the Thai refer to as Thao Thong Kip Ma in future posts.

For now, let’s focus on one of the desserts which she supposedly introduced to the Siamese court: khanom1 mo kaeng (ขนมหม้อแกง). Continue Reading →

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