Day 26 – 28.10.2016
We got ready and had our last cooking course before we left including sticky rice and a stir-fryed rice. First of all (the cooking of which we started with last night):
How to cook sticky rice (Khao Niaw)
For 3 servings
Ingredients:
Sticky rice – 3 cups
Water – 5 cups
Preparation:
Soak the sticky rice in water for at least 3 hours or leave it overnight (longer if the amount is larger and if your rice is an old crop which has lower moisture content) and drain it.
Boil water in a large pot and set the steamer over it over medium heat. Once the water is boiling, drain the soaked rice and pour it into a straining cloth. Cover and steam for 20 – 30 minutes. It would be good to flip the rice once half way through the steaming to ensure even cooking and prevent the bottom oft he rice mound from getting too soggy.
Once the rice is cooked (check the rice and if it is not hard in the middle it is cooked). Remove from the heat and scrape the rice off the straining cloth.
Sweet Sticky Rice (Khao Niaw Moon)
For 5-6 servings
Ingredients:
Sticky rice (Princess Pearl grain) – 500g
Coconut milk – 1 ½ cups
Alum – 10g
Sugar – 1 cup
Salt – 1 teaspoon
3-5 clean Pandan leaves
Preparation:
Sway alum in water and soak the sticky rice in for 5 minutes and drain. Then soak it in normal water or leave it overnight (longer if the amount is larger and if you want sticky rice in different colours) and drain it.
Heat water in a steamer over high heat. Once the water is boiling, drain the soaked rice and pour it into a straining cloth. Cover and steam for 30-45 minnutes. It would be good to flip the rice once half way through the steaming to ensure even cooking and prevent the bottom of the rice mound from getting too soggy.
Once the rice is cooked (check the rice and if it is not hard in the middle it is cooked), remove from the heat and scrape the rice off the straining cloth into a mixing bowl.
Heat coconut milk mixed with sugar, salt and pandan leaves until boiled. Pour the mixture to the cooked sticky rice and mix well. Cover the bowl with lid for 10-15 minutes, stir one more time.
Transfer to the serving plate, serve with the Thai custard or mango.
We also added a lovely custard to go with the sticky rice that we also dyed with the blue colour from the butterfly pea flower.
Thai custard (Khao Niaw Sung Kaya)
For 5 servings
Ingredients:
3 duck eggs
Coconut milk – 1 cup
3-4 clean Pandan leaves
Palm sugar – 100g
Preparation:
Beat the eggs in the mixing bowl. Add sugar and pandan leaves and wait until all palm sugar is absorbed. Then mix the ingredients with hand (use cooking plastic glove) until sugar dissolved.
Add coconut milk and stir until all ingredients mixed well. Pour the mixture through a straining cloth into a medium-sized heat proof bowl.
Heat water in a steamer. Wait until boiling, then place the bowl – use high heat and time depends on the size of the bowl).
Remove from heat and let it cool. Serve with sweet sticky rice.
The butterfly pea flower:
By the way, if you add lime to the natural colour of the butterfly pea flower, then the blue turns into purple!
Here is how we made the fried rice:
Fried Rice (Khao Pad)
For 1 serving
Ingredients:
Pork (or any type of meat) – 50g
Cooked Rice – 1 cup (of normal rice)
1 Egg
Garlic (chopped) – ½ tablespoon
¼ onion
1 tomato
1 stalk of Chinese kale
1 stalk of spring onion
Coriander
Cucumber & Lime
Vegetable Oil – 2 tablespoons
Chili Sauce – 2 teaspoons
Soy sauce – 2 teaspoons
Sugar – ½ teaspoon
Preparation:
Cut vegetables and slice the meat.
Set a pan with the oil on a medium heat, fry garlic until fragrant. Add meat and stir-fry until cooked.
Add egg in, then add rice before the egg is cooked, add chili sauce, soy sauce and sugar and stir-fry until everything is mixed well.
Add onion and chinese kale, then tomato unti vegetables is cooked. Then add spring onion as the last part and transfer onto the serving plate.
Garnish with coriander then serve with cucumber and lime.
(Garnish upsidedown and then drape onto the plate!)
You have got to add some spice!
How it is made:
My very own version!
After the most amazing breakfast we took a group photo and were then off to head back to Chiang Mai.
After a little bit of rest we headed over to the flower market. It is just insane how cheap flowers here are. I mean, paying 0,50€ for a dozen roses is just incredible!
Trying more things at the market – somewhat crunchy bamboo worms:
Northern sausage with a lovely bit of smoke and spice!
A little bit of puff pastry with curry paste.
After lunch I headed straight to a lovely spa where I had booked the most amazing four handed massage! It is a bit of a sensory overload but definitely worth it! Anyone should try if possible!
I even managed to add in a little manicure!
As soon as I pulled up by the hotel it was time to head off with the others for the farewell dinner:
Unfortunately the crab dish I had ordered prooved to be more of a challenge than I had expected....
The chicken feet soup proved to be a lot easier to eat!
The frog was easier too, a bit like fried chicken.
After we said our farewells, Lawrence and I headed to a local Thai boxing arena. I was really excited for this, as the fights in these arenas are no staged but are proper fights using martial arts!
The fights schedule:
And of course, the betting begun! I actually won some money!
There were some girl fights too!
Also there was a round of blind fighting. The combatants were blindfolded and aimlessly swung at each other. It was quite a spectacle!
Then some more proper rounds of fighting begun. But most importantly, I got to meet up with a dear friend of mine that I had gotten to know in Mexico! She and her boyfriend were heading through Chiang Mai and I was lucky to get to see her, seeing as Lauren lives in Australia!
At the end of the night there were some international fights too... First a fight between an Englishman and a 65 year old Thai! I was definitely with the Thai boxer, however the Englishman prevailed and won the fight. After that it was time for the fight between the German and a young Thai. Guess who I was rooting for? Thankfully the German won, I won my bet, and the fight had to be stopped after the third round since the Thai was so disorientated. BUT I got myself a photo with the winner!
After that, still pumped with adrenaline from the fight, we headed back to the hotel. This was my last night in Thailand and it was really worth seeing this fight!
