Minced Pork and Tofu Clear Soup
แกงจืดเต้าหู้

This is the continuation of my weekly Thai Lunch that I am documenting on thai-blogs.com and enjoythaifood.com. Our budget is always about 100 baht which we are able to do because we buy Thai Street Food and then bring back to the office to share. The first one today is a clear soup which compliments very nicely anything else that might be a bit spicy. In Thai it is called Gang Jued Tao Hoo Wun Sen. I have seen some variations that use eggs, but more commonly, the dish is made with tofu. It is a basic soup that has cilantro root, garlic and pepper. The minced pork balls are then cooked in this boiling stock. It also has wun sen which is the transparent noodle. At the end it is seasoned with fish sauce which is the Thai way of adding salt. Chopped spring onion and cilantro leaves are sprinkled over the top. This dish was 20 baht but could cost you nearly $1 elsewhere.

Steamed Fish Curry (haw mok pla)
ห่อหมกปลา

I am never that keen on seafood, but haw mok pla is one of my favourite seafood dishes. This one was bought down the market for only 20 baht. This is made with serpent-head fish, though you can also find pork or chicken versions if you don't like seafood. But, give this one a try as I am sure, like me, you will love it. In the picture, you can see that the meal is presented in a banana leaf bowl (hence the name). The leaves have changed colour as they have been in a steamer for about twenty minutes. To make, add the curry paste to one cup of coconut milk in a mixing bowl. Add some fish sauce and stir well. Next add an egg and season with fish sauce. Another cup of coconut milk is added slowly while you continue stirring for a further twenty minutes. At the end, stir in briefly chopped basil leaf, coriander, and kaffir lime leaf. This mixture is then scooped into the banana leaf cups. This is then steamed over boiling water for about twenty minutes. Before serving, coconut cream is poured over the top. Very delicious. I have seen miniature versions of these dishes in restaurants. But, nothing beats the real thing from the street hawkers.

Thai Fish Cakes (tod man pla)
ทอดมันปลา

The next one can easily be eaten as an afternoon snack. If you have ever been to Thailand then you would surely know that Thai people like snacking all day. This one is a curried fish cake. However, it is not as spicy as you might think. Don't be fooled by the green ingredients in the fish cake. This is not green chili as I used to think. It is in fact finely sliced long beans! You will also find finely shredded kaffir lime leaf. This makes it a little sour in taste. The ingredients are mixed in a bowl and then made into small patties. This is then deep fried until golden brown. This dish cost 25 baht. Again, I am not fond of seafood but this is one of my favourite roadside snacks.

Sticky Ricky with Ripe Mango
ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง

The final dish is a Thai dessert and is a favourite for most foreign visitors. It can be quite sweet at times, so don't pour too much coconut cream on the sticky rice. Of all the Thai desserts, you must try this one at least once. But a word of warning, it is very addictive and will expand your waistline.

Come back next Friday to see what we have on the Lunchtime Thai Menu. As always, please keep sending in your comments and suggestions either in the comment section below or as an email.